Succulents and More™

Once upon a time, in February 2010, we planted this clumping timber bamboo ( Bambusa oldhamii ) in the front yard to replace a Bradford pear tree the City of Davis had just removed: Bambusa oldhamii planted in February 2010 from a 5-gallon can We wanted a fast-growing plant that would provide shade and privacy far more quickly than a tree would. Bambusa oldhamii did everything we expected, and more. We knew we’d eventually reach a point where removal would become necessary—even a clumping bamboo spreads outward, albeit it in a far more predictable and controlled fashion than a running bamboo. That point was finally reached now . I’m not good at estimating heights, but based on the height of the house, I’d say the tallest culms were 35 to 40 ft. Here’s a photo of Bambusa oldhamii taken on September 15, 2022: Bambusa oldhamii there And a photo taken in the same spot exactly two weeks later: Bambusa oldhamii gone The difference is mind-blowing! The bamboo inside the fence is a differen

The University of California Arboretum will have its first plant sale of the season this Saturday, October 1, 2022, at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Garrod Drive . This sale is for Arboretum members only . The other two fall sales—on Saturday, October 22 and Saturday, November 5—will be open to the public. The availability list for the first sale is now online , both in Excel and Acrobat format. Going through the list takes a while—there are 797 entries on 69 pages—but for me, it’s one of the most fun things to do. As a volunteer, I was able to attend the VIP Early-Bird Sale yesterday and took some photos. The nursery is packed to the gills with plants, many of them blooming (I know many shoppers prefer to buy plants that are in flower). Salvia is the genus with the most individual taxa. There are 73 unique salvias for sale, both species and hybrids, ranging from Salvia ‘African Sky’ to Salvia ‘Wendy’s Wish’. This includes a few rosemarys, too, now that the former genus Rosmarin

Since we see our own garden every day, it’s only natural to focus on the things that need attention— an area that isn’t quite what you had envisioned, a plant that doesn’t fit in the way you were hoping, or a general feeling of discontent. I’m not immune to this. But I try not to dwell on the negatives and instead refocus on the things that are working, that make me happy. On that note, here are a few things in the garden I’m grateful for. Call it Mindfulness 101, September 2022 edition. The tree in the middle of the front yard is a palo blanco (originally Acacia willardiana , then Mariosousa willardiana , now Mariosousa heterophylla ) I may not love every detail, but overall I continue to be excited about how the front yard has turned out (above and below): This too: I love many types of plants, like this one: Nolina texana , aka Texas bear grass, one of the plants I brought back from the 2018 Garden Bloggers Fling in Austin, TX Nolina texana ...but my heart belongs to spikes and ros

When I saw rain pop up in the forecast early last week, I was skeptical because I’ve been disappointed so many times. But as the week wore on, the possibility of precipitation became more tangible even as the timeframe kept being pushed out. Saturday brought intermittently cloudy skies and a few sprinkles, but not enough to register on any rain gauge. On Sunday, things became serious: rain was starting to fall, slow and hesitant at first, then heavy at times. I thought it would peter out on Monday, but just the opposite happened: rain on and off in the morning and afternoon, turning into a full-blown multi-hour event with lightning, thunder, and at times pelting rain. Here’s a 1-minute video of the front yard in early evening. The rain was so loud, it’s hard to hear the claps of thunder throughout: When all was said and done, we’d received 1.24" (31.5mm) on Sunday and 1.58" (40.1mm) on Monday for a total of 2.82" (71.6mm), all according to the UC Davis climate station :