San Diego Botanic Garden

An Australian genus of 300+ species well suited to dry conditions and poor soils like here in San Diego.  Local nurseries are selling more and more varieties so try one out. They come in many sizes and flower colors to fit any space in your garden. In Australia they are a favorite of honeyeater birds so I presume that our hummingbirds will go crazy for these.  Photo credit; C. Bell (Geelong, Australia)

The hot summer days are starting to stress hydrangeas that get near full sun but they are still a wonderful eye full.  If you desire fewer, but larger, blooms the secret is to remove all but one or two buds from each stem in the springtime.  The available energy for blooms will be concentrated on these fewer outgrowths.

It appears to be a favorable winter for the fruiting of red Toyon berries as patches of red have appeared on our chaparral hills. The berries while technically edible are very unpleasant if eaten raw.   Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon, or California Holly is native to coastal ranges of California and southern Oregon.   Although it grows on the hills around Hollywood that is apparently not the reason for the name.

California Holly: How Hollywood Didn’t Get its Name | Natural History Museum (nhm.org)