(excerpt from Photo/History: Madagascar Dragon Tree (Dracaena Marginata)
Mar 9, 2026
I've been thinking about propagating this plant for some time, but hadn't a clue about how to go about it..recently, I've had some success with succulent cuttings, taken from a friends yard (see current logo background pic) & the Dracaena is, after all, a succulent & so I chose a "stalk" & pruned it & potted the cutting..now it's "wait & see" if it takes or whether I've ruined one of my better specimens
About an hour or so later, I began to experience itching on the back of both hands..the itching grew more severe & was accompanied with severe inflammation. As I was washing & treating both hands (soap/warm water & 1% Hydrocortisone cream) I remember reading somethings about Dracaena being toxic to cats & dogs..sure enough, this is what I found:
The sap of the Dracaena marginata contains saponins and calcium oxalate crystals, making it toxic to both humans and pets.
In Pets: Ingestion can cause vomiting (sometimes with blood), diarrhea, drooling, and dilated pupils in cats.
In Humans: Contact with the sap can cause skin irritation or swelling of the mouth and throat if ingested. It is recommended to wear gloves when pruning and to keep the plant out of reach of children and animals
If you have plant allergies (such as I have had my entire life), take note when working with these plants.
Today I declared EOL(end of life) for this specimen; complete photo/history below
It typically grows 50-100 ft.; lifespan is 80-90 years. The cones are serotinuous, meaning that they remain closed until they are opened by the heat of a forest fire; seed are then discharged to regenerate on the burned-over forest floor.
Acquired: Aug, 2025 - $8.00
This tree was acquired, along with a Mexican Weeping Pine, directly from the breeder, located in northern California. Ordered via the internet, delivered via USPS in a cardboard tube, it was identified as a "seedling" even though it was 30-33 inches tall. The roots were protected by a sheer mesh "sock" that contained some of the soil mix that the tree was grown-in & a plastlc bag that also served to preserve whatever moisture the root "plug" contained.
I put the seedling in a jar of water & let him soak overnight, before I potted him & crossed my fingers. Since then, I have purposely let the plant alone & he has rewarded my patience by growing 2-3 inches & is starting to develop "candles".
I think that the next step for this plant is some kind of effort toward height reduction & from the research I've done on pines, candles are the key to this. I will continue my research on the subject, looking towards mid-winter before I take any further action.
Dec 18, 2025
The Monterey Pine has continued to grow & I finally decided that I had to do something to control the height. Some sources advise against pruning ANY young pine, while others say "no big deal'... I have decided to join the "no big deal" folks.
My understanding is that candles are the key to controlling both branch length, as well as height..that by pruning or removing candles on the growing tip, one not merely is controlling upward growth, but re-directing the energy of the plant downward, making for a thicker trunk & increased branch length.
Feb 20, 2026
I don't know how I let this much time pass before I noticed that this tree was not doing well..I have to admit that the Monterey Pine is not the sexiest specimen on the patio, but I should have noticed the browning needles sooner.
After another week's worth of rain, this tree, like all of the trees on the patio, is super-saturated & will need to dry out for a day or two before I can start to diagnose what is wrong.
Feb 21 De-potted & took a look at the roots..it seems like the lowest-most roots are "greasy" looking & are black, not tan or white, so I'd say that's probably where the problem lies..I pruned the worst offenders & re-potted in fresh soil..now all we can do is wait & see if he recovers.
Feb 25
Re-potting has not made any appreciable difference so far..I am really kicking myself for not noticing his deterioration sooner when I might have been able to make a difference, but I think it is too late..at this point, I don't think he's going to make it..the reference information I've been able to find on the subject (not much) advises not feeding during this crisis, but I don't think I've got a choice now, I have to try SOMETHING,so I am going to give him a shot of fertilizer in hopes that I can turn this around.
