Succulents and More™

If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, you have heard me mention Troy McGregor. I first met Troy when he was the manager of the nursery at the Ruth Bancroft Garden, a good 10 years ago . He was instrumental in growing what used to be a small plant sale area into a specialty nursery known all over Northern California for its excellent selection of succulents and water-wise plants, including a large variety of shrubs from Australia and South Africa. Since then, he’s established Gondwana Flora , a landscape design and build company specializing in climate-appropriate front yard transformations. Waltzing Matilija Nursery began in 2018 as an extension of Gondwana Flora. “I was unable to find many of the plants I love to landscape (and garden) with,” Troy said when I spoke with him last year, “so I started to grow my own. One thing leads to another and now here we are.” Troy with Protea ‘Arctic Ice’ In 2021, Troy moved Waltzing Matilija to its current location, a ½ acre l...

Three weeks ago, we had a massive clump of timber bamboo ( Bambusa oldhamii ) removed in the front yard. This post ended with the bamboo gone, both the culms above ground and the woody mass below. The fence boards in the inset area were damaged from the accumulation of bamboo leaves and the stump grinder the tree service used to remove the woody base. Logically, the first thing I did was pop off the old fence boards, creating an opening that hadn’t existed since 2008. Since I had easy access to the remaining bamboo inside the fence ( Bambusa chungii ‘Barbellata’, a different species), I removed most of the accumulated leaf litter and other debris that had collected over the years. I also gave the Bambusa chungii a good trim, cutting out dead and deformed culms. Before long, I had a sizable pile in the street—just in time for the first yard waste pickup of the season (from mid-fall to late winter, the City of Davis picks up green waste deposited in the curb every two weeks). I liked ...

The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum isn't close—just over two hours if there's no traffic—so I don't get to go very often. At least their twice-a-year plant sales are a good incentive: Not only did I make it to the fall sale last October ( click here ), I also managed to hit the spring sale on April 13. The UCSCA plant sales are crazy, with hordes of plant-hungry people who know exactly what they want and aren't afraid of making a run for it, so I don't take photos while shopping. But once I'm done and my haul is safely stashed in the car, I allow myself the luxury of relaxing and taking a leisurely stroll with my camera. Last month I began my walkabout in the Australian Garden (this post) and then checked out what was in bloom in the South African Garden (next post). I'm keeping my commentary to a minimum and let the photos speak for themselves. If you want to read more about UCSCA and its history, head over to their website . After you're done with this...