Succulents and More™

The Desert Botanical Garden (DBG) in Phoenix, AZ likes to light up the night. When I was there in December 2013, they had a large-scale exhibit of Dale Chihuly glass sculptures which attracted crowds both during the day and at night (a record-breaking 631,000 visitors). In December 2015 they hosted  Bruce Munro's Sonoran Light installatio n (318,000 visitors). This year, it was Electric Desert,  created by video artist Ricardo Rivero and Klip Collective. Electric Desert On each of these occasions I went in December, which allowed me to experience both the special exhibit and Las Noches de las Luminarias , a beloved holiday tradition at the DBG combining 8,000 luminaria bags (hand-lit every night by volunteers) and holiday entertainment in nine different spots throughout the garden.

As weather patterns have changed over the years, the dense tule fog we used to get in the winter has become a rare thing. I remember days, even weeks, of unbroken fog that drove people mad; now fog is something people comment on in an excited voice, almost as if they're talking about a double rainbow. The last couple of nights have been foggy and eerily quiet. Yesterday the fog lasted all morning and I took the opportunity to drive out to the Yolo Bypass  off Interstate 80 that separates Davis from West Sacramento (and Sacramento) on the other side of the Sacramento River. With the opening of the Sacramento Weir last Tuesday  for the first time in 11 years, the Bypass has become an inland sea. While the fog made it impossible to see very far, the partially submerged trees made for hauntingly beautiful photographs. Tree silhouette along Interstate 80 The beginning of the Yolo Causeway on Interstate 80

  Happy holidays, everybody! Spend time with the people you love. Or your favorite plants if people drive you crazy.

I haven’t had much free time this week due to work that didn’t get done over the Thanksgiving break. Since it’s dark by 5:30 p.m. these days, there’s little opportunity for garden-related activities after work. I have a long list of chores for the weekend, including repotting of some bamboos and removal of two overly large clumps of Kniphofia uvaria . I’m also thinking of creating another succulent bed in the backyard—not 100% sure about that one yet. And let’s not forget the drifts of leaves everywhere, especially after the super windy day we’ve had today. They need to be dealt with, too. What I did do the other night was take some photos of our yard and the neighborhood since it was really foggy. As I was patiently waiting for each 30-second exposure to complete, I couldn’t help but be in awe at the silence that fog brings. While we live in a reasonably quiet part of town, there’s always noise from somewhere; sometimes we can even hear the train although the tracks are miles away. ...