I have been driving around our 1950s to 1970s neighborhoods for the past month looking to no avail for a quality specimen of this large...

Lavare. Just writing this Latin derivative meaning 'to wash' evokes spas filled with lavender bathing soaps and oils. Relaxing. If...

This cheerful cultivar of a native species is on my wish list to personally grow, but so far my success has been limited. My first...

There are three Arbutus species that every California landscape architect should know: A. menziesii, A. 'Marina,' and this one, A. unedo...

Smokin'! This is the first word that comes to mind when I see this unusual plant in bloom. What could be an ordinary large shrub or...

Meet my buddy, David. That might be a way to remember the Latin name, but it can also be called by its common name, butterfly bush. ...

What was once an exotic rarity found in greenhouses or temperate San Francisco's Victorian landscapes, sago palms have been making their...

Does the world need another oleander? When I ask myself this question, I immediately think of my time attending Monticello's Historic...

If there was ever a botanical plant name to cause confusion, it is this one. This is of particular consequence to me, because West...

It is not often I think about brambles! Either something that conjures up something surrounding a witch's den, or brambles remind me of...

Spiraea prunifolia 'Plena', as I recall, has graced nearly ever home garden I remember. A curiosity in my youth, the first time I saw...

Most visits to our favorite retail nurseries usually means seeing grevilleas that we have not seen before. This time, Big Bird presented...

Low maintenance, evergreen, and tasty bits of guava fruit! Picked too early, these berries had a sweet but "pine flavor," only the deep...

Another versatile rose, Rosa 'Graham Thomas' is an English rose made available by David Austin. Similar to R. 'Sally Holmes', it can act...

Truly one of my favorites, Rosa 'Sally Holmes' is a conversation piece. People who see it for the first time ask if it is a dogwood or a...

Origin: Mediterranean Type: Shrub For a rockrose, this one is large, possibly reaching 8'. Given the size of the buds, I'm expecting...