California Dutchman’s pipe vines flower in winter, feed caterpillars and are native to California. Interesting flowers, easy care and ecological benefits, all in one easy to grow plant!
Author Archives: mike
Monterey Park garden growing up
Progress photos of a Los Angeles area subtropical garden designed to save water and be interesting year round.
Lighting your landscape
Some examples of using lighting to transform landscapes – and make them more enjoyable by night.
Nature in B&W
Sometimes color gets in the way of seeing. Pure forms emerge from shades of gray; spiraling, twining, repeating, expressing their inner nature.
The Joys of Fennel
Fennel plants are a great way to attract insects and birds to your garden.
Prickly Pruning: thinning out a specimen prickly pear cactus
Pruning a prickly pear cactus for shape.
Textures for a Los Angeles garden
Southern California’s mild climate creates an opportunity to go wild with plant color, texture and shape. All manner of subtropical plants from arid climates jump onto the plant palette, and more are introduced every year. This garden has one zone adjacent to the main living area that receives moderate irrigation; the rest of the gardenContinue reading “Textures for a Los Angeles garden”
Down with binders!
The office bookcase sagged under the weight of years of accumulated binders filled with catalogs, promos, product information, new plant announcements, those samples of fake grass that arrived one day long ago… Binders are part of an old paradigm, where companies kept everyone up to date by periodically visiting, throwing out the old data and replacingContinue reading “Down with binders!”
Lights, Camera, Landscape!
What do you think about reality TV landscape programs? Are those landscapes dreams come true or nightmares waiting to happen? It’s amazing how in a matter of days an overgrown, weedy wasteland can become a beautiful new landscape. It’s nothing short of incredible. A brawny guy walks up with a plan, everyone squeals with pleasure,Continue reading “Lights, Camera, Landscape!”
Time to cut back the California asters
After months of steady growth, the asters were reaching for the sky, with an average height of about 54 inches. Time to act. Last year, some of the asters were trimmed too late, almost completely eliminating their flowers. Others were done earlier, resulting at a solid floral display held below eye height. Untrimmed, the plantsContinue reading “Time to cut back the California asters”