Succulents and More™

‟A book about Texas gardens? I live in California / Arizona / Oregon / Washington / etc. How is that relevant for me and why should I care?” I'm sure that's what some of you may be thinking. And I get it. We tend to focus on places and things we're familiar with. But most of the time, the challenges we face, as well as the joys and triumphs we experience, are not unique to where we live. I was reminded of that in vivid terms when I read Pam Penick's new book, Gardens of Texas: Visions of Resilience from the Lone Star State . In this review, I will explain why it resonates with me so strongly. Pam Penick, photographed by Kenny Braun Texas is enormous: encompassing 268,000 square miles, it's the second largest U.S. state by area (Alaska is #1).  It's part of the southern Great Plains , but it spans ten ecoregions and USDA hardiness zones  6b to 10b. Yearly rainfall totals range from 60 inches in southeastern Texas to 10 inches in El Paso. Challenges include everyt...

Cricket Riley is a professional landscape designer based in Walnut Creek, California. For a number of years, she was the Director of Design Services at the Ruth Bancroft Garden (RBG), which is literally a mile away. In 2021, she and Alice Kitajima, at the time the Program Director of the RBG in charge of educational events, created the RBG’s Dry Garden Design Certificate Program , a comprehensive course of study focused on the principles and practices of creating beautiful, water-wise gardens suitable for dry climates. The curriculum is designed to provide a deep understanding of the plants and design strategies that thrive in summer-dry climates. Alice Kitajama (left) and Cricket Riley with their new book Based on Cricket and Alice’s experience at the RBG, they have co-authored the book Designing the Lush Dry Garden: Create a Climate-Resilient Low-Water Paradise , just published by Timber Press. Cricket’s and Alice’s part of the book is complemented by portraits of 20 California ...

On Sunday I took advantage of a break in the rain (“showers” would be more correct) to check out the fall color at the UC Davis Arboretum . That particular mission wasn’t particularly successful (we’re still a few weeks away from the ginkgos turning their brilliant yellow), but in one of those moments where you glimpse something interesting in your rear-view mirror, I ended up in the new parking lot for Putah Creek Lodge . This area didn’t exist two years ago. Now it’s a fairly large lot that serves both Putah Creek Lodge and the UC Davis Teaching Nursery where the UC Davis Arboretum plant sales are held. Blue grama grass ( Bouteloua gracilis ) and California fuchsia ( Epilobium canum ) My initial reaction was one of cursory interest; the yellows and reds I saw from the car were from the ornamental grasses and California fuchsias. But after I got out and walked around, I became more and more excited. This was no cookie-cutter public landscaping. It actually had a purpose behind it,...