Succulents and More™

The New Year is still shiny and sparkly, so I want to focus on the good things going on in the garden right now. Soon the new will have worn off and there’ll be plenty of opportunity to go into problem areas. But not yet! This post is short on text. I’ll let the pictures do the talking. Aloe lukeana #1, dark orange flowers Aloe lukeana #1, dark orange flowers Aloe lukeana #2, light orange flowers. Both plants are about the same size and essentially look the same, but I prefer the darker flowers of #1. The most recent addition to the garden, Lophocereus schottii ‘Woolly Rhino’. The spines are more like coarse bristles, not very sharp. Over the years, quite a few people have asked me what these “flowers” are growing between the ocotillo canes. They’re actually metal tumbleweed stakes by Omar Wysong/Topanga Patina Arts. One of two Corten bowls with dudleyas. Last summer was hard on dudleyas, but the ones that survived are doing well, now that the winter rains have returned. A very whi...

Most people have heard of Huntington or Lotusland. Ask them about Taft Gardens though, and the response may well be “huh?” Taft Gardens & Nature Preserve is home to impressive gardens with plants from South Africa and Australia. It’s definitely under the radar, and part of it is by design – or necessity. Located at the end of a gated private road in the middle of nowhere outside of Ojai, California, Taft Gardens is subject to a strict conditional use permit and as a result limits the number of daily visitors to about 25. When you make your reservations (required, $20 per person), you receive detailed driving directions and the gate code for that particular day. Without it, you won’t be able to get in. Currently, two 2-hour time slots are available for visits: 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. The 45-minute drive from Santa Barbara takes you by Lake Casitas, a reservoir completed in 1959 Private road leading to Taft Gardens – it really is as steep as it looks in parts The 2½ mile drive from the ...