About Me
I garden on a small suburban lot in Davis, a university town in the Sacramento Valley. We have a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters. Pretty much everything grows here with sufficient irrigation. Davis is in USDA zone 9b, Sunset zone 14.
I love hearing from people who read my blog. Either leave a comment in a post, or email me at musatopiaATgmailDOTcom.
Gerhard - I love your blog! I just posted a photo of yours in my facebook page - with a link to your site - and told everyone it is a wonderful garden blog... my blog and FB page are both called 'Serenity in the Garden'...
ReplyDeletehey buddy you are false advertising your chungii. Barbalatta does not exsist. anything will grow dwarf size if not taken care of peoperly, get it right
Delete@bamboowizardofthesouth, I don't know where you get your information from. This is where I bought my Bambusa chungii 'Barbellata': http://beautifulbamboo.blogspot.com/2010/02/earliest-shooter-bambusa-chungii.html
DeleteHi Gerhard,
ReplyDeleteI just came across your beautiful Spring in Napa Valley photographs while searching for a vineyard photograph. I am putting together a small promotional piece, and would love to use one of your photographs. If you're okay with me using one I would be happy to credit you.
Thanks for you consideration.
Best,
Lindsey
Hello, great info in your blog!
ReplyDeleteGerhard,
ReplyDeleteYummy.
I promise it will not get below 20 degrees in Davis this winter. Your bamboos will continue to thrive.
Now would you please notify by Black Bamboo that's it's a clumper? I don't mind more, but it's leapt the fence.
Cheers from the other end of zone 9b.
Mia
By now you must know that the black bamboo Phyllostachys nigra is an aggressive runner. Mine grew peacefully for years until one year it was all over a 40 by 40 foot area in my garden as well as under the fence to my neighbor. Hopefully if you're in Davis the colder winters will keep it in check.
DeleteI love your blog! Ernesto
ReplyDeleteGerhard--
ReplyDeleteHello! I found your blog while visiting Loree's danger garden blog. I enjoy reading your blog and must confess to having serious zone envy! Thanks
My garden blog can be found here:http://www.vanschilperoort.com/GardenBlog/
Van, thank you very much. I'm glad you found a link to my blog on Loree's blog (which I love and read daily).
DeleteAWESOME, JUST AWESOME BLOG ON GARDENING A LITTLE KNOWN REGION
ReplyDeleteFantastic blog on gardening in a little known region !
ReplyDeleteHi, this is a beautiful site. Do you sell the face pots and rock ants?
ReplyDeleteI love to see the Agave plants.Your gardens are exceptional.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteI am in love with your blog and your garden is an utopia. Thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteLove your garden and the bamboo plants
ReplyDeletelove love LOVE your blog - thx for sharing your photos - almost makes me want to go to the desert! i am in san diego - lisa rini
ReplyDeleteLisa, you're not far from the desert. Road trip time!!
DeleteOur landscape was neglected by the previous owners and I'm now having to pay for it - both literally and figuratively! Your gardening info is invaluable to me in my California zone 10. Some days I get overwhelmed by the amount of work that needs to be done, but it always lifts my spirits to check out your posts. Thank you for your beautiful gardens and blog!
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your kind words! They motivate me to keep doing what I'm doing :-).
DeleteAs for feeling overwhelmed, I know exactly what you mean. My suggestion: Break tasks down into small chunks. You'll feel empowered as you complete one chunk. That gives you the motivation to go to next chunk, etc.
Evening. I enjoy your blog; very informative and to the point. Do you have any advice on Aeonium Pinwheels? I have some that are quite large and heavy. They have a woody stem, so I'm afraid to trim them back and propagate the cuttings. Do you know if they will propagate as easily as other succulent cuttings?
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Carl, I don't have any personal experience with Aeonium 'Pinwheels' but I wouldn't hesitate to behead them and reroot the heads. Aeoniums root quickly easily. Plus, you might get new rosettes off the stem.
DeleteHowever, I wouldn't do it now. Aeoniums are summer-dormant and don't do much, if any, growing at this time of year. Wait until fall after they've come back to life.
It's interesting to find out there is someone in the world are looking for bamboos while I live in a place with mountains of bamboo but trying to plant kinds of succulents(most from south africa).Do hope have a Mediterranean climate.
ReplyDeleteThat's how it always is. We always want to grow plants from other climates/regions :-).
DeleteHi, Gerhard! I found you while googling aloe polyphylla, and sadly found the obituary for yours. I'm in California zone 10, but I'm near the beach. Do you think our (slightly) less hot summers will work for this aloe? Thanks!
ReplyDeletePaula, nice to hear from you! You should be just fine near the beach. The UC Berkeley Botanical Garden has nice specimens, and just recently I even saw one at the Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek. I know they grew very well in Santa Cruz. I hope this helps.
