Most of us don’t have space in our gardens for the world’s largest tree. And some recommend against planting one due to thirsty shallow roots. But in a landscape where there is plenty of space and water, coast redwood Sequoia sempervirenscan be used as an evergreen screen or to create a shady grove for a cool retreat Read more…

Come by the nursery during shop hours and guess how many Dipterostemon capitatus bulbs are in the bottle. The closest guess will win 30 corms plus a $30. gift certificate at the nursery. Make a guess for $1 – $5 sliding scale. Winner will be announced on November 28.

Purple needle grass (Stipa pulchra) in a garden setting evokes a sense of a wilder place. The flowers have a slight tinge of purple and a lovely silvery shimmer seen en masse from a distance, creating a pleasing effect on the spring breeze. In a mixed border with annual wildflowers, perennials and native “bulbs”, purple needle grass Read more…

If you are drawn to plants, you may have the sometimes dubious habit of botanizing as you go. This is a wonderful pastime if you are going on foot. But if you are going by bicycle, or worse, by car it can be a hazard and any poor soul brave enough to accompany you may wonder why Read more…

Common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita is an excellent representative of the many larger sized species of manzanita. Found in the wild along canyons and slopes in chaparral and oak woodlands of the Northern Coast Ranges, and in yellow pine forest communities of the Sierra Nevada foothills this multi-stemmed beauty is well worth the patience it takes to grow. Read more…

California false indigo (Amorpha californica var. californica) is a spring bloomer with handsome spikes of deep violet flowers. This deciduous shrub is classified in the pea family, though the flower looks nothing like a typical pea flower. Each floret is composed of a single reduced petal off-set by contrasting white stamens tipped with bright yellow/orange anthers. Amorpha Read more…

The nightshade family or Solanaceae is familiar to most of us: tomatoes, eggplants, and most sweet and hot peppers are closely related to blue witch. Unlike our cultivated culinary classics, Solanum umbelliferum is not edible to humans or pets (in fact, it is highly toxic if ingested). Its fruit however, are a great treat for many visiting and resident Read more…

Sticky or bush monkeyflower Diplacus aurantiacus is so common in our area that most of the time, we barely notice it. But this time of year, when the kaleidoscope of spring has begun to settle its relentless color shift the monkeyflower provides a bit of warm sparkle. Most commonly seen in coastal scrub, it also grows in Read more…

Western spicebush Calycanthus occidentalis is a bold textured deciduous shrub. In the wild it is found in the lower elevations of the mountains of California and Oregon growing along creeks, ponds margins, canyon bottoms and in moist woodland settings. Named for its strong scent in leaf, stem and flower, some say the aroma is camphor-like others declare Read more…

Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus is an eye catching many branched sub-shrub with flowers “in all nuances of blue.” So says Lester Rowntree famed for her 1930s solo plant exploration trips into the wilds of California. Rowntree is beloved by many for her writing from a gardener’s perspective about the plants she observed by driving up and down Read more…