Succulents and More™

Last month I gave you an update on the new succulent beds in the backyard . Even though I continued to make small edits, I thought I was done with larger projects for a while. But of course that’s not what happened. I was so happy with the new beds that I decided to work on other areas in the backyard. I mean, why stop now when there’s still so much left to improve? I started with the bed in the southeast corner of the backyard. This bed is what we see when we look out the kitchen window. I had already done some work on this bed in December and January, clearing out overgrown areas and putting new plants in the ground. Because this bed is in the shade most of the day and I had already decided to water more than I had in the past, I opted for a lusher palette. It includes foxtail fern ( Asparagus densiflorus ‘Myersii’), Japanese holly fern ( Cyrtomium falcatum ), California gray rush ( Juncus patens ), variegated Japanese sedge ( Carex oshimensis ‘Evergold’), and Tasmanian tree fern ( D...

Ken Blackford and I have been Facebook friends for a number of years and I had seen quite a few photos of the rock beds in his San Diego front yard. When Rick Bjorklund suggested we visit Ken prior to the recent Cactus and Succulent Society of America Convention , I immediately said yes. You’ll understand my excitement when you see the photos in this post. Coincidentally, rocks feature prominently in both Rick’s garden ( here ) and in Ken’s, but to very different effect. But before I even had a chance to look at the rocks at my feet, my eyes went up to take in these majestic specimens: Dracaena draco , variegated Euphorbia ammak , Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ These towering succulents are quintessential San Diego. Dracaena draco , variegated Euphorbia ammak Ken’s front yard; Furcraea macdougalli on the left Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ and flowering Leucospermum Aloe speciosa and Aloe sabaea Aloe speciosa, Aloidendron ‘Hercules, and Aloe sabaea In the photo above and b...