3 minSenecio candicans 'Senaw' (PP28,830)For those of us familiar with the feathery, strikingly silver foliage of dusty millers, or Jacobaea maritima, this is not it! Please...
3 minSyringa x persciaEvery spring for the past eight years, I have been searching for this shrub. And every year, I am both disappointed and bewildered why...
5 minPhyllostachys bambusoidesTo designers, bamboos offer unique opportunities in the landscape, especially as outdoor space becomes more restricted. Some ideas are...
2 minArctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn'Go seriously local! This species of manzanita was originally introduced by our own Saratoga Horticulture Foundation way back in 1955,...
4 minPittosporum tenuifoliumIt is easy to dismiss some of the more Plane Jane plants of the ornamental landscape, but for landscape architects, they can play key...
3 minPinus edulisMemories can pop up when least expected. My family and I would sit on the back deck of our South Lake Tahoe cabin and pick out and devour...
4 minKoelreuteria paniculataTruth be known, I have not specified Koelreuteria paniculata in any of my designs, and I am not sure why. Perhaps one reason is that it...
3 minMelaleuca linariifoliaEasily unnoticeable but offers so much more when looking at the details, we should be seeing more of Melaleuca linariifolia in public...
3 minCeiba speciosaAges ago...I am referring to my own ancient history...I was an outsider yet still involved with activities on Stanford's campus. My...
2 minLantana montevidensisNeed a colorful ground cover that is also drought tolerant? Consider Lantana montevidensis. Unlike its sibling, Lantana camara that...
5 minLantana camaraLantanas continue to grow in availability offering a wide variety of colors and sizes among hybridized cultivars. For this post, we will...
4 minGinkgo bilobaLike me, Ginkgo biloba is a living fossil, or as Sunset summarizes, an "ancient survivor from prehistoric times..." (p. 339). The...
3 minTeucrium x lucidrysThis little germander always finds its way into my gardens, in part for its versatility. I have primarily specified T. x lucidrys as...
4 minSolidago velutina ssp. californicaWelcome to floral sunshine in the native garden! Solidago velutina ssp. californica, or California goldenrod, is not well known among...
3 minEpilobium canumUshering in the autumn season is California fuchsia, or Epilobium canum. When so many other native perennials are already withering or...
3 minRosa californicaCalifornia has everything, even its own rose. No, it is not a fancy multi-petaled cut flower coveted by lovers, but it certainly has...
4 minMyoporum laetumThere are two trees I can think of that leave me unenthusiastic about giving them my time here. The first is Ailanthus altissima, which...
4 minCrassula perfoliata var. falcataWhenever drought reminds us that many Californians live in a Mediterranean climate, succulents rage in popularity with a wide array of...
3 minSalvia reptansAn intriguing sage unlike any other I am used to growing, Salvia reptans offers a unique texture in the garden. Unfortunately, it is one...
4 minVitis californica 'Roger's Red'For twenty plus years, my commute followed the Russian River from Healdsburg to Duncans Mills. Sometimes I would keep going all the way...