A breezy day near sunset, slanting rays of light coming through the grass as it dances in the wind… Feather Reed Grass, Karl Foerster variety (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’) Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘stricta’ is similar, if not indistinguishable. If you want variegated leaves, get ‘Overdam’ – although it isn’t as vigorous as the green-leaved varieties.
Category Archives: Plants
A (mostly) native garden by a stream
A mostly native garden thrives along a suburban streambank.
A Sausage Vine for Sacramento
A Holboellia coriacea ‘Cathedral Gem’ vine gets tested in Sacramento. Do we have a new favorite plant? WIll it accept our climate, grow well in shade and, most critically, thrive in our typically heavy soil?
Native plant, yes. Hardy plant, sort of
Just because a plant is native doesn’t mean it’s completely hardy. I suppose if all our native plants were from our exact location, things would be fine. However, like the wicked witch, they had houses dropped on them and are no more. Not even ruby slippers remain. Fooled by warmer weather, this hummingbird sage (SalviaContinue reading “Native plant, yes. Hardy plant, sort of”
Iced cactus
Cold weather hit hard this year in Sacramento, reducing a once magnificent cactus to a frozen stump surrounded by shattered branches.
Planting Irises
Irises are inconvenient. They bloom in spring, but should be planted in fall. With bearded iris, this means ordering after strolling though fields of blooming plants, ordering, and waiting until late August to get your plants and put them in the ground. For native iris, we purchased in spring, planted the pots, then removed theContinue reading “Planting Irises”
To Remove or not to Remove, that is the question
Sometimes a design hinges on one decision, in this case to remove a tree or keep it. The tree is healthy, but leaning ominously toward the house. It’s also a species that we know first hand can come crashing down without warning in a storm. Yet, it’s beautiful, provides a wonderful view from the secondContinue reading “To Remove or not to Remove, that is the question”
La Guerre aux mauvaises herbes!
L’ultimatum est lancé! Je suis en train de récupérer mes zones de transition entre plantes existantes et cheminement. Adieu veaux, vaches cochons… et mauvaises herbes! Au fur et à mesure de mes arrachages effrénés je tente de creuser afin de retirer le maximum de système racinaire. Ensuite, je recouvre le petit carré de terre soigneusementContinue reading “La Guerre aux mauvaises herbes!”
Back from the dead
Plants recovered from frost damage
Go vertical! These gardens in La Romieu, France maximize use of space.
There’s really not much room to plant here. Soil surfaces are small, so there’s no way to create depth or layering in the planting areas. No worry – these gardeners just used the adjacent walls as additional garden space. In the shady alley, a collection of hostas trims the interface between wall and ground. That’sContinue reading “Go vertical! These gardens in La Romieu, France maximize use of space.”