There has been one particular area in my garden that has bugged me for quite some time now. It is a highly visible spot that receives a lot of sun year round and is occupied by some of my favorite plants. Lately, in an effort to further meet the water restrictions the drought in California has imposed,…
This past Saturday the Palm Society of Southern California (PSSC) held their quarterly meeting . This May meeting included two wonderful gardens tours in the Mission Viejo area. While I have been a member of the PSSC for many years now, I am usually unable to attend these meetings, as something kid-related always seems to take up my calendar. Lucky…
It is not very often that we get cloudy days like most have been this week. In fact, statistically there are 258 sunny days per year in Vista, California, where I live. Thirty-five days per year are what they call precipitation days. These infrequent cloudy days can prove beneficial, as it is the best time to photograph boutique agaves…
This post is a continuation of last week’s Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden tour. As promised, I will now focus on the amazing plants of Nong Nooch. I mentioned last week that I had taken over 400 photos during my visit. With great effort I was able to filer that amount down to 40 for this post….
When the wife and I knew that we would be going to Thailand to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary, I immediately began working on her to include a quick side trip to the Nong Nooch Tropical Botanical Garden. The palm tree lover in me could never be forgiven if I missed the Mecca of palm tree botanical gardens. A visit…
Over the last few years I have become an admirer of the smaller growing Agaves. When most people think Agave the first plant to come to mind is likely Agave americana (Century Plant). The Century Plant can grow to have a spread of 8 feet; it suckers profusely, and in certain soils can spread with…
On February 8th the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society (SDCSS) had their annual Winter Show and Sale at Balboa Park. Over the last few years my interest in succulents has grown quite extensively, to the point where Aloes and Agaves now take up a big signature in my landscape. Because of my growing interest I…
Over the last two days I’ve had the enjoyable pleasure of heading to what is probably my favorite nursery. Rancho Soledad Nursery has been around since 1954 and is the creation of the late Jerry Hunter. The nursery can be found on a 25-acre lot in the rolling hills of Rancho Santa Fe, California. The…