Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - UPDATE

 excerpt from latest entry to the Photo/History page for Creeping Fig (click to see)

It's hard to see in photos, but our Creeping Fig is looking healthier & happier. The color of his bark, the depth of color of his leaves, particularly new foliage.

I have done almost no pruning this summer, preferring to let the plant show me where he wants go go, now that he's stripped-down to his "fighting weight".

It took a few weeks to see, but now you can see how he's forming a canopy, following the natural curve of his trunk, branches are beginning to line-up in a row, repopulating this little tree from the top down.

Still haven't determined a front side/backside, but again, I'm going to leave it up to him to make the choice. 

This specimen started as a "reclamation project" & now is becoming a full-fledged member in our collection.

Projects don't always work out, but I can't complain about this one.

The plan for this tree now is to continue to observe & intervene only as required. I don't expect him to grow much bigger, although once he has regrown a full canopy, he should "fatten-up" starting at the base. He has the potential for developing a nebari but it is still pretty early in the game to worry about that.

Welcome Meyer Lemon to the Patio

exerpt from the Photo/History page for the Meyer Lemon;

 Please welcome a new addition to the collection, a Meyer Lemon (Citrus x Lemon x 'Meyer').The Meyer lemon is sweeter than other lemons with only a slight tartness, and is said to taste a bit like a tangerine, or a navel orange. It is often used to season fish and seafood.

Aug 2026

 Meyer lemon is a small, broadleaf, evergreen, flowering, woody tree in the Rutaceae (citrus) family. It is most commonly grown as an ornamental, though the fruits are edible. Native to China and introduced into the United States by Frank Meyer in the early 1900s, it is a cross between a citron and a mandarin-pomelo hybrid, distinct from the common or bitter lemon.

This specimen was grown from a cutting & took a little over a year to reach this size. Plants grown from cuttings will exactly reproduce the parent plant,

This plant prefers full sun to partial shade and consistently moist, well-drained soil. It prefers drying out and then receiving a   watering. 

The best performance and fruit production occur in full sun. Fertilize only while growing, spring to fall, and reduce watering during winter months. Prune branches to improve airflow and maintain a smaller size. Fruit clusters can also be pruned to one or two fruits to produce larger, healthier fruit.

Pruning plays a very important role in growing the most successful tree; this keeps the plant in shape and avoids unnecessary overcrowding plants to leave room for the lemons. It allows the plant to receive the proper airflow, which enhances the plant to grow strong and well while also preventing the plant from any potential diseases. 

My Magic Water-Wand

 reprinted from October 2025; from the Archives

My Magic Water-Wand...

 If you consult almost any authority on the basics of growing plants, almost the first thing they will tell you is that "over-watering/under-watering is the No. 1 cause of failure" Most plants, I find are remarkably resilient & can tolerate poor soil, poor water, too much/little shade/sun, but unless they are plants that evolved in the desert, they need water to survive.

I tend to overwater..so when I discovered that cheap, accurate hygrometers are available on Amazon, I didn't hesitate..now that I've used a hygrometer, I wouldn't be without it. Much as a meat thermometer is to a  gourmet cook, the hygrometer is to a container gardener. I call it my Magic Water Wand, the wand reaching down nearly 7"; that means that instead of measuring the water content of the first inch or so, my magic wand reaches down into the root ball to tell me whether it's wet or dry.

Why is this important? Recently, I acquired a new plant from one of the major Home & Garden Supply co.'s, & as is my routine, gave him a good drink of water as soon as we got home. But the water seemed to run right through the plant & a while later, when I was watering my other trees, I checked the new plant & got a DRY reading?? I took multiple readings at various depths & discovered that while the very top & the very bottom of the plant were moist, the middle 3-4 inches were bone-dry.

The middle is where the rootball lives..and the rootball IS the plant..so this led to the whole ordeal (for the plant, not me) of de-potting, root-comb-out & prune & re-potting, as documented in the Blue Point Juniper Photo Album 

Since I started using the hygrometer, I have not lost a plant to overwatering..because my plants are being properly watered, skipping a day does no harm & because my plants are properly hydrated, they are happy & that makes me happy.

Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) 'Monrovia' - 2.0 -UPDATE

 below exerpt from most recent entry to the Photo/History for Monrovia 2.0. Click on link to access or use the menu on the r-hand side of every page.

In spite of the heat wave, Monrovia 2.0 is continuing to develop..foliage color & leaf size, and I'm wondering if he will take on fall colors, this year. 

I am still amazed at the technique of basically "chopping-down" a tree, in order to save it. However, I have not de-potted yet to take a look at the roots & see if his rejuvenation extended to the root system. I pruned the roots on Monrovia 1.0 a couple of times, trying to cure whatever it was that ailed him, but that seemed to have little effect.

My plan for this specimen now is to watch & learn. At the very least, this plant can teach us about resilience..so far, the gamble is paying off.

Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata) - UPDATE

 Excerpt from the latest entry to Photos/History page for Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata) 

This summer has been uneventful for the Dragon Tree, until...me! I tripped & fell against the plant stand, knocking the Dragon off & of course, shattering his ceramic pot that was supposed to be his "forever home" when I potted him in July '25.

Luckily, I had a spare & here he is, Re-potted & "back to work". I could have taken the opportunity to do some root pruning , but the root ball was intact, I could see no obvious need to cause any further trauma to this plant.

He fit into this low-cut tray easily & I planted him "proud" to show-off his base & lower-trunk. He has
shown good growth this year..enough that I could tell the difference when I re-potted him.