To celebrate the recent launch of my Debra Lee Baldwin Facebook author page, for the rest of the month I’m posting garden photos on Facebook that pop with brilliant, searing, over-the-top ORANGE. I’d love it if you’d drop by and “like” the new page, and if you’re so inclined, post a scorching orange shot yourself. Regardless, please enjoy my top 25! Looking for [...]
You’re probably aware of flapjack plant (Kalanchoe luciae), a succulent that’s popular because of the color of its leaves. (Shown above at Waterwise Botanicals nursery, perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day.) Like other succulents with overlapping leaves along a single stem, when Kalanchoe luciae blooms, the entire plant elongates. This is how those in my window box looked in [...]
Megan Boone of Nature Containers Vintage Garden Art designs in three dimensions, using cast-off objects to showcase succulents and vice-versa. As exemplified by the pick above, Megan brings elegance and whimsy to her artistry by reinterpreting the forms and lines of utilitarian objects. I love how the aloe perfectly repeats the shape and color of the rusty metal, and also emphasizes its [...]
Can succulents recover from a hard frost? It depends. Let’s look at a southern California nursery’s display garden before nighttime temperatures dropped into the mid-20s F: Here’s the same Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata, after the frost: Likelihood of recovery: Nil. Too much of the tissue was damaged. But what about the Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks on Fire’ behind it? It’s hope of recovery [...]
Feel free to hum along. On the first day of cactus, my true love gave to me: A dove in a prickly pear tree. On the second day of cactus, my true love gave to me: Two agave pups and a dove in a prickly pear tree. On the third day of cactus, my true [...]