Penstemons are perennials that are common garden plants for summer color. There are more than 250 species mostly native to the Western U. S. The garden hybrids come in colors from white, pink, magenta, red to purple and blue. Penstemon ‘Sour Grapes’ is one of the most vigorous and fastest growing Penstemons. Penstemon ‘Firebird’ Penstemon…

Ferns are beautiful plants for the shade garden. In general they love moisture, cool temperatures and filtered or full shade. At Dawn Gardens, I irrigate with drip or spray. The ferns under spray irrigation always do better than the ones under drip; ferns prefer the high humidity. Here are some ferns growing under the Dogwoods…

Dawn Gardens will not be open for public viewing until November, 2026. The house and garden are now for sale. However, small private groups like garden clubs are welcome with prior appointments. No fees are charged but a donation box is available. A ride on a golf cart is available for people who have difficulty…

Witch Hazels (Hamamelis) are beautiful winter blooming shrubs which are common in the east but not in the west. The flowers look like shredded crepe paper and bloom in January with a citrus like fragrance. The flower colors of the species range from yellow to orange to red. The pictures above were taken from an…

Here are some garden sayings I found in gardens that I visited: This is the plaque that my doctor-friend has in his house Here are some garden sayings I found in a book entitled “How Does Your Garden Grow?”

Osmanthus are evergreen shrubs used for barriers or hedges in the garden. They have small white or yellowish flowers and are fragrant. They tolerate clipping and can become dense hedges. Osmanthus burkwoodii Osmanthus delavayi – fragrant Osmanthus fragrans has tiny flowers but a strong, fruity fragrance. Note that the leaves are not serrated like the…

I started teaching in the Horticulture Department at Merritt College in Oakland in 1976. I was the youngest teacher at the college at the time (30). The administration came up with $2 million to build a new horticulture facility to replace the portable buildings and they told me to work with the architects in the…

A good principle of landscape design is to plant in drifts. The idea is if you plant in drifts or masses you are imitating nature making the landscape more natural looking. Instead of planting just one plant of a type, plant 5 or 10. Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’) and Japanese Maple. Joe…

Dawn Gardens is surrounded by an 8′ tall fence and deer cannot get in unless someone leaves the gate open. One day that happened and 4 deer got in and thought they were in heaven. They helped themselves to everything especially the vegetables and roses. It took us 4 days to get them out and…