There are some plants that you just can’t seem to grow no matter the effort. You love them too much to quit, though. So you keep fighting the good fight. I am not talking about the plants that are just outside your zone and die with each passing winter. I am referring to plants that…

So let’s get the tough part out of the way first. The part where I offend some people. It was bound to happen at some point in this post, so let’s just get it over with. I personally find the Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) to be one of the least attractive palm trees in the…

Last week I wrote about all the unseasonably early bloom times of many plants this year thanks to the record-setting mild winter and hot spring weather here in SoCal. With all the early blooming I have seen, there is one plant that has still managed to stay on schedule. It is the same plant that even after…

We must be getting close to spring time. Like clockwork my Cymbidium orchids are in full bloom and one of the highlights of a garden in transition. The winter-flowering plants, like many of my succulents and aloes, have finished their show. I am still a few weeks away from the spring-flowering plants taking center stage. So…

The Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae) is a native of South Africa and is closely related to the banana tree. It is one of the most popular flowering perennials that can be grown in a Mediterranean-type climate. The Yellow Bird of Paradise has been known for a while now and really started to become a…

Celery Scented Pelargonium (Pelargonium ionidiflorum) is an unusual species of geranium native to the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It is a low-growing shrublet with lacy leaves and bright pink flowers held above the foliage on long stems. Pelargonium ionidiflorum stays compact and does not get leggy like many other Pelargonium plants. The common name…