DeleteHi Gerhard. I'm interested in growing Dendrosicyos Socotrana and was wondering what happened to your plant. Would be great if you can update me. If possible, if you be willing to provide me some seeds if your plant flowered. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBruce, my Dendrosicyos socotrana died of rot. I must have overwatered it. It was a depressing loss because I had had it for years. I don't have any seeds but you can contact Ernesto Sandoval, Director of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory. That's where I bought my plant. They are the only reliable source in the U.S. as far as I know. Contact info here: http://greenhouse.ucdavis.edu/conservatory/contact.html.
DeleteStill loving your blog!
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy to hear that, Jan. You were the first to leave a comment on this page, almost 5 years ago!
DeleteHi Gerhard - Love reading your blog, especially when you post about Aloes! I'm just starting to figure out how to grow various aloes outdoors and in the ground here in the Sacramento area. I've successfully overwintered my larger aloes 2 years in a row!
ReplyDeleteThere is one aloe that has escaped my collection that I can't seem to find anywhere: Aloe 'Moonglow'. Any thoughts where I could locate one for purchase? Thanks!
Hi Jeff, good to hear from you! This winter was challenging for many succulents, but my aloes fared very well. Better than many agaves, which sustained leaf rot from too much rain.
DeleteMy 'Moonglow' came from a friend who bought it at the Home Depot in Woodland a few years ago. I haven't seen it there since then.
Village Nurseries has it listed as available in 5 gallons. The Sacramento location on Bradshaw can order it for you from their Southern California growing grounds. Call them at 916-366-1924 and asked for Jeanne. They're nice folks.
thank you for your work! regards from italy
ReplyDeleteHi Tom, i am concerned that i may have aloe mite on one of my small aloe trees !!
ReplyDeleteThe first photo shows a hard scab. I removed it with gloves and revealed second photo. Any ideas, confirmation and recommendations for treatment? Who can i contact that might know?
Thanks so much!! Amanda
Oops i cant attach photos!
Hi there, this is a good resource on aloe mites: http://www.gatescss.org/Pests/Mites%20They%20kill%20Aloes%20don%27t%20they.pdf. Unfortunately, throwing out the affect plant is usually the best course of action :-(
DeleteThanks for your recent photo-rich review of Pam Penick's garden in Northwest Austin TX. I haven't been able to tour it in person since moving from TX to FL in 2014.
ReplyDeleteHi Gerhard.. I hope that you see this message. I wanted to ask you a question about desert roses but there wasn't a "contact me" area that I could find on your blog. I live in zone 10b in So Cal and I just purchased a desert rose yesterday. I read your blog piece about yours but I wanted to know if you bring yours indoors for the winter? We do get below 60 in the winter overnight but we rarely have freezes so I was unsure if I should go through the trouble of finding an inddor spot for mine. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteBtw.. I am so excited to be going to my first LACSS Fall sale tomorrow in Encino!!
Take care... Stef
Hey Stef, in your area you can definitely leave it outside. However, be sure to keep it dry when it doesn't have leaves, otherwise it might rot. I've lost several because they got wet when they were dormant.
DeleteI hope this helps!
Thank you so much and yes it does help!
DeleteHello to you Gerhard. I was looking at your blog again, from Jean Meadows' garden. I looked at the photos from the Waterwise website recently that shows the garden in its previous cramscaped look. I must say I prefer the over the top planting to the more empty one that you showed on your blog. Give the Waterwise one a look and see the difference.
ReplyDeleteHello Gerard Casper here
ReplyDeleteReceived an email from Matt this morning giving an introduction.
Saw your amazing photos.
Would love to see the Farden first hand
Casper, you're welcome to visit any time!
DeleteHi Gerhard, Your blogspot has great information and photos. I am not sure if you could help me with the below but your help is mich welcomed.
ReplyDeleteI would like to plant three Dasylirion Wheeleri in my garden. However, could you comment on their lifespan? can they live longer than 70 years? Online few information exists apart from one source that it can live for 20-50 years, which I hope is not true.
Thank you,
Matt
Matt, I honestly can't say. I've never known anybody who's had a D. wheeleri that long. I do know they are long-lived. 70 years wouldn't surprise me! If you're on Facebook, maybe ask in the Central Arizona Cactus group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/cacss2)?
DeleteOver the past 25 years, up to 9 Dasylirion wheeeleri were planted mostly from seed at the WPA Rock Garden in Sacramento. Some are growing on sloped ground but mostly level. The soil drains well, doesn’t receive much supplemental water. They might very well live til 70.
DeleteI am new to this blog and appreciate the pics and information.
Hi Gerhard,
ReplyDeletereceived this as an email today. Looks like someone else is trying to scam your site. Thought you would like to know.
