The first day of Spring!

When I see the day on my calendar marked "first day of Spring" (always capitalized) I immediately feel relief, joy, anticipation, excitement—yes, all of those things and all at once. Another winter—the season of hunkering down and just getting through it—behind us. A season of sunlight and warmth ahead...

Of course I have to welcome the first day of spring with photos from around the garden, a lot of them (hold on, it's gonna be a photo heavy post)). My Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Nanjing Gold' started blooming weeks ago, it's ahead of itself and on the downward slide...

The various hellebores around the garden have had a great year, no snow or ice to beat them down.

Helleborus x 'Black Diamond' (Winter Jewels) is doing especially well.

While our winter was mild, the last few weeks have been rather cool and wet (3.85" of rain in just 3 days last week, that's an entire month's worth!), which has sent a few succulents over the edge. At first I thought this NoID Agave would pull through, that the rot was only around the bottom leaves.

But nope, it's a goner.

I left a few small Agave victoriae-reginae in the ground over winter, just to see how they'd do. Two are mushy beyond hope, one looks pristine, and a couple look like this one...

I also tested a few semponiums in the ground (a "groundbreaking intergeneric cross between Aeonium and Sempervivum, giving us the look of Aeonium with better hardiness" quote pulled from here). They held on for most of the mild winter, looking great up until recently. This one is the best of the bunch, I have no idea what's been munching on it. 

These three were my rock stars, they looked so good! Until they didn't. I don't think the weather is entirely to blame however. 

Especially when the next two I found looked like this.

Somebody munched so hard they pulled the plants right out of the ground. I wonder if the little bunny I scared out of hiding the next day had anything to do with it? Grrrrrr

The good-sized Agave victoriae-reginae that went in the ground last summer has come through fantastically. I am very happy. While this plant is temperature hardy it does not like the cold and wet combination so it's not one you normally see planted in these parts.

Agave parryi 'JC Raulston' and pup. Agaves need good air circulation and these two definitely don't get it. Still, they power on.

Sophora prostrata

Rhododendron stenopetalum 'Linearifolium' beginning it's bloom.

The third and final of my Arctostaphylos to bloom, A.densiflora ‘Harmony’.

Last week's crazy rain and high wind rearranged the Mahonia x media 'Charity' on the north side of the house. It's now visible from a living room window, which I feared meant it was leaning out over the neighbor's driveway. Thankfully no.

Always a great vignette no matter the season... the Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' and Yucca rostrata at the front of the house.

Even better with the chartreuse bracts of Euphorbia rigida.

The Tetrapanax papyrifer are waking up...

An overall shot from the SE corner...

And up the driveway to where the aeoniums in containers spent 95% of the winter (only moved undercover when the temps briefly dropped below 27F and for that crazy intense rain last week). I thought I took a nice group shot, but I guess not. All you get is a close-up.

Into the back garden now, where I must share a removal we made last autumn (that stump cut level with the very saturated soil). The Embothrium coccineum grew so fast and got so tall that it was an awkward bent pole as tall as the house. Ugly. The only time I could really stand to look at it was when it was in bloom, otherwise I tried not to see it. I am glad it's gone, but I won't say never to the idea of replanting another somewhere.

This is the best year the Edgeworthia chrysantha ‘Akebono’ has had in quite some time.

Those blooms!

Also blooming, Rhododendron spinuliferum.

Clifford (the big-leaf Magnolia) hasn't started to leaf out yet so the back garden is sunnier than it will be later in the year. The cast of characters (from left to right): our oldest Yucca rostrata named Sammy, over the top of Sammy you can see the foliage of a loquat, next to that Magnolia laevifolia, then three palms in a row Trachycarpus 'Wagnerianus' and two T.  fortunei (one in the neighbor's yard), the sawed off branches belong to our Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate' (they'll put out a haze of small dark leaves soon), and then on the far right is another Trachycarpus 'Wagnerianus'.

A mild winter means the Ficus pumila 'Monier's Hardy' wasn't killed back and can continue it's quest to cover the patio wall.

Podophyllum on the rise! This one a seedling or runner that looks to have a little Podophyllum 'Red Panda' parentage.

Podophyllum 'Spotty Dotty' in a pot.

The tree ferns (Dicksonia antarctica) getting ready for their big move into the ground.

My Leo planter full of assorted Phlebodium was knocked back by winter. Hopefully the range of cool fronds will make an appearance as the temperatures warm. These ferns aren't fully winter-hardy here, but I tucked the planter in the shade pavilion greenhouse on the nights we hit the mid-to upper-20's.

Saxifraga stolonifera 'Maroon Beauty' looking grand on the stock tank table planting.

There it is, visible between the two polycarbonate panel covers, winter protection that I plan to remove this weekend...

Peeking over the top, Astelia chathamica 'Silver Spear' in a pot. I usually pull this and put it in a protected location over the winter... but not this year! It stayed right there.

Agave ovatifolia 'Frosty Blue' (it got rain cover only because it's in a container)

Another tall Mahonia, M. x media 'Marvel'. I really had no idea it would get this tall!

Colorful new foliage on Mahonia x savilliana...

And finally, to wrap things up, a new planting. Last autumn I decided I wanted to do something different in the SW corner. I had been filling those elevated containers with bromeliads, but when I found gallon sized Yucca rostrata at a great price I started scheming on using several of them. These pedestals are tall enough to get a great deal of sunshine, so I think the yucca will do great.

A big thanks to my friend Patricia who trekked down to N&M Nursery in Hubbard to buy the yuccas for me, since I was out of town during their special open days last September.

