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.

1st Bloom on Pomegranate

 this copy exerpted from the Photo/History page of Dwarf Pomegranate (Punica Granatum 'Nana')

I did not expect this! The Pomegranate has produced it's first flower, which I did not expect to see, this year. When I received this plant 4 months ago, he was little more than a cutting..or possibly an air-layered branch & I did not expect to see blooms &/or fruit this year.

However, a bloom does not guarantee fruit, which would be REALLY unexpected, we'll just have to wait & see if he produces more blooms or if this is an anomaly.

Considering that he was up-potted just a couple of weeks ago may partially explain why a bloom, but we'll have to give it a few more days & see if any more appear.. he continues to grow, well beyond my expectations. I don't know whether to credit good stock, a successful transition to our environment, the recent heat wave & consistent direct sunlight or feeding him with a high-nitrogen fertilizer for plants that are considered acid-loving feeders.

News from the Patio

It's been awhile since I posted any pictures of "Jerrys Patio", so thought today I would share some views for anyone interested.

I finally figured out some workspace where I can sit & work on individual specimens..this will also be the new 'potting station'.

Central to the workstation, you can see my new turntable, so I can rotate the plants as I am pruning..don't know why it took me so long to get a turntable, but I'm sure glad I have one now.

Since this is under the overhang of the upstairs apartment, it also makes a ready-made space for my "understory" trees..the Japanese Maples, Flowering Dogwood & any other trees that do not handle full sun well.

Looking West, this is shelving for "sun lovers", the only location on the patio that gets full sun throughout the day..the lower shelves house plants less hungry for full sun, cuttings & young, newly-potted specimens.

 

Looking South, the patio wall gets about 2 hours of sun in the morning & about the same in the afternoon..the rest  of the day, it is shaded by a mature Magnolia tree. I rotate trees between the shelving, wall & floor, according to whether they need more sun, less sun or protection from the afternoon wind.

This photo looks back towards the west & shows the boundaries of the patio..prox 13 X 13 (169 Sq. Ft.)  Small, by some standards, the patio houses & displays my entire collection of "little trees".

That's it for the "mini-tour". If you want to see how the patio looked a year ago, when I started the blog, use this link to see Jerry's Patio: September 2025

Red Bird Azalea (Rhododendron) "Red Bird" - UPDATE

 latest entry to Photo/History page for Red Bird Azalea; to see complete history of this plant, click on link or use the menu on the r-h side of every page

Aug 11, 2026

It's been an un-eventful summer for the Azalea..in fact, there has been nothing to talk about until I discovered some discolored leaves w/ brown/blue-black splotches..that discovery led me to taking a closer look & I discovered some whitish powder-like substance  on the underside of some of the discolored leaves. 

A quick Google search suggested that the brown spots were a fungal infection, possibly caused by the Azalea Lace bug. While the solution for eliminating these insects is pretty easy (spray off with water), the literature calls for the use of potassium bicarbonate to fend-off & heal damage that may have occurred.

Reading further, I discovered that although the Azalea can be considered an "under-story" tree, it is susceptible to fungal diseases if the location of the plant is exclusively in shadow, with little air circulation &, the nemesis of all container plants, overwatering.

Yesterday, I pruned every leaf with discoloration & buds that were encroaching on neighbors in such a way as to block the sun & have re-located him to get some direct sun & increased airflow. Going forward, my strategy will be close observation & finding a spot for him that suits this plants requirements.

Yes, azalea's are finicky & can be difficult to live with, but the rewards are great if you can persuade them to "go with the program'.

Goodbye Japanese Maple 1.0 - Welcome Japanese Maple 2.0

 this is exerpted from the last entry for Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) 'Monrovia 1.0 & the first entry for Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) 'Monrovia' 2.0

Throughout May-June, the Acer continued the up-down cycle of leafing-out & then leaf-loss, showing signs of recovery & then regressing. Pruning back seemed to stimulate new growth, but then the damaged roots were just not capable of sustaining the new growth. One side of the "V" seemed dominant, the taller branch & so I reduced the tree to a single trunk, eliminating the competition..it didn't help..

By July, it became obvious to me that he had been exhibiting this cycle over & over during the last year & that it would probably end with the tree slowly withering away, or staging periodic recoveries that failed. The situation called for drastic means & in the case of a deciduous tree, there is no more drastic remedy than to "chop" it. 

A "chop" is a measure of last resort, but is not the same as 'chopping it down'..yes, we're killing the old, diseased or damaged above-ground structure, but giving the roots a chance to recover & because of the miracle of plant regeneration, possibly, grow an entirely new tree.

