Return to tz_garden on a 100°F day

When Loree (danger garden) was down for a visit in March, we drove to Livermore to see our mutual friend Tracy (tzgarden.blogspot.com). I’d been following Tracy’s blog for quite a while, but that was the first time I’d been to her garden (see post).

Two months later, I was in Tracy’s garden again, this time with my frequent partner-in-crime Kyle. I had taken Tracy to see Kyle’s garden when she was in Davis in March so they already knew each other. A lot of driving back and forth, I know, but that’s how gardeners are.

Back in March, much of Tracy’s front yard was just beginning to wake up. Now the trees are leafed out and everything is in riotous bloom:

Scaevola and Echeveria harmsii may be a surprising combination, but it works

Parrot’s beak (Lotus berthelotii), a Canary Island native. I’ve tried to grow it (and failed) several times, but after seeing this, I’m determined to try again.

Lotus berthelotii looks particularly good juxtaposed with these black pebbles

Tracy is thinking of redoing the front yard from the ground up, so things might look quite different the next time I visit. In the meantime, you can track her progress on her blog.

Back in March, I hadn’t been able to take good photos of the lath house in the backyard, but this time I did. It was built last December with the help of her daughter’s boyfriend Ivan. You can read all about this project on Tracy’s blog.

The lath house is home to plants that prefer shade, including bromeliads, orchids, and epiphytic cacti. I’ve seen lath houses that look like an abandoned chicken coop. This one, in contrast, is a thing of beauty – and it would be even without plants.

Looking across the pool (lath house on the left):

The plantings on the far side of the pool need very little water, and yet they look colorful and tropical

Agave attenuata, Aloe marlothii, and Cleistocactus strausii

Tracy recently moved some of the golden barrels on the slope behind the pool. They’re closer together now, which creates greater visual impact.

20+ golden barrels, if you include the multi-headed clump in the bowl

More golden barrels waiting to be replanted

This was my favorite view back in March, and it still is today:

Magazine-worthy!

I meant to count how many Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ there are in Tracy’s garden – I think five. Here are two of them:

The dry garden beyond the pool has comfortably wide paths that wind around rock-lined mounds planted with cacti and other succulents:

The rock work is precise and beautiful

While the larger succulents attract the most attention, it pays to look closer. There are quite a few interesting small plants among the rocks:

Dyckia platyphylla, sempervivums, sedums

Another sempervivum at the base of a particularly striking rock

These rocks (Mexican onyx) are a recent addition from American Soil & Stone in Richmond

This low-growing groundcover with yellow button flowers is Cotula hispida. If I ever find it for sale, I’ll load up.

It’s still rare to see crevice gardens in our neck of the woods. Tracy’s is planted with small alpines.

Another new-to-me plant, Raulia australis, a New Zealand native. As fragile as this itty-bitty plant looks, it’s apparently quite drought-tolerant once established. It has an unfortunate common name: scabweed. That sounds about as pleasant as bladderwort.

I have no idea which aeonium this is, but en masse it’s hypnotic

And finally a couple of photos of Tracy’s upcyled chimney flue liners from Urban Ore in Berkeley:

I think they look great planted with aloes and agaves.

One thing I love about Tracy is that she is ever curious and eager to try new plants in her garden. And her palette isn’t limited to any one plant group. I saw everything from cottage garden perennials to Australian and South African proteas, from staghorn ferns to orchids, from cacti to tillandsias. No wonder Tracy and I get along so well!

A cool touch on a 100°F day: Tracy provided a bunch of umbrellas for us to use. Kyle offered to model one.

You can follow Tracy on her blog and on Instagram (@tz_garden). Kyle is on Instagram as @aloesacto.

© Gerhard Bock, 2025. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.