My balcony garden has been continually evolving. When I arrived in LA, I was fascinated by succulents and cacti and also wanted to grow herbs and vegetables. Vegetables didn't thrive (probably not enough sun on my east-facing balcony, with an overhang), so I wanted more flowers. Then I started to get to know the Southern California native plants and wanted to be surrounded by them. In trying to learn what it meant to grow "drought-tolerant' plants, I seem to have under-watered them, and sadly only a few of them survived in my garden.
Right now, I love the silver foliage of both native and non-native plants, and the contrast it creates with greens and dark burgandy-purples.
Cosmos, centaurea, and sage
fuzzy-leaved kalanchoe, from a cutting, dudleya, and aeonium, also from a cutting
This native, silvery-white dudleya may be my favorite plant right now
When I planted a cutting of Blue Chalk Sticks (right) one year ago, it was only about 5" tall. It is about 4 times as big now! These beautiful aeonium also grew from cuttings.
