Every spring for the past eight years, I have been searching for this shrub. And every year, I am both disappointed and bewildered why...

Go seriously local! This species of manzanita was originally introduced by our own Saratoga Horticulture Foundation way back in 1955,...

It is easy to dismiss some of the more Plane Jane plants of the ornamental landscape, but for landscape architects, they can play key...

For formal and informal hedges, Prunus laurocerasus is a competitive option. They treat us with deep green and lustrous foliage, perfect...

A native azalea that's deciduous? When we think of rhododendrons, their evergreen boughs with pastel clusters of showy flowers might...

Every winter, retail nurseries fill with a variety of bareroot plants including blueberries that at times I have specified in designs but...

Need a colorful ground cover that is also drought tolerant? Consider Lantana montevidensis. Unlike its sibling, Lantana camara that...

Lantanas continue to grow in availability offering a wide variety of colors and sizes among hybridized cultivars. For this post, we will...

California has everything, even its own rose. No, it is not a fancy multi-petaled cut flower coveted by lovers, but it certainly has...

There are two trees I can think of that leave me unenthusiastic about giving them my time here. The first is Ailanthus altissima, which...

It was not until finding this photo that I realized the petals were in the shape of true love, reminding me to admire the details if not...

Roses are available in countless shapes, forms, scented or unscented, simple or complex, even for their drought tolerance. There are...

One minor regret I have from my college years studying landscape architecture was not taking enough photos while studying for a semester...

If a landscape design calls for tropical plant species, one cannot go wrong with including Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Its genus, Hibiscus,...

Need a lawn alternative that is drought tolerant? Myoporum parvifolium might be the plant for your design, but it includes some caveats....

Designers may already be familiar with Japanese maples and flowering cherries, but this Japanese snowdrop or snowbell tree offers a...

This large shrub, small tree came my way from generous owners of a small resort in Guerneville. I would occasionally talk with them...

Hydrangea macrophylla is the quintessential representation of Victorian gardens. At least, its association with the Victorian era, for...

In the past decade, Chilopsis linearis has started to pop up in Northern California as a viable, colorful option in the landscape ...

We moved to Palo Alto when I was child, so I was amazed to learn that we had our own pomegranate tree in the front yard, already well...