2024: month-by-month review

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My last post of the year is a month-by-month recap of what I blogged about in 2024. I thoroughly enjoyed going through all my posts from the last 12 months. Initially, I thought 2024 had been a fairly quiet year, but it looks like I visited quite a few people and places and got some projects done in my own garden.

A heartfelt thank you to all of you for reading my ramblings and leaving comments. I really appreciate your interest and support!

January

Highlights: I blogged about my long weekend in Santa Barbara, visiting Cold Springs Aloes and hanging out with Nick Deinhart. I also delved into the history of Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ and documented the removal of my own ‘Hercules’, which hadn’t lived up to my expectations.

All January 2024 posts:

Cold Spring Aloes in Santa Barbara

One of Nick Deinhart’s mangaves (Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ × Agave ‘Blue Glow’)

Aloidendron ‘Hercules’ at Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria

February

Highlights: I continued my coverage of my January trip to Santa Barbara, including posts about San Marcos Growers, Aloes in Wonderland, Tony Krock, and Steve Super. I also posted a much overdue homage to Jim Bishop’s spectacular garden in San Diego.

All February 2024 posts:

Jeff Chemnick at Aloes in Wonderland in Santa Barbara

Jim Bishop’s extraordinary garden in San Diego

Holly and Tony Krock’s garden in the Santa Barbara area

March

Highlights: I documented the building of my new greenhouse, featured the Succulent and South African Gardens at Seaside Gardens, a nursery in the Santa Barbara area, and wrote about our February trip to Victoria, British Columbia.

All March 2024 posts:

My friend Kyle and I after finishing the greenhouse

South Africa garden at Seaside Gardens in Carpinteria

Trip to Victoria, British Columbia

April

Highlights: I visited Santa Barbara for the second time in 2024, this time to give a presentation on mangaves at the Santa Barbara Cactus and Succulent Society. I caught up with Tony Krock, who gave me an agave coring and cutting demonstration, and visited Lotusland. At home, the ‘White Linen’ California poppies were finally flowering. I also visited Amie Frisch’s succulent nursery in the Gold Country and posted a long delayed piece on the Living Wall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles.

All April 2024 posts:

Tony Krock giving an agave coring and cutting demonstration

Living Wall at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles

The white California poppies in our garden were finally blooming

May

Highlights: I posted about my April visit to Lotusland and about a field trip with the California Horticultural Society to look at calochortus in habitat. And I dedicated several posts to the first wave of cactus flowers in our garden.

All May 2024 posts:


Ganna Walska Lotusland in Montecito

Echinopsis ‘First Light’

Alyogyne ‘Ruth Bancroft’ in our garden

June

Highlights: I posted about Taft Gardens in Ojai, which I visited in April, gave an update on the palo blanco tree in our front yard, reviewed the new Dudleya book by Spath, Griffin and Moore, and showed more cactus flowers.

All June 2024 posts:

Taft Gardens in Ojai

Echinopsis ‘Napaea’

Backlit cycad and cactus in our garden

July

Highlights: I blogged about the 2024 Garden Fling in Tacoma, Washington, which included a visit to the iconic Heronswood Garden. I also revisited Norm Klein’s 40-year old cactus garden in Sacramento and did a lot of complaining about the heat.

All July 2024 posts:

Finally visiting Heronswood in Kingston, Washington

The beginning of one of the hottest summers I remember

Revisiting Norm Klein’s cactus garden in the Sacramento area

August

Highlights: I blogged about two more gardens I visited in the Tacoma area in July, including Windcliff, the personal garden of famed plant explorer Dan Hinkley. I showed you some of the damage caused by the July heat dome. And I documented a neighbor cutting down his flowering Agave filifera, which led to an extremely worrisome discovery: agave snout weevils less than 5 minutes from my house.

All August 2024 posts:

Finally getting to see Windcliff, Dan Hinkley’s garden in Indianola, Washington

Agave chazaroi, one of the victims of this summer’s series of heat domes

Agave snout weevil at a friend’s house a few blocks away

September

Highlights: I blogged about removing a large agave in our garden that hadn’t lived up to expectations, showed photos of the front yard makeover at a mid-century home in Sacramento, and tasted several flavors of agave wine.

All September 2024 posts:

Succulent garden at Tyler and Jess’s mid-century modern home in Sacramento

Agave wine tasting

Evening glow in our garden (Dioon argenteum)

October

    Highlights: I revisited landscape designer Mat McGrath’s personal garden in the East Bay, reviewed Greg Starr’s new cacti and succulent book, and gave you a sneak peek at two new succulent beds in our backyard. I also lamented the abrupt closure of Annie’s Annuals in Richmond and celebrated the equally surprising rebirth as Curious Flora Nursery.

