Plant Profile: Tree Mallow ( Lavatera martima aka L. bicolor)
Karen Tree mallow is a semi-deciduous shrub probably from the western Mediterranean where it inhabits dry rocky places often along the coast. It is a large loose shrub with an abundance…
Plant Profile: Sacred Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)
The sacred lotus, also known as Indian lotus, is an aquatic perennial native to tropical Asia and Australia. It is one of two extant species in the Nelumbonaceae family and…
Plant Profile: Golden-Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
Native to China, Japan and Korea, golden-chain tree is a small deciduous tree with a rounded outline, wide-spreading branches, and a fabulous display of yellow flowers all over the tree…
Plant Profile: Pride of Madeira (Echium candicans)
This bushy evergreen flowering shrub is a native of the island Madeira as the common name suggests but is popular along the coast of California where it tolerates drought and…
Plant Profile: Lupine (Lupinus ) Russell hybrid
The showy three to four foot tall spikes of pea-like flowers in early and mid-summer make Russel hybrid lupines a garden favorite. Bred by George Russell in the early 1900s…
Plant Profile: Matilija Poppy aka California Poppy Tree (Romneya coulteri)
Matilija poppy is a deciduous suckering subshrub native to Southern California and Baja California where it grows and is associated with chaparral and coastal sage scrub plant communities. It is…
Plant Profile: Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas)
Spanish lavender is a bushy evergreen shrubs and native to the Mediterranean area. The pink to purple flowers of are produced in spring and early summer in terminal spikes on…
Plant Profile: Sapphire Tower (Puya alpestris)
Sapphire Tower is a succulent native to the Chilean Andes and in the pineapple family. It produces a rosette of arching gray-green leaves with backward pointing spines on their margins.…
Plant Profile: Purple Poppy Mallow (Callirhoe involucrata)
Native to the fields and prairies of central US, this mat-forming herbaceous perennial is a member of the mallow family, Malvaceae, that also includes hollyhock, hibiscus, and coffee. It grows…
Plant Profile: Umbrella Bamboo (Fargesia murielae)
One of the most beautiful of all bamboos, umbrella bamboo is non-invasive and features a weeping habit. The arching stems (culms) are blue green at first but mature to yellow-green…