Aug 1, 2026 

This specimen was saw-cut prox 6" above ground-level; the cut was treated with rooting powder, which helps protect the tree until it heals over. However, I did not expect the tree would survive. Imagine my surprise, a couple of days ago, when I discovered this: 

Whether this"last resort" will be successful, we'll have to wait a couple of years to judge, but for now, the tree survives, in a new incarnation, with our best wishes.

Aug 5, 2026

I am surprised at the speed of re-population & the appearance of foliage..the 'old' plant never generated leaves like these, this quickly.

Aug 7, 2026

The new foliage will soon hide the legacy trunk & at this rate, I think I'm going to have to start thinking about thinning it out. One of the problems with the previous incarnation was that it would initially produce foliage, but could not sustain it; my theory is that the damaged roots could not deliver enough nutrition to feed the foliage.

One of the justifications for "the chop" was to reduce height & span that the root system had to service. All we can do now is to continue to monitor the plant.

Just for Fun - Retrospect/EOL

 If we were counting, this would have been about 15 weeks into our 'Just for Fun' series of articles about an experiment to show 'proof of concept' for the contention that one can successfully grow tomatoes in a container, in limited space (like a patio), without trellises or staking.. & we threw-in a chili pepper plant, just for fun.

Since we wanted to grow full-size tomatoes, not cherry tomatoes, we chose a dwarf tomato named Snakebite. In order to make it more interesting, we decided to grow this demonstration crop in 1 gal. containers. This photo shows the tomatoes, easily taking-up no more than 12" in front of a shelving unit & still allowing for easy access for a person to pass by.

By limiting container size, I hoped to restrict overall height & width, yet provide adequate water/nutrients for the plants. Another consideration was that these plants need to be able to take care of themselves most of the time, allowing for folks that need to go to an office job or away from home, so 1 watering/day except during exceptionally severe (hot)weather.

And, as this photo shows, we did grow tomatoes..but not enough of them. The seed company says that the unseasonable hot spell shut-down the plants, but that they will resume production as soon as the weather cools..we'll see.

The Hatch chili peppers have also produced limited quantities, but what they have produced is good quality, just not as large as commercially grown Hatch's. Is this due to the container sizes or did the "hot spell" slow down the chili's? My opinion is neither of those factors was the contributor, but that they were simply started later that they probably ought to be started..I will propagate chili's heretofore in Jan, rather than March. 

I will continue experimenting with tomato/chili cultivars to find those that fit our criteria for growth in small containers, moderate water requirements & produce good taste & size fruit, but this will be the last installment of our series. I will report on this small diversion from my tree collection, but not on a weekly or regular basis. Happy Gardening!

Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) 'Brilliant' - UPDATE

 excerpt from Hibiscus (Rosa sinensis) Photo/History where you can access the full history of this plant.

Potted the Hibiscus today,in what I hope will be his semi-permanent home, going forward. This marks the 6th repot this year, including root pruning for this specimen. I am very pleased with how root reduction has progressed, for this plant; the gnarly, woody, tangled mass of old root structure is 80% gone, replaced with new, white, feeder-roots, well distributed around the perimeter.

Now it's time to grow a new canopy & time for me to see what I can do with it. The Hibiscus has taken everything I've thrown at it & come back, seemingly, unfazed & ready for more. He readily started back-budding, as you can see from the photos, after the "chop"..I have been pruning the new growth until I see where he's going & to encourage more back-budding & foliage over letting shoots become too long & leggy.

I've chosen 3 shoots which could become the major lower branches & seem to follow the contours of the older branches that have been removed. It will tax my beginner skills to choose what stays & what goes, but part of the learning curve, I guess.

But for right now, this specimen deserves some time to acclimate to his new home & resume his long, strange trip.

Desert Rose (Adenium Obesum) - UPDATE

 excerpt from latest entry to the Desert Rose Photo/History or access the full history of this plant from the menu on every page. 

July 30, 2026

1st bloom opened today..he has multiple buds, so I expect we will see more over the next few days.

I've never seen one in bloom before & I understand more now why people talk about this plant & regard it so highly. I posted one of the photos (above) to a bulletin board (do they still call them that?) that I frequent & an individual from New Zealand commented that he still remembered seeing his first Desert Rose 35 years ago & never forgot it.

I will post more photos as the blooms progress, over the next few days, I expect. I'm not sure I've ever seen such a vibrant red...

     

2nd bloom: Aug 5, 2026

                      

Fremont Cottonwood (Populis Fremontii) - UPDATE

 this excerpt taken from most recent entry on the Fremont Cottonwood Photo/History page.

Sometimes it's the most basic things that matter..I've had 'the Fremont' for almost 18 months & his development has not been particularly noteworthy. About the time of the last update,in June, looking for a place to get him out of the wind, I found a spot that seems to agree with him.

This photo was taken today after I pruned the 'leggy' shoots & evened-out the two sides, as best I could. In his new spot, he gets morning-sun instead of afternoon & has protection from the hot, dry W winds we get every afternoon, this time of year.