    All October 2024 posts:

    Mat McGrath’s front yard in Rodeo

    Mat McGrath’s backyard

    Building new succulent beds in our backyard

    First rain of the season

    November

    Highlights: I started Succulents 101, a new series of posts on basic topics of interest to succulent lovers, and showed you photos of how the front yard has changed over the years. I also revisited my friend Kyle’s amazing garden in Sacramento and installed bird netting to trap the leaves from our neighbor’s giant sycamore.

    All November 2024 posts:


    Revisiting Kyle’s garden in Sacramento

    Looking back at how much our garden has changed over the years

    More rain!

    December

    Highlights: I visited the Ruth Bancroft Garden, gave an update on my bird netting experiment, and introduced a simple way of removing freshly sprouted weeds. There was bad news, too: I found agave snout weevils in my own garden – not all that surprising considering the earlier discovery of snout weevils in a neighbor’s garden (see August).

    All December 2024 posts:

    Visiting the Ruth Bancroft Garden on Black Friday

    Using bird netting to trap leaves

    Waiting for aloe flowers

    2025 is right around the corner and I’m already planning a few things, beginning with a trip to Santa Barbara in a couple of weeks.

    I hope that 2024 will end on a good note for you and that 2025 will bring much joy – in your garden and in your life.



    © Gerhard Bock, 2024. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.

    Comments

    1. Kris PetersonDecember 29, 2024 at 5:23 PM

      You get around more than just about anyone I know in the gardening community, Gerhard (with maybe the exception of our friend Loree). You're closing out the year with a lot of personal accomplishments in your own garden too. And, as always, you've documented your post with great photos. I'm in the process of editing my own "year in review" and it isn't half as interesting.

      ReplyDelete
    2. tz_gardenDecember 30, 2024 at 9:01 AM

      Oh wow, such great photos - and quite a few posts I want to read again! I think I'll start with "Aloes in Wonderland is pure magic". You really did get around, and now you're going back to Santa Barbara? Are you driving, I'm asking because I wonder if you'll have space to bring back plants. You should really do a SucculentsandMore calendar, I'd buy that!

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      Replies
      1. tz_gardenDecember 30, 2024 at 9:36 AM

        Also, I just saw your comment about Aloe helenae - I imagine you have pups? Not that it compares to a 5 FOOT PLANT!

        Delete
      2. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)December 30, 2024 at 10:27 AM

        I think my helenae will live. I'll have a post about it in a few days. But I have another one in the backyard, almost as tall. Plus pups growing on the trunk. If you ever want one, let me know.

        Delete
    3. Nancy in Sun Lakes AZDecember 30, 2024 at 9:11 AM

      Gerhard: I love your blog and look forward to seeing each new posting. I have learned so much about plants and places and people! Thank you so much for all you do to create Succulents and More.

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      Replies
      1. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)December 30, 2024 at 10:26 AM

        Nancy, thank you so much! I always look forward to your comments.

        Delete
    4. danger gardenDecember 30, 2024 at 9:58 AM

      This was fun! I almost did something similar but ended up questioning if others would find it interesting. In starting to look over the year I discovered I traveled in every month but April and October, usually with a garden or some plant related reason. We're lucky! It looks like Andrew and I might finally be making that long awaited road trip down to the Bay Area this spring, so hopefully that means visiting your garden again! BTW how are you feeling about your greenhouse now that it's been in place for awhile? Can I request a follow-up post?

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      Replies
      1. Nancy in Sun Lakes AZDecember 30, 2024 at 10:24 AM

        I was thinking the same thing about a follow-up post on the greenhouse!

        Delete
      2. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)December 30, 2024 at 10:26 AM

        Loree, it would so great to see you! Remember, we have a guest room.

        Greenhouse: Good point, I really need to do an update. I originally envisioned it as a place for my "collector plants," except I don't really have many of those. Right now, it holds a lot of seedlings (hundreds of tiny cacti) and young plants that benefit from extra shelter.

        Delete
    5. Beth at PlantPostingsDecember 30, 2024 at 4:23 PM

      Oh, wow! So many beautiful photos and great information. You're so organized! I like tz_garden's idea of a Succulents and More calendar! Happy New Year!

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    6. ElaineDecember 31, 2024 at 1:00 PM

      You did have a very busy year. Lots of great gardens and glorious photography. I do enjoy your blog and have learned quite a bit from you. Thank you for continuing to highlight great succulent and cactus gardens. Succulents and More is always an interesting and informative read. Hope 2025 proves to be a great growing year with lots of cool plants coming your way.

      ReplyDelete
    7. AnonymousJanuary 2, 2025 at 7:39 AM

      Thanks for the trip down memory lane: gorgeous, gorgeous photos (your Dioon argenteum is a favorite). It is good to look back and recall our accomplishments: we tend to forget so quickly.
      I'm a bit confused about scale of plants in photo 19: how big is the cactus, behind to the right of the cycad? The angle makes it look a giant:-D
      Chavli

      ReplyDelete

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