danger garden

Friday, February 14, 2025

A pair of drive-by gardens in San Diego; Agave / LOVE

I was at the wheel when I spied something out of the corner of my eye (on a side street), that I didn't think could possibly be real. A quick glance in the rearview mirror to make sure nobody was behind us and I stopped, put the car in reverse, and turned. Wowsa. Yep, that's what I thought I saw.

I parked and walked back to snap a couple photos. This was the far end, the border with the neighbor.

I almost feel sorry for them. They neighbors, and the agaves, of course.

What's one of the messiest trees you could have growing above a thicket of agaves? A pepper tree, Schinus molle...

I wonder how many agaves they started with?

I wonder how long they've been growing like this?

I wonder how many small animals are living under there?

Another day, another garden. I spied this grouping of pots in an alley after I'd parked the car and was going to meet Andrew at a bookstore.

At first the mix of different containers looked like a temporary installation, but the longer I looked I realized that wasn't the case. These have been here awhile.

Chicken wire protects them from... animals? Thieves?

Walking up the sidewalk (same property) I spied this through the fence...

These hanging fern boxes (along with lattice) topped the fence.

Maybe Nephrolepis cordifolia?

I was curious about the space so did some Google Maps detective work. I got zero answers, but did get to see the space before the lattice was up, March of 2022.

And before there was even a fence, or a coat of white paint, May 2019.

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Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Walter Andersen Nursery, serving San Diego since 1928

Before we left for San Diego last month, I had a chance to ask local like-minded gardener friend John Kuzma about nurseries he likes in the area, he mentioned Walter Andersen (John has been known to make occasional buying trips). I'd visited this nursery on his recommendation back in 2014, but didn't think I'd have time this go 'round. I was wrong.

Ten years after my first visit and I'm now a fan of mounted staghorn ferns, I wasn't back then.

The selection was vast (if I organized my photos correctly this one was $75, which compared to the prices here in Portland was a HUGE deal)....

Of course I wasn't shopping, just curious and interested to see how they were growing.

After checking out the staghorns on the front wall of the nursery I turned to see a sign that promised even more, and bromeliads too!

Wowsa...

Even if I'd been driving and that thing was affordable there's no way I could have gotten it home.

Ginormous!

Definitely a different species from the common ones I'm acquainted with.

Such curly fronds.

These bad boys were off the charts cool.

Since seeing these plants I happened to watch a segment from Gardening Australia on YouTube called Iconic Stag Garden, check it out here. It's amazing!

Moving on, I have no photos of the bromeliad section to share, there wasn't much going on there.

In an another part of the nursery this strangely sausage-like (worm-like?) cactus was working its way up a palm trunk.

I followed it down to the base of the palm and then kinda lost it in the shadows behind the pansy tables. There was another staghorn however...

And another!

And more of the variegated Euphorbia ammak that seem to be everywhere in San Diego.

I didn't recognize it at first (until I looked up), it's trunk was so woody.

Onward! To the shady bits...

Phlebodium aureum

Begonia luxurians

Farfugium japonicum

More staghorns! (babies being grown on maybe?)

So many cycads...

Leucospermum gueinzii

A group shot of some of the sun-loving characters.

I was shocked at the price tag on this bowl of Deuterocohnia brevifolia, $299.99. Maybe it was a price really meant to say "not for sale"? This is where I bought my small 4" pot of the same (shown in this post), at a comparatively tiny price.

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