I went with Trachelospermum asiaticum 'Ogon Nishiki' as a trailing addition. It's got great color including lots of orange on the new growth.

Plus I have some growing nearby so there's a natural tie-in. Yay! SPRING!!!

The Bit at the End

Recently I was scrolling through Karen Chapman's blog le jardinet, specifically a post called Telling Your Story: The Garden Entry Sequence, when I came across a familiar garden scene. It's a great post (and not just because it includes my garden), check it out!

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Gerhard's garden, a January visit

I ended my April 2025 blog post about my friend Gerhard's garden by saying I hoped it wouldn't be another 6 years before I returned (my most recent prior visit was in 2019). Who new I'd be back again less than 10 months later? While the trip that made this visit possible (driving back from Andrew's mom's funeral) wasn't one we planned or desired, we still enjoyed getting to see Gerhard, his family, and his garden...

I wish I would have had my camera ready to go when we pulled up, Gerhard was out working the garden along the public sidewalk with long tweezers in hand (like these) pulling debris out of his plants. It's one of those scenes that makes perfect sense to us gardeners (especially the ones with spiky succulents in their gardens), but might cause neighbors to wonder what the hell we're up to.

Look how clean!

Here's the other thing I remember from the start of that visit; Gerhard immediately mentioning that it wasn't a great time to visit. Not in a "I wish you hadn't stopped" way, but rather an honest assessment of how the garden looked, to his eyes. It was January 14th after all, who thinks their garden looks best then (well at least in the northern hemisphere)? But here's the thing, his garden looked so good, especially his variegated Agave ovatifolia...

Of course to my eyes everything in California looks great in the wintertime, I'm used to a grey sky, wet ground, and possibly a freeze-damaged garden. But seriously, by any standard this garden looked fabulous—and I have the photos to prove it...

I mentioned how much I liked this tidy rock edging and Gerhard said it was new... well done!

I almost emailed Gerhard to get ID on the plants I wasn't sure of, but then I decided that wasn't the way I wanted this post to go. Nope, instead it's just a plant appreciation post without a lot of details, other than the few I can provide. Plus, Gerhard is very good about IDing plants when he posts, so I'm sure you'll probably find most things called out on his blog, or in his most recent tour post, here.

Looking down the sidewalk side garden...

I think this is Mangave ‘Bloodspot’ × Agave titanota.

Ah that Lyonothamnus floribundus ssp. aspleniifolius (the tree) inspires serious envy.

Yucca linearifolia

I think perhaps the fact that so many of his aloes were sending up bloom spikes, but not yet blooming, is part of why Gerhard thought it wasn't a great time to visit. Still, for my eyes, the buds are nearly as fabulous as the blooms. 

Oh, I know this one, Aloe marlothii. I have one that I've grown on from a tiny plant I bought back when I visited (the now closed) San Marcos Growers in 2009. My poor plant, forced to spend winters indoors, has never bloomed.

On the left, Arctostaphylos ‘Ruth Bancroft’, a manzanita hybrid of unknown parentage that showed up at the Ruth Bancroft Garden.

Yucca rostrata

Aloe ‘Erik the Red’, with Eucalyptus macrocarpa on the left.

Walking into the front garden, behind the fence, this bamboo culm caught my eye. I've walked right by this bamboo every time I've visited (6 times now) and never noticed just how cool it is. Gerhard warmed me those hairs were dangerous so I looked, but did not touch.

Backlit spines!

Agave albopilosa 

I think this is a Dyckia, but it might be a Hechtia. Whichever it is, it's super spiky. *Gerhard says it's Hechtia argentea*

Ditto.

Oh so many Agave victoriae-reginae! Unfortunately several of these fabulous, slow-growing, agaves sustained major damage over the winter—Gerhard wrote about it in this recent blog post.

Yucca queretaroensis on the left.

Agave nickelsiae

Beaucarnea recurvata, at the back.

Pellaea mucronata

Ferocactus herrerae

Mangave 'Praying Hands'

So beautiful! And in mid-January!!!

Agave desmetiana ‘Galactic Traveller’

And now we're in the back garden and looking at one of the newish planting areas Gerhard developed after the house was re-sided last August (which looks amazing by the way).

Bromelia pinguin ‘Qué será’

And on to the other (extremely exceptional) planting areas...

Maybe Agave victoriae-reginae 'Albomarginata'

New narrow cactus bed

Kumara plicatilis

Mangave 'Frosted Jade'

And with this photo, it's a wrap on my visit. What a garden, am I right? (hell yes I am!)

The Bit at the End

Okay, here's my chance to talk about how lucky I am to know Gerhard Bock and give him a proper shout-out. I've known Gerhard almost as long as I've been blogging. He started his blog in October of 2010, a little research tells me I made my first comment on his blog in January of 2012, he was commenting on my blog then too. I finally got to see his garden in September of 2014, and he posted about my garden in 2014 as well, after visiting during the Portland Fling. Gerhard also graciously offered to proof my book, Fearless Gardening, and he's been a tireless supporter. So that covers the basics, but what really comes to mind when I think of Gerhard is his generosity of spirit. He's far more tech savvy than I am and he's helped me out of more than one bind with the blog, photo storage, or just random computer issues, never hesitating to reply with a well-researched answer. He shares plants when I visit, and ships plants without a second thought (and packs them well too!). Gerhard and his wife Heather have put me up at their home several times and are the best hosts you can imagine. As I write this I'm looking forward to our getting to host Gerhard in just two short weeks, as he's coming up to Portland for Hortlandia and a few garden visits. It's gonna be great fun, plant people are the best!

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