I needed a quick post for this week as I will be in North Carolina for our family reunion at the Outer Banks. So before heading out with the wife and kids for a 3 AM departure, I went outside the day before and shot some late afternoon garden photos. Likely the most popular request…
The building of a dry creek bed
I have had a lot going on the last few weeks. As most already know, I am in the process of doing a pretty large landscape remodel and trying to coordinate all that with a busy summer schedule. The concrete work went in last week and next week the topsoil arrives for me to finish…
PSSC Meeting – Gregg Hamann Garden Tour
It is not often that you have an opportunity to visit a multi-generational garden. So when the Palm Society of Southern California (PSSC) quarterly meeting was going to be held at one of my favorite palm gardens in Southern California, I knew I would be blocking off that time on my busy schedule. The Gregg…
The excitement that comes from a massive upcoming garden project
It has been 10 years now since I first embarked on a massive garden project. One that involves pouring concrete, bringing in boulders, and that will lead to me planting a whole bunch of palms, cycads, agaves and aloes. I always knew what I wanted to do in the garden, and for many years I had been…
High winter rainfall has made for a great Aloe blooming season
As one might have guessed from many of my recent posts, I really do love aloes. I have found them to be quite adaptable in almost any garden setting. Along with my xeriscaping, I have intermingled aloes throughout my tropical areas as well. With my free-draining decomposed granite, they actually do very well with a lot of…
2017 San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society Winter Show and Sale
Is it really already that time of year for the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society Winter Show and Sale? What is even more hard for me to believe is that the last time I did a post on the winter show was back in 2014. Three years ago! I guess it is true that time flies when…
A closeup view of a Southern California rainy day garden
A rainy day garden: often a curse in the tropics, but a rare treat in Southern California. I can honestly tell you that I have never said, “Oh, darn. It’s going to rain” while I have had my garden here in Vista, California. If you do not live in a low-rainfall Mediterranean climate, you can not really understand why rain…
Succulent Garden Party at the Rick Bjorklund and Greg Starr residence
Not long ago I decided to join the San Diego Horticultural Society (SDHS). I have been told by a few that it provides a great opportunity to view some amazing gardens and meet some interesting people from the world of plants. The first garden I would tour with the SDHS turned out to be a doozy. Dubbed…