Nature’s Way: Thoughts of wildflowers bloom
It is time to be thinking about one of our earliest spring wildflowers. Now hold on — it is not a stretch to be thinking about them at this time of year. especially this year. this winter, we’ve had days throughout December and January that were as bright and sunny as some of the cooler [...]
Perennial stars from CSU trials
Picking new plants is one of the most exciting times of the spring for a gardener, a ritual we indulge in as we believe that this year our gardens will be as perfect as magazine picture. but pitfalls lurk behind a pretty petal or leaf, and if you’re not careful, you end up with a [...]
CITES PLANTS
CITES APPENDICES FOR PLANTS F L O R A (PLANTS) Appendices App I —————– APP II —————-APP III AGAVACEAE Agaves Agave parviflora Agave victoriae-reginae #1 Nolina interrata AMARYLLIDACEAE Snowdrops, sternbergias Galanthus spp. #1 Sternbergia spp. #1 APOCYNACEAE Elephant trunks, hoodias Hoodia spp. #9 Pachypodium spp. #1 (Except the species included in Appendix I) Pachypodium ambongense [...]
The Power of the Image
It was barked out almost as a command by the garden owner standing next to me. In early March, 25 years ago, I stood with an eccentric Doctor on the terrace of his North Devon home, overlooking a 10 acre garden in a classic Devon Combe. I had left London and the world of international banking just the day before. To [...]
Euphorbias
Invasive Euphorbia It's ironic that two of my worst invasive plants are both Euphorbias. And they are both colonising the Dog-Path Garden. Aargh! Should they stay or should they go? On a lazy spring day like today I say ‘stay’! after all, this is a semi-woodland garden area, and it’s not designed to be neat [...]
March Bloomiferous Madness
Happy Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day! thanks to May Dreams Gardens for hosting blooms around the world on the 15th of every month. First up is our Guzmania (not really sure which one it is). this is one of our very first houseplants we brought home when we first moved to San Francisco about least three [...]
Crown Of Thorns Bonsai Tree – Euphorbia milii
Crown of Thorns Bonsai Tree, scientific name Euphorbia milii, is a tropical shrub with very showy red, pink, or white flowers. It has leathery bright green leaves supported by vicious thorny stems, hence the common name Crown of Thorns. This tropical plant is great for indoors. Additional Information Family: Euphorbiaceae Scientific name: Euphorbia milii Common [...]
Featured Plant: Euphorbia hypericifolia)
Euphorbia hypericifolia is a mouthful, but I’m sure you’ve seen these plants around.
Weekend Plantings
Two of my favorites are E. ammak, which looks like a columnar cactus, and E. obesa, a spherical species that resembles a green-and-brown baseball. among the common names of this strange plant are gingham golf ball and basketball euphorbia. both of these species do best in bright, filtered light but tolerate light shade for long [...]
Indoor bloomers brighten dark, dreary days of winter
Published: Friday, December 17, 2010, 2:07 PM Updated: Wednesday, December 29, 2010, 7:52 AM For me, having indoor plants is as much a necessity as outdoor ones. When in school, a more advanced classmate assured me I would eventually forgo all of my houseplants for the outdoor plants. Well, that has never happened. I [...]