For a while there I was on a roll, visiting Gerhard‘s Davis, CA, garden in 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019… but then came the drought. It’s hard to believe 6 long years went by between my 2019 visit and the latest one, at the end of March. Once I was on the ground we quickly made up for lost time, before my luggage was even in the house we were touring the front garden and I was snapping photos, a lot of photos. This post is going to be a long one even by my standards…
The mangave above is the same one that’s at the foot of the blooming Aloe excelsa below. After that my eyes were drawn to the large Lavandula allardii ‘Meerlo’ on the bottom right.
Moving to the left…
Wowsa! Grevillea ‘Scarlet Sprite’ and Aloe marlothii.
Gorgeous variegated Agave ovatifolia backed by Senecio ficoides ‘Mount Everest’ (Senecio Skyscraper).
As you’ve probably noticed the light changes a lot in these photos, I was there for several days and we walked around the garden a few different times. Rather than grouping my photos by day, I arranged them in one (fairly) cohesive tour through the garden. We’ve started in front of the fence that divides the public and private areas of the front garden. Gerhard shares a lot of beautiful plants with his neighbors and passersby.
I know I’d walk (or drive) by this everyday if I could.
Opuntia sulphurea
Aloe ‘Unicorn’ (peglerae × white ferox)
This was actually one of my favorite aloes in Gerhard’s garden.
There it is again, with Aloe schoelleri behind it.
I wish I would have been there to see these Echinocereus triglochidiatus fully open, what a sight that must be.
Mangave ‘Queen for a Day’
Aloe ‘Tangerine’
Agave shawii
The Echinopsis ‘Flying Saucer’ (bottom, right of center) was teasing with big fat buds for days…
Lucky for me they opened on my last day, before I flew out. Check out , and take a look at that substantial Leucadendron ‘Ebony’ on the far right. Gorgeous!
Speaking of (gorgeous) look at at that Lyonothamnus (ironwood), a tree I wish I would have planted here several years ago. Spilling out over the sidewalk (and throughout this part of the garden) are Eschscholzia californica ‘White Linen’ (California poppies), Gerhard grows them as a fun annual and will pull them all when they’re done flowering.
The goodness just keeps going and going…
Yucca linearifolia
Mangave ‘Pineapple Punch’
Aloe ‘Moonglow’ with Yucca rostrata
The ‘Moonglow’ flowers are nearing the end of their show, but I thought they were still lovely.
Eucalyptus macrocarpa (powder blue foliage the left) and the tall blooming aloe is A. ‘Erik the Red’.
Eucalyptus macrocarpa close up.
Aloe spectabilis × vaombe
Another Aloe ‘Moonglow’.
Looking back where we’ve been…
Now we’ve walked on to the strip of land between Gerhard’s and the neighbor’s driveways.
Aloe ‘Maui Gem’ (mawii × globuligemma)
Close-up
Hechtia roseana ‘Mr Freckles’
And now we’ve worked our way into the private front garden, behind the fence. Those tall guys with the mop-top do are Beaucarnea recurvata, supposedly not hardy in the area but they’ve been in the ground for 15 years (Gerhard planted them all from a single two gallon container).
Agave titanota ‘Black and Blue’.
A group shot, the tall yucca is Yucca queretaroensis and along the border (at the bottom) is a happy clump of Echeveria agavoides ‘Christmas’.
Agave nickelsiae
Gerhard has definitely taken the dive into dryland ferns, he had a few beauties in the garden. This one is Cheilanthes lanosa / Myriopteris lanosa.
Sophora prostrata, Gerhard bought this in Portland and it’s happily growing in Davis.
I believe this is Mangave ‘Kaleidoscope’ (?) nope, another M. ‘Pineapple Punch’, such different coloring than the one on more sun on the other side of the fence.
There’s that gorgeous ironwood from the other side, it’s such a great tree with interesting bark and shapely leaves. I coveted those rusty metal bowls something awful.
Parodia leninghausii, aka golden ball cactus… which by the way is perfectly situated so you can enjoy the backlighting from the dining room.
Okay, we’re in the final stretch… the back garden, Vriesea ‘Pink Magic’… (Gerhard successfully leaves a few bromeliads outdoors year round).
Oh, look at that! A very happy Pyrrosia lingua sandwiched in between two agaves, excellent!
Cyathea cooperi / Sphaeropteris cooperi
And behold the new back garden succulent beds, I followed Gerhard’s progress here (
shown shortly after planting in this post) but the reality is even better…
So many fabulous plants in a small area.
Aloe plicatilis / Kumara plicatilis looking amazing there on the right.
Agave mitis ‘Nova’
Now we’re looking at the back of the Aloe plicatilis and towards the greenhouse. I tried to get a good photo of Stella being cute but they were all blurry, do you see her there? What a sweet dog.
Here’s the bed behind the greenhouse.
Variegated Agave ovatifolia given pride of place at the top, with room to grow.
The greenhouse! It actually felt much more spacious than I was expecting. For the longest time Andrew and I have been talking about moving and I’ve been insisting that a dedicated greenhouse space was a necessity. That talk is on hold for now, but if we do move…
Just a few more plant close-ups, a variegated Mangave ‘Praying Hands’.
Agave polianthiflora ‘Mediopicta’
Seeing Gerhard’s garden again was definitely a highlight of the long-weekend adventure. He has such great plant taste and grows everything so well. Despite his comments otherwise he also has a unique style and creativity that pulls everything together so well. I hope it won’t be another 6 years until visit again! Closing out with another spectacular bloomer, Echinopsis ‘Nazca Giant’.
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