Succulents and More™

I always look forward to Saturday when I have all day to putter around. I had all kinds of plans for today, including much-needed sweeping and weeding as well as some planting and repotting. But the weather decided not to cooperate so I’m stuck inside watching the rain fall. I keep telling myself that we do need the water but I still feel a bit stir-crazy. Lesser Mexican stonecrop ( Sedum confusum ) and soap aloe ( Aloe maculata ) I was able to sneak outside during a break in the rain to take some photos of plants in flower along the front yard perimeter. Most of them are yellow, a color I love in plants, offset by a purple Spanish lavender in full bloom. The other lavenders are still a bit behind.

The Sacramento Cactus & Succulent Society ’s 52nd Annual Cactus & Succulent Show will take place this year on Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6. If you live in Northern California or plan on being in the Sacramento area that weekend, please be sure to mark your calendar.  

Capital Nursery has been a mainstay of the Sacramento gardening community since it opened its doors on Freeport Boulevard in 1936. Two other locations—in Citrus Heights and Elk Grove—were added since then. Capital Nursery has always been the go-to place to find a special plant, a mature shrub or tree, or even just your regular annuals, perennials and vegetables. They have been known for providing expert advice and and excellent customer service. I’ve always loved going to Capital Nursery—together with Green Acres it’s my favorite plant-buying place in the Sacramento area.   I was saddened to read in the Sunday Sacramento Bee that Capital Nursery is struggling to stay open. The effects of the housing crash are lingering in many Sacramento suburbs, and several prominent area nurseries closed in the last few years. Not only are homeowners spending less at nurseries, the all-important professional landscaping market has shrunk dramatically because far fewer new houses are bein...

In spite of the unseasonably cool weather—at least 10 degrees below normal—there is much to see in our garden. Some signs are subtle, like the tiny leaves forming on the ginkgo in the first photo, others are visible from a distance, like the bright orange flowers of nasturtium. I love poking around in the front and backyard to see what might be leafing out or flowering next. Ginkgo biloba ‘Majestic Butterflies’ This is a variegated ginkgo but I can’t see any sign of variegation in these leaves. They’re probably still too small. I hope you’ll enjoy this visual journey. All the photos were taken in our garden in the last couple of days.

For many visitors to the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show the display gardens I covered in yesterday’s post are the primary attraction. However, I was looking forward just as much to the Plant & Flower Market housed in Fiesta Hall, a somewhat smaller space right next to the main pavilion. While Northern California has no shortage of nurseries, this was a great opportunity to check out the offerings of small vendors both from in and out of state. Air Plants from Owens Gardens, the first booth we stopped at, was a good example. This seller traveled all the way from Washington state. They had the most beautiful air plants I’d ever seen. I’m not an expert—having killed four tillandsias a couple of years ago—but my traveling companion Candy is an aficionado and pored over their offerings. Air Plants from Owens Gardens

In yesterday’s teaser post about the San Francisco Flower & Garden show I mentioned some of the general trends I noticed. Today I want to take you to the display gardens where you’ll see these trends interpreted in different ways. Since taste is extremely personal (and in my case barely predictable), I may make some unflattering comments about displays you yourself may like. If that’s the case, please apologize my frankness. I’m not trying to step on anybody’s toes or belittle the hard work that went into each and every display. However, some display gardens I simply couldn’t stomach. But a strong reaction like that is still better than indifference and boredom. There was really nothing that bored me! Walking into Expo Hall where all the display gardens are located, this was the first thing I saw and I loved it. Minimalistic, serene and involving water and stone: right up my alley.  

Back from the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show. Almost 4 hours in the car, but it was worth it. There’s so much to see. A wide variety of plants and garden designs, some right up my alley, others just weird. Quirky seems to be in, teetering right on the edge of tacky. Some trends I spotted: Vertical gardening. Everything is going up, up, up. Succulents, herbs, ferns. This seems to be a logical consequence of homeowners having ever smaller yard. Water. Almost every garden design I saw had a water feature in it. Crushed glass. A few years ago crushed glass mulch was cutting-edge (no pun intended), now it is everywhere. Succulents. While there were no straight succulent gardens, virtually every show garden incorporated succulents somehow. Sometimes it made sense, sometimes it didn’t. Why stick a lonely dudleya (not a common succulent by any stretch of the imagination) into a show garden that features rusty wheelbarrows and car doors? A much more detailed post will be ...

No post today because I’m off to the San Francisco Flower & Garden Show with Candy from Sweetstuff’s Sassy Succulents . Check back for a “first impressions” post on Wednesday night. More detailed coverage starting on Thursday. Coverage on Facebook: San Francisco Flower & Garden Show Succulent Gardens Digging Dog Nursery Sierra Azul Gardens

In yesterday’s post I talked about Sacramento’s long history—or should I say obsession?—with camellias and the 800+ camellias blooming in Capitol Park right now.   This post will cover some of the other botanical treasures found in this 40-acre jewel in the heart of the California capital, just a 20-minute drive from where I live. This article gives a good introduction to Capitol Park. Here’s brief excerpt: Plants were imported from every climate and continent in the world. Fruit trees arrived from Europe and Asia, pittosporums came from Australia, fir trees from Norway, cedars from the Himalayas and Lebanon, date palms from Africa, and hundreds of other plants were sent to Sacramento to become part of Capitol Park. Many species thrived in the temperate climate of Sacramento including the cedars from the Himalayas and California coast redwoods which continue to live in the park. It is true, the variety of plant materials, especially trees, is astounding, especially sin...