Another tool in the toolkit - Lightbox

 Originally, this blog was a photo album..or a photo gallery..I had started snapping shots with my cell-phone camera to share with friends I no longer see on a daily basis, since I retired & relocated some 40 miles away. 

In short order, my cell was running out of storage space & I discovered Google Photos..free (1 GB) storage, instant access..& did I mention, FREE? Google Photos is great & does support the ability for a simple narrative, but not much control over layout or presentation.

As my collection grew, I also realized that what I needed was some sort of database, that could store information about different cultivars, and to document the stages that different trees displayed, as time went on & a way to display the chronology of their growth, over time.

A simple blog was the easy & obvious solution  & has served my purpose well. But, sometimes you don't want to wade through a narrative, loaded down with detail & simply see the visual  

screenshot

Try this now..click on any photo on any page; you should see something like this screenshot. In the center is the photo you clicked-on

Across the bottom of the screen are thumbnails of all of the photos on that page, in chronological order so you can easily see a visual record of changes over time. Click-on any photo to see full size.

So now, if you simply want to "cut to the chase" when viewing a page or article, or want to directly compare photos taken at different times & stages of development without reading the entire article, you know how to do so.

I particularly like this feature & use it almost every day.

Another Reclamation Project: Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) 'Brilliant'

Unpruned - as purchased

There's nothing I like better than the "50% off table"  at the nursery..that & the challenge of taking-on a reclamation project for a specimen that has been overlooked, ignored or  badly served.

I was, sort-of, considering an Azealea to replace the Azealea that I managed to kill, last year. I didn't know how finicky they can be, but then happened to see this "Franken-plant" with the orange splotch on it's pot.(signifies 50% Off).

Rosa sinensis is also called Tropical Hibiscus, Chinese Hibiscus or Chinese Rose; this particular cultivar "Brilliant" has bright red blooms(supposedly). 

This plant is an evergreen & blooms year round (if kept outdoors). It is not hardy. He can be kept as either a shrub or tree, according to how it is pruned.

As you can see from the photos, the lower half of the plant was obscured by a "helter-skelter" of unpruned foliage & was testament to how long this plant has been untended to the extent that there was no choice but to "clean house" & be ruthless with the shears.

1st Pruning - Feb. 4, 2026

Once I cleared away some of the overgrowth & opened up the trunk & pruned dead, near-dead & cross-branches, we can start to see what this tree looks like..

Now that I can see what I've got to work with, I need some time to evaluate & research what I might do with this specimen, & that's going to take some time..in the meantime...

Potted 3 cuttings from the Hibiscus & there will be more, as time goes on. 

(Photo/History: Hibiscus (rosa sinensis) 'Brilliant' live now; click-here or use Tree Inventory Menu to access)

Another California-Native Tree: Manzanita

Howard McMinn Manzanita

 I visited the nursery at the CBG(California Botanic            Garden) yesterday & brought home a new candidate for my    collection..a very young Manzanita..about 4"- 6" tall, a healthy, seemingly happy plant.

CBG is the largest botanic garden dedicated to California    native plants, promoting botany, conservation and                  horticulture to inspire, inform and educate the public and    scientific community about California's native flora. 

And the garden maintains a nursery, open to the public, making many of those same native plants available to the public.

This will be the 4th specimen in my collection acquired from CBG. 

Click-here to access the photo/history page or use the Tree Inventory list on the right-hand side of the page.

Having 2nd Thoughts..

Jan 2026

  I am having 2nd thoughts about the Kaleidoscope       (Abelia Grandiflora).After 8 months of feeding,        watering, pruning, re-potting & daily observation & attention paid to this specimen, I had an epiphany..in his current configuration, this plant is not a good candidate..I think I was "blinded" by the foliage, to a large degree & way too timid in my approach to styling this little tree.

BUT, the Kaleidoscope has proven himself to be a healthy, willing plant that handled root pruning/reduction & re-potting, as well as adjusting to his environment & mini-climate of the patio. So I took my trusty pruning shears in hand in an  attempt to reveal the tree that I know is hidden.

Like most commercially available plants, he is too"leggy"; I make that generalization based on my experience with specimens purchased from retail garden centers & nurseries. The growers are simply trying to produce sellable plants of a given size instead of taking the time to let nature take it's course.

Next step will be to eliminate cross-branching, redundant(over-lapping or encroaching) branches & any branches growing down or from the underside of main branches.

This is enough for now..I left a set of leaves or a bud on each remaining branch & one long "sacrificial" limb (on the right) with an adult set of leaves to help feed the plant until he regrows foliage on the pruned, shortened branches. The "sacrificial" branch, left in place for now, will help to increase the girth of the trunk & base & can be pruned or removed at a later date.

I really think I've improved this plant, if he lives & I feel fairly confident that he will..I didn't do anything that would put his life in danger.."hard" pruning? yes, but this guy has been pruned before & I've reduced the load on the roots by getting rid of so much foliage.

To see the complete history of this tree, click here or use the Tree Inventory list