By the time this week’s post loads to the “Internets”, my wife and I will be on a plane heading to Thailand to celebrate our ten-year wedding anniversary. All that last-minute rushing around in preparation limited my interest in even getting a post out. However, a quick mountain bike ride unexpectedly opened the door for a…
Until recently, winter was breezing by with evenings staying above the 40-degree fahrenheit Mendoza Line. Unfortunately, the new year ended my unrealistic dream of going through an entire winter without seeing temperatures drop into the thirties. Just about two weeks ago an Arctic storm pushed right through California and brought with it either frost or freezing temperatures for three straight nights. Looking…
While traveling throughout Myanmar you will find that there are a few trees that are really important to the Burmese people and can be found growing most everywhere we visited. One, of course, is the Thanaka Tree (Limonia acidissima). It is the tree from which Thanaka, which is used by most Burmese women for beauty and cosmetic purposes, is made….
There are two easily confused Umbrella Trees that have been grown for many years in Mediterranean climate gardens. One is Schefflera actinophylla and the other is Schefflera pueckleri—if I were to label them with the most recent nomenclature. However, any old-time gardener will instead remember Schefflera pueckleri as Tupidanthus calyptratus instead. I actually still have an issue with the name change. So…
One of the pleasures I get when touring a well thought-out garden is all the various fragrances you smell from a multitude of plantings. Many times gardeners overlook this in their landscape planning and focus on the two senses of sight and taste as their main effort. Their yards will have a lot of color with many fruit trees and vegetables planted,…
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 my yard. The two most commonly…
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 a good month or two…
Every late spring the San Diego Botanical Garden has a Palm, Cycad, Bamboo and Tropical Plant Sale. This year it was held May 31st. Because I enjoy going to the San Diego Botanical Garden so much I try to time one of my visits with this sale. It really is a great time to see a bunch of rare flowering trees in…