Cotyledon orbiculata (Pig’s Ear) is a popular South African succulent that many people in Mediterranean climates grow. Its popularity continues to grow thanks to more water-conscious gardeners incorporating it into their landscapes. Even though these plants do great with minimal water, I have found that they can handle more water than the blogosphere would have you believe….
One of my goals with the blog is to provide some insight into new plants that you might not know about or didn’t think would grow in our Mediterranean climate. Today’s post is on Galphimia gracilis. The common name is Spray-of-Gold or Golden Thryallis. This eastern Mexico native is a popular plant in warmer parts…
Back in April I wrote about the Brown Anoles (Anolis sagrei sagrei) that had naturalized in my garden. In that post I mentioned that some herpetologist might be contacting me to come out and collect some specimens and gather some more information. Last weekend I had the pleasure of showing off my…
Tecoma stans has been cultivated as an ornamental since as far back as the mid-1800s. Cultivars and hybrids soon followed. So it goes without saying that the Yellow Bells is a very popular large shrub in Southern Californian gardens. And to prove I am no plant snob, I actually grow one in…
I first happened upon Dyschoriste hygrophyloides (Bridal Flower) during a visit to a friend’s house in Florida in the spring of 2007. He took me to a somewhat famous tropical plant hotspot called Jesse Durko’s Nursery in Davie. It was there that Dyschoriste hygrophyloides and many, many other tropical plants were for sale. Unfortunately for me it…
Growing up in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, you learn to appreciate many of nature’s cues that summer has finally arrived. Long, cold winters can be taxing, so when summer finally does arrive you tend to enjoy it a little more than we do here in San Diego. Heck, summer started in March in San Diego this…
Walking around the garden on this beautiful Southern California day I noticed that it is cycad flushing season again. While cycads can flush anytime of the year, it is usually during the summer that the majority of my plants flush or cone. When you consider the only major changes you…
Here we are into the first half of June already. My kids are out of school and it has me asking, “Where has the year gone?” In the garden it is usually a time for a massive wake up call for many of my more tropical plants. However, this year I am actually…
