Succulents and More™

I haven’t been posting much in the last ten days. But it’s not because I’ve been lazy. Quite the opposite; I’ve been busy. Over Easter, I spent four jam-packed days in Portland, touring nurseries and gardens, shopping at Hortlandia , the giant spring plant sale organized by the Hardy Plant Society of Oregon , and hanging out with a great group of plant peeps. And a couple of days after I got back, I visited my friend Justin in Pinole, about an hour from here. I have plenty of blog material for weeks to come, but it’ll take a little time for me to edit my photos and find the right words. Here are a few teaser photos to tide you over. PORTLAND Driving all over the Portland area for four days My friend Loree Bohl, the author of the groundbreaking book Fearless Gardening (sadly out of print now) and the brain behind the popular blog danger garden , had organized a Spring Fling for a bunch of plant geeks from California and Oregon. The four days I spent in Portland went by in a blur, but ...

I’ve been in San Diego all week, first visiting a few gardens, then attending the 2025 Biennial Convention of the Cactus and Succulent Society of America (CSSA) – four jam-packed days of garden tours and talks from world-renowned experts. It’s been a tiring week, but in a good way. I’ll have more posts in the weeks to come, but here’s a quick teaser of what I’ve seen so far. Ken Blackford’s garden Ken Blackford’s garden Ken Blackford’s garden Dan and Susan Mahr’s garden Dan and Susan Mahr’s garden Rick Bjorklund and Kevin Hosmer’s garden Rick Bjorklund and Kevin Hosmer’s garden Rick Bjorklund and Kevin Hosmer’s garden Julian Duval’s garden Julian Duval’s garden Jim Bishop’s garden Jim Bishop’s garden Jim Bishop’s garden Jodi Visosky’s garden Jodi Visosky’s garden Jodi Visosky’s garden Brian Shepherd’s garden I’ve met some really interesting people, and I’ve also done a little bit of plant shopping. OK, more than a little, but in my defense, some of the plants I’m bringing home are for...