Sunflower Silhouette

A tall 'Mammoth Russian' sunflower from the past summer.

Spiral Aloe

A very cool spiral aloe at the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden.

A Stark Contrast

A healthy king palm frond set against the background of a defoliated sycamore. I must say that palms are my favorite trees for winter!

Subarctic to Subtropical...

After a week of record-low temperatures here in California, we will begin to climb out of a cold pit into a peak of "subtropical" warmth. Temperatures are expected to rise about 14 degrees by next Tuesday, with low temps in the 40's! I wonder how my garden likes it: dead for a week, and then slowly eased out of the coffin. I can no longer tell whether we are experiencing global warming or global cooling.

Frozen Moss

A patch of moss covered in water from a leaky faucet frozen by the night's cold temperatures.

Boulevard Palms

Mexican fan palms, Washingtonia robusta, line a street in Santa Barbara.

Last Summer's Plumeria

One of my plumerias from early September, 2006.

Sago Rain

Water droplets covering a sago palm frond in my tropical garden.

Saguaro in the Sonoran

A huge saguaro cactus in the Sonoran desert of Arizona.

The Tropical Garden in 2007...

This year will hopefully bring some new additions to the garden. I am especially anxious to get my tropical garden started again, but the impending frost makes me question whether I will ever be able to grow tropical plants again.

Really though, the plants will make it, and I am hoping to add some great things this year, maybe some bougainvillea and hibiscus, and possibly one of those really cheap queen palms that grow so fast you might think they're taking steroids. And the Thailand Giant Strain of Colocasia elephant ears with leaves 5 feet wide might add an interesting look to the micro-jungle.

Throw in some squirrel monkeys and tiki torches, and it would be an "authentic" island getaway...in a backyard.

Oh, one more thing: This is the 100th post on this blog!