The Aster chilensis is blooming, and it’s the biggest insect party of the year. The plants are covered with skippers, with frequent visits by mason bees and other creatures. Despite its Latin name implying South American origins, it’s a California native – but from the Southern part. It’s common name, California aster, makes its originsContinue reading “The incredible flying circus”
Category Archives: Planting design
Leucadendron salignum update
Our Leucadendron salignum plants in August, still alive.
Planting sedge plugs in summer
It would be nice if plant availability and the optimum planting season coincided, or if planting time on a project were planned for cooler weather. They’re not. Since we’re not in an ideal world, things sometimes must go in the ground during hot weather. The trick, then, is to develop techniques that ensure a highContinue reading “Planting sedge plugs in summer”
Scary Monsters!
This is not, strictly speaking, a tomato worm. It’s the larva of Manduca sexta, the dreaded Tobacco Hornworm. Nor is it a worm. It’s a larval insect that could more properly be termed a caterpillar if not for the image of caterpillars being cute and worms being ugly. Anything capable of stripping the leaves ofContinue reading “Scary Monsters!”
WIld Ginger (Asarum caudatum) having a tough establishment period
Wild ginger (Asarum caudatum) is a California native that grows under redwood trees in coastal valleys. This alone should have given me pause before planting it here in the Central Valley, yet I was told that it does grow here. I was letting it go fairly dry between waterings, since it is a native plantContinue reading “WIld Ginger (Asarum caudatum) having a tough establishment period”
Testing a new plant: Dicliptera suberecta
Uruguay. I’ve never met a plant from there before, yet there it was at the nursery: Uruguayan Firecracker Plant (Dicliptera suberecta). The plant, in a four inch pot, was covered with bright red-orange tubular flowers, the type that shout, “hummingbirds!”. It has fuzzy gray leaves, suggesting that it might be a water conserving plant. OtherContinue reading “Testing a new plant: Dicliptera suberecta”
Fun with invasive plants
Some invasive plants are just too fun to pass up. Perennial morning glories, running bamboo, gaura, Santa Barbara daisies… as long as they limit their invasiveness to the garden. Plants listed as invasive in natural areas – things like St. John’s wort and periwinkle – are invasive everywhere, so please don’t use them at all.Continue reading “Fun with invasive plants”
Swallowtails!
Our first Anise Swallowtail (Papilio zelicaon) arrived in the garden today. We’ve had Western Tiger Swallowtails flit through from time to time, but the Anise Swallowtail is here to start a family, not just pass by. This species feeds on plants in the carrot family, and is one of the reasons that we planted fennelContinue reading “Swallowtails!”
California Native Plant Society garden
The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) hosted a fun, informal event in the native garden of the Historic City Cemetery in Sacramento (on Broadway). They’ve been working on this garden since 1997, so many of the plants are getting mature. Many dedicated volunteers work regularly to maintain the existing plants and add new ones.
Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis) update
Those feathery, delicate flowers floating over the feather reed grasses are now artistic, pencil-thin spikes that sway in the slightest breeze. The plants’ appearance is now a lot more architectural, but with a loss of lushness and spring softness. This is what the grasses looked like on June ninth, only two short weeks ago. TheContinue reading “Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis) update”