i planted a ton of seeds this week and i'm going to prep our raised beds at the shop this weekend... excited for a bountiful season!

a little taste of our santa barbara plant buying excursion last week. it definitely feels like spring.

one of the things we miss most about our native pennsylvania landscape are the amazing fall color shows. here in la, we have very few hints of autumn, but this here plant is one of them. say hello to hydrangea quercifolia 'snow queen' aka "oak-leaf hydrangea" she's a nice little taste of home even if her fall color coincides with the spring blooms!

from our grower:

"This is a beautiful deciduous shrub with deeply lobed, oak leaf-shaped, dark green leaves which provide spectacular fall foliage in colors ranging from orange to crimson and scarlet. Performs best in dappled shade, full sun if adequate moisture is provided with a well drained, acidic soil, and is very cold hardy. We have our plant growing in the shade with occasional irrigation. Typically found as a multi-stemmed shrub growing to 8 ft. tall and 12 ft. or more wide. Prune as needed immediately after flowering (June-July) as new flowers are set on previous years growth."

a few favorites

pssst....

low hanging fruit

excuse the lack of posts friends. it's been raining cats and dogs here and we just don't know how to survive in these conditions. the roads are wet, we need to use those umbrella things and the la river even has water running through it!

all kidding aside, the plants are the happiest we've seen them in a long time. for example, take a look at our little friend the pink lemonade tree. isn't he about the most gorgeous citrus you've seen?! the variegated leaves, the pink flower buds opening to sweet white flowers, the striped fruit and pink flesh. too much. love this one. we have them in stock here at the shop. swim on over to get one of your own :)

the rain also brings up the topic of rainwater harvesting. this is a big topic that i'm really excited to talk about. i'm going to save that post for later this week. it will be worth it!

rae's zen

friday afternoon going through the photo archives from before the holidays. i have a lot of work that i have to get back to and photograph!

including this project which we finished right before the holidays and they just got their outdoor pizza oven installed (jealous!). rae looks so regal in all of these photos, especially in the zen rock garden. i loved working with her because she's a great boss and straight to the point... rae; "i want grass for soccer and dirt to lay in, and a straight path to the door for when the mailman comes!"

got it!