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Plant of the Day

Sunday 19 July 2026

The tender perennial Pelargonium abrotanifolium (southernwood geranium) has deeply divided, grey green leaves with aromatic, wormwood scent. The red stems have a lax habit that develop a woody structure when mature. It is very free flowering and will tolerate cooler temperatures if kept dry but is highly drought tolerant.

Jill Raggett

kerovousphoto

Flowers in the park

jillraggett

Plant of the Day

Monday 6 March 2017

The evergreen foliage of Libertia peregrinans ‘Gold Leaf’ (wandering Chilean iris) was catching the low early spring sunshine in the dry garden. This suckering herbaceous plant grows as clumps of narrow orange-tinted leaves, and with short stems bearing clusters of bowl-shaped white flowers in later in the season. Here it was making a great contrast with Euphorbia rigida (glaucous spurge, gopher spurge).

Jill Raggett

ruthbancroftgarden

Gasteria bicolor

This Gasteria species comes from the Eastern Cape Province, in the southern part of South Africa. It is a smooth-leaved species, usually with attractive spotting and leaves that spiral upward, and its flowers are pinker than most Gasteria species, but with green-and-white striped mouths.

-Brian

inlandwest

#amazing #asparagaceae

ruthbancroftgarden

Agave weberi

This large-growing Agave, with its towering inflorescence, is originally from northeastern Mexico, and it is widely grown in the Rio Grande Valley in southern Texas. It bears some resemblance to Agave americana, the common Century Plant, but it has much smaller teeth, or sometimes none at all. Our 2 flowering plants have stalks so tall that they have become entangled in the Torrey pine above them. The greenish-yellow flowers are hard to see without a tall ladder, but in the lower photo you can see what they look like up close.

-Brian

ruthbancroftgarden

Turbinicarpus lophophoroides

Turbinicarpus is a genus of miniature Mexican cacti, mostly found in the northeastern part of the country. They are usually quite localized and not easy to find, but a delight when you come across them. especially if they are in flower (which of course makes them easier to spot). This one is T. lophophoroides, from northern San Luis Potosi.

-Brian

ruthbancroftgarden

Dudleya pachyphytum

Dudleya is a genus in the Stonecrop Family (Crassulaceae), with the great majority of the species found along the Pacific coast in California and Baja California. Quite a few species have leaves coated with white powder, but none has quite as cartoonishly chubby as this one, which comes from Cedros Island, off the coast of Baja California. Its flowers, with white petals and greenish sepals, are also distinctive.

-Brian

stephanocardona

himekokosu

Phedimus aizoon var. floribundus Mt.Tekaridake form

jillraggett

Plant of the Day

Saturday 11 July 2026

An impressive specimen of Euphorbia ingens ‘Marmorata’ (marbled candelabra tree). This plant can reach up to 10 metres tall, with a columnar, cactus-like form and multiple branches emerging from a thick central trunk. However, in the U.K. it is a glasshouse or conservatory plant and may not have the space or conditions to reach those heights. The plant's white milky sap is poisonous and is an irritant to the skin and eyes. Always wear gloves when handling.

Jill Raggett