The other day, I was at a big-box ‘hardware’ store buying some supplies. No, I wasn’t buying plants…that would be silly since Evergreen Nursery is the largest wholesale nursery in San Diego County. While waiting in line behind a customer I noticed she had a box of deciduous daylily bulbs. I commented that those were beautiful daylilies but they were deciduous and would go dormant during the winter. She thanked me for the information but decided to give them a try to see what happens.

The other day, I was driving along in Mission Beach, near the Catamaran Hotel, and I happened upon a hedge that I myself had planted nearly 30 years ago. Remembering that I planted it, I decided that I ought to stop and take a look at it. What a magnificent thing – here’s a little hedge, only about three feet tall, made from a plant called Natal Plum, botanically known as Carissa. It’s bright green, and for 30 years it’s been sitting in the same spot.