Succulents and More™

The Arboretum on the University of California Davis campus is only a few miles from our house. I visit frequently and have written several related posts ( 1 2 3   4 ). Sunday was a gray day but temperatures were fairly mild so the whole family joined me on a walk along Putah Creek, the main body of water that winds its way through the Arboretum.   I knew that there would be fall color from deciduous trees such as Chinese pistache and cohorts, and I wasn’t disappointed.         To my surprise, I also encountered two species of deciduous conifers I had never noticed there before: bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ), common in the Southeastern U.S. but not often seen here in the West, and dawn redwood ( Metasequoia glyptostroboides ), a redwood relative native to Central China. Bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) glowing like a beacon Bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) Bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) ...

Whenever we visit my in-laws, I look forward to the panoramic views of Mount Shasta , at 14,179 ft. (4,322 m) one of the highest peaks in California. However, this time the mountain was covered by clouds the entire time we were there and I never saw it in its full glory. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it caused me to focus on the beauty closer at hand—the beauty of a tree full of berries, of moss growing on a rock, of cedar seeds floating in a puddle in the driveway. All too often we’re seduced by the grand views and we forget to look at the little things around us. This post is meant to celebrate the kind of unsung beauty we too often miss. All of the photos below were taken either on my in-laws’ property or in their rural neighborhood on the outskirts of the town of Mount Shasta . A glimpse of Black Butte , the “other” mountain in Mount Shasta Cloud and trees Birch filigree The colors of winter Winter meadow Backlit ferns ...

On a whim, I attended a bonsai show in Sacramento last month ( click here to read my post). The exotic-looking miniature trees really struck a chord in me, and I started to read up on bonsai. I’m still at the very beginning of what might end up being a life-long journey and I feel I need to learn a lot more before I even attempt to work on a living plant. However, when we were at my in-laws for Thanksgiving, I couldn’t help but notice the thousands (literally!) of saplings growing everywhere on their 2½ acre property. There is white pine ( Pinus monticola ) and Ponderosa pine ( Pinus ponderosa ), but above all there is Western redcedar ( Thuja plicata ). As its Latin name already indicates, Western redcedar isn’t a true cedar (like Lebanon, Atlas, or Deodar) but rather an arborvitae. That’s why “redcedar” is spelled as one word rather than as two, as would be the case if it were a true cedar. A few of the many mature Western redcedars on my in-laws’ property While Western red...

In the summer of 2010 we started to plant bamboos at my parents-in-law’s property in Mount Shasta in the mountains of far Northern California (USDA hardiness zone 7). It started with a golden vivax ( Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’) and was soon followed by a black bamboo ( Phyllostachys nigra ‘Punctata’). Now there are 12 different species of running and clumping bamboo growing in what we jokingly call “Experimental Bamboo Garden North.” I’ve blogged about my “bamboos-in-law” before ( 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 ), and now it’s time for an early winter 2011 update. Most of the bamboos have been in the ground for a year or more now, and we’re beginning to see progress. The first photo is a panorama of the backyard looking towards the house. 1 Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’ 2 Chusquea gigantea 3 Phyllostachys nigra ‘Punctata’ 4 Phyllostachys bambusoides 5 Fargesia dracocephela ‘Rufa’ (2x) 6 Chusquea culeou ‘Roja’ Phyllostachys vivax ‘Aureocaulis’ This was the first bamboo w...