When living in West Sonoma County, I first came across this unusual fruiting native not far from our home. Situated within a flood plain...

A darling of the small stature understory flowering trees in Northern California may be replacing the ever-popular flowering but...

Easily unnoticeable but offers so much more when looking at the details, we should be seeing more of Melaleuca linariifolia in public...

Like me, Ginkgo biloba is a living fossil, or as Sunset summarizes, an "ancient survivor from prehistoric times..." (p. 339). The...

Welcome to floral sunshine in the native garden! Solidago velutina ssp. californica, or California goldenrod, is not well known among...

Ushering in the autumn season is California fuchsia, or Epilobium canum. When so many other native perennials are already withering or...

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

When thinking about street trees for California, there are few evergreen examples that check off all the boxes of requirements and still...

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...

With a species epithet like grandiflora, meaning with large flowers, one should have great expectations, but let's temper our excitement...

H.A.R.D.Y! This is the best way to describe this South African bulb. As of this early September post, they have been in bloom in the...

There are a number of cultivars of A. millifolium, but 'Paprika' stands out for me thus prompting this separate post. The facts below...

Cottage gardens and perennial borders cannot exist without Rudbeckia hirta. Okay, that is an overstatement, but their daisy-like flowers...

What's not to love about Lagerstroemia indica, or crape myrtles? Right about now, mid to late summer, their ubiquity is obvious along...

Many California natives are exclusively indigenous to California or the West Coast, but Achillea millefolium has broadened its reach to...

Pssssst......landscape designers......over here...make sure your client or the users of your landscape LOVE garlic before planting this...

Fortnight lilies are another workhorse in commercial landscapes, tolerating a ho-lotta maintenance and design travesties yet still they...

The coast live oak is among other tree species noted for their size, often achieving heritage status within communities... witness trees...

Juncus patens is a workhorse in a relatively new landscape industry, green stormwater infrastructure, or GSI for short. Sure, it is a...

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...