I'm feeling really positive about this little tree, right now & if he starts showing us growth similar to the past month, all the better. 

Dwarf Pomegranate (Punica Granatum 'Nana') - UPDATE

 excerpt from Photo/History page for Dwarf Pomegranate Click-0n to see full history of this tree.

July 2026

Repotted him into a full-size tray (6.5" X 8.5") as he was outgrowing the smaller container. He was not completely root-bound, but root ball/potting mix lifted out in 1-piece..I did no root pruning, but transferred directly to the new tray, backfill & done.

I have been pruning his foliage every couple of days, or at least the "leggy" shoots that rise above the perimeter of the main canopy or extend beyond the edge of the container. The backside of the canopy is now 'rounding' as it fills out, as the goal is to compensate for the majority of the foliage being situated on the front-side of the tree.   

I have been feeding him on liquid seaweed & a high-nitrogen fertilizer, specifically for acid-loving plants like azealea, Flowering Dogwood & the Pomengranate..it seems to agree with him.

'a Rose by any other name..'

 experpted from Desert Rose Photo/History page

  

Our Desert Rose has had an uneventful year, compared to last year when he was re-potted multiple times, endured a chemical spill & root reduction surgery, so this year, he has been very quiet & gone about his business without much fanfare. So, you can imagine the surprise when I watered him yesterday & discovered that he is about to bloom!

I am told, that it is somewhat unusual & rare for this plant to bloom 'in captivity'. So far, I can see 2 blossoms & possibly a 3rd. I'll keep this page up to date on his progress & am looking forward to seeing him in full bloom.

Koala Blooms Banksia (Banksia spinulosa 'Schnapper Point') - UPDATE

exerpt from Banksia (Schnapper Point) Photo/History page, where you can access the full history of this plant

The Banksia, 30 days later, is doing fine & is apparently happy with his "new home" & the potting mix, water & food. I've found that if new plants can quickly adjust to new surroundings, they will be able to handle almost anything you throw at them "down the road". Not only is he adjusting, he's putting out what I'm assuming will become what passes for flowers for this cultivar.

According to the literature , this little tree will produce "blooms" in (our)Late summer through (our) Fall-Winter..coming from the southern hemisphere, his seasons are reversed. Below is a photo of the "flowers" the Banksia produces.

courtesy San Marcos Growers

 

                          

Pittosporum (Wheeler's Dwarf) - UPDATE

 exerpt from Photo/History page for Pittosporum (Japanese Wheeler's Dwarf); click to see growth,  development & life-cycle of this specimen.

Apparently, the re-pot did the trick..the Pittosporum has responded by sprouting & growing a whole new canopy, on top of the old leaves.

I remembered that he did the same thing just about a year ago, when the tree had fewer, smaller brachts (sets of leaves).

This must be something that this cultivar is meant to do annually. 

July 2026

July 2026

Just for Fun - Wk 12

note: no report on wk's 10-11; sometimes life gets in the way..

Dwarf Tomatoes

When I started this project, the criteria were to grow & demonstrate that an apartment dweller with minimal space could keep a tomato plant that would bear full-size fruit throughout the growing season or a Chili Pepper plant or possibly, both. I am particularly impressed with the tomato cultivar chosen..seed to fruit production in 8-9 weeks..free-standing (no staking) & can be grown in small containers. (the tomatoes shown here in cut-down 1/2 gal. plastic nursery pots). All of those criteria are currently being met..the only questions being "how long will the plants produce?" & "how do they taste?".

The older of 2 plants, has 4 nice looking tomatoes ripening on the vine, while the slightly younger bush has smaller fruits, but is flowering  & is catching-up with plant #1.

How do they taste? Don't know yet, as they are still green & I want them to ripen to a nice red, which a couple of the larger tomatoes are starting to show.

Can't wait for that 1st bite into a fresh, red-ripe, juicy tomato, grown on my patio!

NM Hatch Chili Peppers

The Chili's, likewise, have long, dark green peppers appearing almost daily & many, many buds. The photo shows 2 plants, one planted in a 4" square, the other is  in a 1/2 gal. cut-down pot, like the tomato plants.

The interesting thing is that the chili in the larger pot has only 1 pepper, however the 4" container has 2..it will be interesting to see if the larger potted plant will produce more or less, over the long run.

The peppers on all 3 plants measure prox. 6" so far. I have harvested 1 pepper from the older plant & they are ok to eat..I seared the skin, skinned & split open, cleaned out the seeds & diced the chili..they have not developed any real "heat"yet, but you can taste a little hint of what is to come.

