Photo tour of our front garden (March 2, 2025)

On Saturday I had an open garden for the Sacramento Cactus and Succulent Society. The weather couldn’t have been better: sunny and bright, with mid-morning temperatures in the 60s, climbing into the low 70s by mid-afternoon. I didn’t count how many people showed up, but there was a steady stream of visitors. Most of them seemed to like what they saw. My goal wasn’t to impress anybody; I do what I do for myself, not for others. But I hope that I was able to provide a bit of inspiration, just like so many of the gardens I’ve visited over the years – and their owners – have inspired me.

Photo taken by Kyle Johnson

I admit, I did spend a good amount of time cleaning, reorganizing, and sprucing up the garden, and I was happy with how everything looked. So happy, in fact, that I want to take you on a tour as well.

Inside the fence:

Peek of the front garden through the bamboo

Yes, I do have a fondness for mariachi musicians made of scrap metal

Call it my nod to garden kitsch

Mounds inside the fence

I bought this cardon (Pachycereus pringlei) many years ago in a 4-inch pot and it’s taken me all this time to finally get it in the ground. The rocks (Grand Canyon onyx) are a new addition as well.

The three ponytail palms (Beaucarnea recurvata) are a towering presence in the bed next to the front door. They’ve been in the ground for 15 years now. I originally bought them in a 2-gallon container, three siblings in the same pot.

The plantings at the base of the ponytail palms include several aloes and sedums, Oscularia caulescens (pink flowers), Hechtia argentea, and Agave ‘Moonglow’

Hechtias and other terrestrial bromeliads in the center planter

Bed next to the front door. The large aloe is Aloe vaombe.

What you see from the covered porch to the right of the front door: Mangave ‘Whale Shark’ (bottom left), Aloe vaombe (top left), Hechtia ‘Tehuacán’ (bottom right), and Aloe macrosiphon (bottom center)

Another metal mariachero and a spiral cactus (Cereus forbesii ‘Spiralis’)

Cholla skeletons I collected in Arizona against the garage wall. I’ve tried to grow plants in this square pot before, but they always struggled because this spot doesn’t get much direct sunlight.

Covered porch:

View of the larger succulent mound from the porch

Agave desmetiana ‘Galactic Traveller’

Golden ball cactus (Parodia leninghausii)

Monkey tail cactus (Cleistocactus winteri subsp. colademonis) in a Diana Moulds tentacle pot

Wider view from the porch

Smaller succulent mound inside the fence

Agave ‘Blue Glow’ and a Meyer lemon tree, originally rescued from the Lowe’s clearance rack for $1.97

Lophocereus schottii ‘Woolly Rhino’ is the new centerpiece in the smaller succulent mound

Echeveria agavoides ‘Christmas’ has grown for a single head to a nice clump

Bromelia pinguin ‘Qué será’ ready to grab anybody walking by. I need to figure out a new spot to move it to because it’s getting a bit dangerous.

Potted plants in the corner of the front porch

This is the reconfigured area connecting the front yard to the back. The new gate is on the left (just outside the frame). Note the two fence-top planters filled with echinopsis hybrids. Having them at this height (about 4 ft.) will give me a close-up view of their colorful flowers. The trays below the planters are mostly agave seedlings. They’re still a few years away from being large enough to go into the ground.

Outside the fence:

Stormy evening sky. All bluff and bluster; we didn’t get a single drop of rain.

Aloe excelsa (top center) has almost 20 flower spikes

Aloes, agaves, grevilleas – and a lavender and manzanita for good measure. Oh, and an ice plant, too!

Same vantage point, looking south

Wild mix of plants, succulent and non-succulent alike

The flowering aloe is Aloe ‘Tangerine’, with Mangave ‘Queen for a Day’ in the square metal pot

Rounding the corner...

...of the sidewalk bed

The taller plants along the fence are pearl bluebush (Maireana sedifolia), skyscraper senecio (Curio ficoides ‘Mount Everest’), and Leucadendron ‘Ebony’

This spot is planted with several echinopsis varieties, including ‘Flying Saucer’, ‘Apricot Glow’, and ‘First Light’

Soon there’ll be a traffic-stopping flower display like last year

The mounds of green you see in this and other photos are this year’s crop of white-flowering California poppies (Eschscholzia californica ‘White Linen’). I sowed 2000+ seeds in the fall and am hoping for a repeat of last year’s performance. The first poppies have already started to flower.

This is a minor success story, but one that thrills me nonetheless: giant Canary Island mountain carrot (Todaroa montana). I bought a small plant at Annie’s Annuals a few years ago after repeatedly admiring it in their display garden (see here). It grew a little each year, but not much, and then disappeared for the winter. I had all but forgotten that I had one when it came roaring back this year. Look at it now, 4 ft. tall and counting. Maybe it will finally flower!

Aloe ‘Superman’ (A. cameronii × white-flowering A. ferox) is putting on a good show this year. It’s a hybrid created by Brent Wigand.

To the left of ‘Superman’ is Aloe munchii, behind it Yucca linearifolia

Yucca linearifolia and Aloe marlothii × globuligemma, with Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’ in the front

Aloe central:

The easternmost section of the sidewalk bed is home to the aloes with the showiest flowers, including Aloe ‘Moonglow’ (two of them), Aloe wickensii, and Aloe ‘Erik the Red’:

Wider view

On the left, in front of the manzanita is an Aloe bulbillifera hybrid that flowers year round. In front of Yucca rostrata is the first clump of Aloe ‘Moonglow’.

Aloe ‘Moonglow’, Yucca rostrata, Agave ovatifolia, Aloe wickensii, Aloe mawii × vanbalenii, Eucalyptus macrocarpa, Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

Aloe ‘Moonglow’, Yucca rostrata, Agave ovatifolia, Aloe wickensii, Aloe mawii × vanbalenii, Eucalyptus macrocarpa

Agave ovatifolia, Aloe wickensii, Aloe mawii × vanbalenii, Eucalyptus macrocarpa, Aloe capitata var. quartziticola

Agave ovatifolia, Aloe wickensii

Aloe mawii × vanbalenii, Eucalyptus macrocarpa, Aloe capitata var. quartziticola, Aloe ‘Erik the Red’, Agave wocomahi, Agave schidigera ‘Durango Delight’, Aloe spectabilis × vaombe, Aloe ‘Moonglow’

Aloe ‘Erik the Red’ is more spectacular this year than ever

Totem pole cactus (Lophocereus schottii), Agave schidigera ‘Durango Delight’, Aloe spectabilis × vaombe, Aloe ‘Moonglow’

Moroccan daisy (Rhodanthemum hosmariense) has started to flower. Soon there’ll be so many flowers you’ll barely see the foliage. I also have a cultivar with dark centers called ‘Casablanca’.

View west

To complement these photos, I also filmed a video of the front garden. I’ll share it with you as soon as I’ve finished putting it together.

© Gerhard Bock, 2025. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.