News Index

Occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011 Lilacs are one of the world’s most beloved garden flowers, prized for their fragrance. But true lilacs require a cold winter to flourish, and that rules out much of Southern California. Once again, though, the yearning of Angelinos for fragrant clusters of white-to-blue-to-purple blossoms has been met by … Read more »

Occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011 Some of our native plants get no respect. In the case of Chilicothe, it’s a matter of mistaken identity. Marah macrocarpa is a native vine that loves to curlicue across the meadow or, better yet, twine its way up anything handy — a tree, a shrub, a fence, … Read more »

occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011 It starts as a spray or splash of heavily lobed leaves. It then develops into a modest, inverted, cup-shaped flower. Its insides are absurdly packed with yellow stamens. Its petals shade from red or very dark red down to almost black at their bases. These shadowy flowers usually … Read more »

occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011 One of the pleasures of living in a moist climate is the ability to grow fuchsias outside. Fuchsias are a mostly South American plant. They thrive in cultivation in moderate northern climes, but not here. Yet if the San Gabriel Valley is too hot and dry to make … Read more »

occasional notes on the wildflowers of 91011 Some of the very best wildflowers to be seen along the trails of La Cañada Flintridge are found all over Cherry Canyon — a name that ought to raise the question of whether we can ever find cherry blossoms there. In fact, we can! But they’re not quite … Read more »