5 Reasons I Choose Succulents

1. What other plants pair both seafoam green and pink in one tidy, charming package?

2. $200 spent on the water bill vs $200 spent at my favorite local boutique...need I say more?

3. I'm a pushover for rosettes of all sizes.

4. I like to make my neighbors look twice.

5. Impatiens only look good in tropical gardens and (hard truth) tropical gardens rarely look great outside of the tropics. [Note: Prevalence of palms aside, California is really not a tropical region.]

4 Things to Check Out Now

The May/June issue of California Gardener is out and, lo and behold, inside of the back cover is a piece written by none other than yours truly. As you might guess, I'm terribly excited and couldn't be more proud. Click here to check it out!

Also in this issue is a brief article about the new Itoh peonies. Yes, it's true, peonies are not terribly easy to grow for those of us who already enjoy the majority of garden blessings, including warm winters (although I do have a few tricks up my sleeve to give certain plants the chill they require) and they are also a thirstier plant than I usually promote... Ohhh, but the loveliness that is the Peony! And these hybrids are just what one wishes for in a gorgeously romantic flower. Take, for example:

Paeonia x 'Kopper Kettle'


Paeonia x 'Julia Rose'


Paeonia x 'Bartzella'

Well, a girl can dream, can't she? Ok, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Salvias and succulents anyone?