Both the tomatoes & chilis have been fed a generic, all-purpose(low nitrogen) fertilizer on a daily basis. I happen to be one of those that prefers micro-feeding to a once-a-week application. I simply divide the recommended weekly dosage by 7 (days in 1 wk) & add it to their daily water.

I still have 1 extra tomato & 2 pepper plants that I'd like to give away.

Manzanita - UPDATE

The Manzanita has adjusted well to its new container and continues to develop, including the signature peeling red bark on the trunk and branches. It is shaping up to be a visually striking specimen.

However, I am currently navigating conflicting guidance regarding summer care. The Arctostaphylos species is reported to go semi-dormant in the summer as a survival mechanism for its native arid, desert-like habitats. Conventional advice cautions against feeding or watering during these months, though it remains unclear if this strict protocol is intended for established, in-ground trees or if it also applies to young specimens in container culture.

I am currently soliciting feedback from other growers regarding their experiences with this species in captivity and will update my methodology accordingly once I have more information.

For the complete photo history, technical background, and tracking of this tree’s development, please visit the full entry here: Howard McMinn Manzanita (Arctostaphylos Densiflora)

Star Jasmine - UPDATE

June is almost over, but 'the Star' is still in full-bloom, although, I can see some of the blossoms are getting tired & droopy. I don't anticipate a 3rd bloom, but I am more than a little surprised at the vitality this little tree has shown..especially after being nearly dormant for almost a year.

Everyone talks about "the heat" out here in the Inland Empire, but the heat & low-humidity are not really a problem for this guy..the main "plant killer", for me, is the wind..a very predictable West & SW wind that blows like stink, every afternoon.

I have watched as the wind whips & gusts hit the Star Jasmine & he bends nearly in half & then springs right back afterwards, without so much as a hair out of place.

To anyone, wanting a low-maitenance, hardy, tough little tree, bush or hedge, I can recommend the Star Jasmine.

Just for Fun - Wk 9

 NM Hatch Chilis

Up until now, the chilis have been growing in 4" pots, except for the single plant that was started a couple of weeks ahead of the set of 4, propagated at the same time. Concerned that perhaps their production was being retarded by the smaller pots, I transplanted one of the plants, as a test..so far, that plant has done nothing.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this pepper growing on one of the plants still in 4" containers.

Then I checked the older plants & saw this one..my conclusion? If I want to maximize production, the larger pots will allow for more fruit, but if I didn't want to transplant, but keep the chilis in the smaller pots, they will still produce. Now I've got 2 plants in larger pots, while 2 remain in 4"..I want to watch how they do for a couple of weeks before a final decision &/or before I give the younger plants away.

Dwarf Tomatoes

Nothing to report for this week..no significant change from last week. Hopefully the barren plant will have small fruit by next week..flowering now.

Fremont Cottonwood - UPDATE

'the Fremont' was a little slow coming into spring/summer, but has perked-up, after a short hot-weather preview we had a few days ago.

I think this little tree is going to "take-off" this summer & show some growth. It seems like he has started to figure out foliage, but I am more concerned with the trunk & branches..and I thought he would be developing the nebari (base of the tree) by this time.

While slow-growing, he appears healthy & relatively happy in his current surroundings, although he has been in this training tray since last fall. It may be time to repot with fresh  potting mix & take a look a root development.

This excerpt from the Fremont Cottonwood Photos/History page where you can access the full history  of this tree

 

 

Flowering Dogwood - UPDATE

It worked! A week of "hanging out" with 2 Japanese Maple seedlings & our Flowering Dogwood is perky, looking healthy & putting out new growth.

 Like the Acer's, he doesn't want too much exposure to direct sun, seems to get along better with partial sun..really likes "dappled shade" & shows it.

I expect to see some real growth now that we've figured out just how the Dogwood likes to be treated. The question now is how he will handle the heat, this summer             

Just for Fun - Wk 8

Dwarf Tomatoes

As you can see from this photo, we have "fruit on the vine".. This last week & in particular, the last few days, we had our first real taste of summer..sun all day..temps in the 90's..

8 weeks from germination to fruit, almost to the day..I am really pleased with these tomatoes..free-standing, not 'bushy', they aren't trying to take over the patio & require a minimum of attention..water them when they're thirsty and prune the lower branches as they wilt..they don't contribute to fruit production & by pruning them, you reduce the overall water demand of the plant. 

NM Hatch Chilis

It looks like the Chili's have been growing for a couple days, at least, before I discovered them..the plant is still flowering, so I expect by next week, we will have many more.

Here in California, people wait months for the 'Hatch harvest' & the first of the Chili's from New Mexico. Fans of this Chile swear there is none other like it. I purposefully ordered the seeds these plants are grown from, directly from a NM source.

They will not exactly duplicate Chili's grown in NM..we don't have the same growing conditions..but they are bona fide Hatch Chilis.

I'm anxious now to see what they look like next week.