Monthly Archives: May 2011
Deschampsia. Muhlenbergia. Calamagrostis. Grasses have really long names!
Two of these grasses, the Deer Grass and the Tufted Hair Grass, are California natives. The other, Karl Foerster Grass, is a hybrid that does very well here. Tufted Hair Grass has been proposed as a lawn substitute, but that would mean mowing off the flower stalks, since at about three feet high they makeContinue reading “Deschampsia. Muhlenbergia. Calamagrostis. Grasses have really long names!”
Cloning for Dummies: cuttings
Unlike sheep, plants are easy to clone. You don’t even need a fancy laboratory with lots of bubbling liquids and mysterious equipment. Many plants root very easily from cuttings, allowing you to quickly clone one plant into many identical copies. It’s also a good way to grow herbs like sage and rosemary from stems youContinue reading “Cloning for Dummies: cuttings”
Interesting weather: hail!
We’re having a bit of interesting weather for May. Last Sunday dumped almost an inch of hail over everything whitening the street, making the landscape look like a winter scene but doing little damage to the plants. The worst affected were roses, with large petals and tomatoes, with large leaves. For those of you readingContinue reading “Interesting weather: hail!”
Sedges have edges…
Brief descriptions of some ornamental sedges used in California landscaping: C. praegracillis, C. pansa, C. flagellifera and C. divulsa.
How hummingbirds start their day
Photos of hummingbirds bathing early in the morning
The artist’s garden
Artists know that a light color only looks that way when surrounded by dark colors to give it contrast. Likewise, artists use form, line and texture to keep things interesting and depict their subject. These things work in the landscape, too. Most of the time, we start with foliage color, since it’s present most orContinue reading “The artist’s garden”
Ladybug, ladybug
A bit of information on ladybugs and ladybug larvae, your allies to control aphids.
Hey! They told me this was a BIRD house!
This birdhouse is one of the finishing touches on the garden. It’s not really placed to attract nesting birds; it’s too low and too close to the path. So, the reasoning was that it would just be another piece of garden art, occupied by spiders. The day after installation, I noticed something fly out ofContinue reading “Hey! They told me this was a BIRD house!”
Penstemon!
Our penstemons are swinging into full bloom, and providing a nice bit of color to fill in for the departing blue-eyed grass. Native bees visit the flowers, as do hummingbirds. The plants don’t need much, if any, water – depending on the species they’re bred from. Penstemon spectabilis should thrive with no additional water; MargueritaContinue reading “Penstemon!”