Half the year is over and in the garden I’m walking around taking stock. June usually means the real riotous bloom of the Iris, fruit trees and bulbs is dying down. Now the dry garden can be the spotlight. Our climate is very close to that of the Mediterranean. We can grow all the plants…
A Winter walk-around What’s blooming? What’s happening? A walk through my garden just before Winter begins. First off, the patio has been cleared of summer projects, tools, soil and extra containers! I’ve put three sugar cones in three pots to act as a winter centerpiece for the table and all the cushions are in the…
First weeks of Fall in the Sierra foothills The season has changed in the foothills around Oakhurst. The fierce heat of the last month has broken and the cool of this morning is delicious. I’ve been hand watering all along and I can see the end to this chore coming. I take stock of the…
Autumn sages, Salvia greggii, are low key shrubs most of the year. In cool seasons these evergreen mounding sages shine and give us blooms for a long period adding radiant color to the garden. Right now in my garden they are still in full bloom and it reminds me to buy more! I’d love to try taking cuttings from them.
True and pure red Autumn sage 'Flame'
Autumn sage is an herbaceous perennial native to Texas but very suitable to mix with our native Californian plants. It was named in 1870 by botanist Asa Gray, and in doing so he honored Josiah Gregg, an early American explorer and botanist. It comes in many colors, white, pink, magenta, salmon and red and even blues and purples. There are new varieties bred for improved summer flowering, too.…
Taking advantage our our beautiful ‘natives’ Adding drought tolerant Mediterranean plants to our existing California natives is a winning strategy or a deer resistant garden. This planting area is a mix of CA natives and North American natives and Mediterranean plants suited to wild conditions. All are tough, hardy and blooming plants. We used to…