"Sie erhalten diese Mail, weil der Feed-Inhaber Sie Succulentsandmore auf seine Liste gesetzt hat, unter der Behauptung, dass Sie diesen schon auf eine andere Weise abonniert haben. Bitte bestƤtigen Sie, dass dies korrekt ist und Sie den Inhalt erhalten mƶchten, indem Sie hier klicken oder lehnen Sie es ab, falls sie ihn nicht mehr erhalten wollen."
I*m really sorry for the confusion (and the msg in German!). Since Google is discontinuing FeedBurner soon, the service notifies subscribers of new posts via email, I had to switch to a different service called Follow.it. This is a message asking you to confirm that you would still look to receive email notifications from me. Please confirm if you can. Thanks and sorry again!
DeleteHi Gerhard,
ReplyDeleteI live in France and I would like to plant an Euphorbia lambii.
Unfortunately we don’t have this species of Euphorbia in France (which seems to be specific to the US and Australia) and I can’t find a site selling these seeds.
Do you have any idea how I could get these seeds ?
Many thanks for your help,
Sophie
Sophie, I'm really sorry to hear that. It's a bit ironic, considering that Euphorbia lambii is native to the Canary Islands!
DeleteDo you know of any nurseries specializing in Canary Island plants? They might be able to help you.
Euphorbia lambii is known as Euphorbia bourgeana in the Canaris Islands and is in danger of extinction, therefore its commercialization is prohibited.
DeleteOn the other hand this plant is marketed in the US 'but it is far from easy to find seeds I am therefore taking any help.
Hi, Scott in Davis. How current is your agave list? Thats very good stuff.
ReplyDeleteI saw you had a pachypodium namaquanum. Is it for sale?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately not. It's my personal plant.
DeleteI live in Fair Oaks, CA, east of Sacramento but I visit Southern AZ a lot and just found Palo Blanco on the availability list of Spadefoot nursery is Tucson. I am unfamiliar with this tree so I Googled it and found your post. How is the tree doing in your yard in Davis?
ReplyDeletePrompted by your question, I just posted an update on our palo blanco (7/16/23). Click here to read it. In a nutshell, it's doing really well.
Delete
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts and prayers are with you & with all those who are in the Hillary zone; I pray for you and your loved ones, along with your beautiful garden/plants to be spared during Hillary. You survived one Hillary (!!?) before I hope you you will survive this one too:-))
BTW: I did not receive your last blog of August 16th; is there a problem in general or is it me only? If so do I need to subscribe again?
My thoughts and prayers are with you during Hillary; I hope you'd be spared without any damages.
ReplyDeleteBTW: I did not receive your lates blog of August 16th; is there a general problem or is is me only? Do I need to re-subscribe?
Thank you, Ceylan. We're far from the path of the storm. The only effects we felt were much higher humidity than normal and a little bit of rain this morning.
DeleteNobody else has reported any problems with receiving new blog posts. If this continues, simply resubscribe. Sorry for this!
came across this blog when I am doing research over agave and succulents! lots of great picture and glad to see how other side of the world differs from mine! I am from Asia!
ReplyDeleteWelcome! I'm so happy you found my blog! What succulents are you growing?
DeleteHow fun to see stages of Kyle's garden through your blog posts! Touring his garden through your eyes and photos makes me want to pay him a visit. Seeing him merge his love for rocks with succulents is refreshing. Thanks to Jude Parkinson-Morgan for sharing your newsletter with me. She mentioned you live in Davis! UCD is my alma mater. If you are ever in the East Bay, specifically Pleasanton, and want to geek out over succulents, I'd love to give you a tour. Happy gardening! (And yes, we all would love to have as much energy as Kyle! ;))
ReplyDeleteåč§é¾čå °ę¤ē©ēęē« äøä»ē»
ReplyDeleteäŗ²ē±ē Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)
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Visiting Agave Plant Article and Introduction
Dear Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)
Hello!
I am a plant lover from China [ywatermelon]. I have recently read some of your articles on Agave on your blog/website and have benefited a lot. Your insights and experience are very inspiring to me and other enthusiasts, so I hope to be able to translate this article into Chinese and share it on some plant lover platforms in China.
When sharing the article, I will indicate your name and attach the original link. I hope to get your authorization so that more Chinese readers can access your valuable experience.
I'm really sorry, I just saw your comment now. Yes, you can go ahead and translate my article. Thank you very much for your interest.
DeleteJust a quick question, regarding the soil mix post all those years ago….
ReplyDeleteWhen using the cheapest top soil I could find that was mostly composted forest matter, do you sift out the big pieces of wood chips or do you just toss it all in together with the pumice and coco coir…? Thanks in advance, looking forward to your response! Cheers!!
Usually, the pieces of wood chips are small enough to not bother me. If there are really large pieces, you can remove them, but I've never sifted soil. There's a lot of leeway here so as long as there's good drainage, you'll be fine :-).
DeleteDo you remove the wood chips from your succulent mix when using the composted forest too soil?
ReplyDeleteNo, that would be way too much work. They break down eventually, providing nutrients.
Delete