Romneya coulteri
Large stands of Romneya coulteri, or Matilija poppy, at West Valley College, show their true beauty when students are not actively...
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TELCS
- 4 min
Agapanthus praecox ssp. orientalis
If you are in the California landscape industry, you know that Agapanthus is a workhorse in commercial landscapes. Who has not seen this...
34 views0 comments
- 3 min
x Chitalpa tashkentensis
X-Plants are not spin-offs from the X-Men. The "x" in front of or within the scientific name refers to pairing (crossing) at least two...
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- 2 min
Perovskia atriplicifolia
Say that name ten times fast! Or skip the tongue twister knowing that its common name, Russian sage, is even funnier when learning it is...
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- 4 min
Nerium oleander
Does the world need another oleander? When I ask myself this question, I immediately think of my time attending Monticello's Historic...
14 views0 comments
- 4 min
Vitex agnus-castus
Meet Miss Agnes. She's "vital to chastity." That's how I remember her name...both the plant's botanical and common names. Students...
8 views0 comments
- 3 min
Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate'
Summer is here, and I love chocolate, so let's dive right into a tree that does not receive too much attention. Meet the velvety...
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- 3 min
Albizia julibrissin
Albizias fly in and out of favor as the wind blows, or more succinctly, whenever we find California's droughts in the news. Their...
30 views0 comments
- 1 min
Perovskia atriplicifolia 'Little Spire'
The non-cultivar, P. atriplicifolia (above), can reach 5' when in bloom, so we opted for this compact cultivar that only reaches about 3'....
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- 1 min
Aloe striata
First bloom this year after purchase, and wow was it a show stopper! The bloom stock lasted for about a month, blooming in early spring....
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- 1 min
Sphaeralcea munroana 'Newleaze Coral'
Considered a native of the West, but this is a cultivar of unknown origin (to me). Most online sources avoid using the species epithet,...
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- 1 min
Grevillea petrophiloides 'Big Bird'
Most visits to our favorite retail nurseries usually means seeing grevilleas that we have not seen before. This time, Big Bird presented...
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- 2 min
Ugni molinae
Low maintenance, evergreen, and tasty bits of guava fruit! Picked too early, these berries had a sweet but "pine flavor," only the deep...
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- 2 min
Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea
Ages ago, I briefly lived in a warehouse on the Carquinez Strait. The town of 300 was the remnants of an old ferry crossing to Benicia. ...
15 views0 comments
- 3 min
Cistus ladanifer
If gardeners and landscape maintenance workers can manage the irrigation, Cistus ladanifer provides a lot of bang for the buck in a...
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