Feb 28
EOL:
excerpt from Coprosma Photo/History page
Feb 2026
Decided he was worthy & due for a permanent home other than the plastic training tray he has been in for the last year. I had purchased this tray specifically for the Coprosma, because the ceramic body color matches the mature foliage & seems to be complimentary, I think.
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| chew marks - bark stripped |
The Channel Island Barberry now has a Photo/History page accessible via this link:
Channel Island Barberry (Berberis pinnata ssp. insularis )
It's raining (again) but no wind..in fact, it feels more like a spring rain than the winter storm that's been forecast for the last several days..but, we'll have to wait & see how it develops. Meanwhile, all of my trees are huddled-up, under cover & cozy, for the moment.
And looking at the Japanese Maple, I was pleased to see that it has also produced the first new leaf of the season, in addition to dozens of buds.
Checking further, I was gobsmacked to see back-budding has begun on the Creeping Fig although it is only 36 hrs. or so since being hard pruned. Additionally, the Pacific Crabapple has finally awakened from his winter "snooze" & threw a bud, this morning So, in spite of what may become the worst storm of the season, it feels like Spring on the Patio.
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.
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| 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
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.
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| Unpruned - as purchased |
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| 1st Pruning - Feb. 4, 2026 |
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| Howard McMinn Manzanita |
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.
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| Jan 2026 |
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.
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.
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.
Now, over a week since I used the 3% Peroxide, it seems like the browning has not progressed or, at least, not getting any worse. It is hard to see (apologize for the crappy pic), but it looks like there are some bright green needles, indicating new growth, starting to appear on a few inner branches. This might be wishful-thinking on my part, but only time will tell. I don't expect the plant to fully recover..the tip browning is irrevocable..those needles are dead, but if I can see new growth, it may signal that the roots are again starting to deliver nutrition to the plant. 
This is a "mid-winter" update for the Bougainvillea found on the last-chance table at a local Garden Center. Our "bougie" continues to add foliage & restore broken branches, while adjusting to life in a training pot & apparently, loving it.
Click here to see the complete photo/history & the newest update for this little tree.
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| Euphorbia |
It also keeps fresh potting soil from floating when watered & splashing-up on your plants.
Wood chips can also be used as a mulch or top dressing..pine bark, in particular, is often used in northern climes to provide some level of insulation against colder weather & protection from snow; bark or chips that are high in tannin content are sometimes used for plants that prefer ericaceous or acid-loving soil mix.
So, what kind of moss should I use, where/how do I find it & what does it cost? Those 3 questions are what this article is all about.
What kind? The commonest recommendation that I found was for sphagnum moss, readily available as a dried product that must be reconstituted, which I found to be a pain-in-the-ass. Soaking, squeezing, too wet, not soaked long enough & when I put it on the plant, it looks like a bunch of straw someone might use to protect their veg patch against a late spring frost.
The latest sphagnum iteration I've run across is "preserved sphagnum", which to me looks like "Astroturf" (if anybody out there is old enough to know the reference)..much like using artificial turf on your front yard.
Someone told me, "just scrape some off of a tree".. I live in USDA 10..our trees don't have moss..this is a semi-arid environment. So, it might make sense to see what the local nursery's sell and the closest to what I'm looking for was Irish Moss.
(to be continued)
Leyland Cypress, often referred to simply as leylandii, is a fast-growing coniferous evergreen tree, that can grow 3 - 5 ft./yr. It is a cross between the Monterey Cypress & Nootka Cypress; usually sterile, it is most often reproduced from cuttings, according to the literature.
Leylandii are one of those trees sold around the holidays as "living Christmas trees" and as such have a bad reputation. However, they are commonly marked-down 50% or more, making them attractive to hobbyists, such as myself, which is exactly why I acquired this little tree.
Acquired: Jan 2026; major Home & Garden center; Cost:$6.50
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| Unpruned |
These trees will tolerate full-sun to partial shade, given well-drained soil & proper watering. They like damp conditions, but not "wet feet", which can lead to problems with root rot.
I had not intended to prune the leylandii this hard, but as the trunk & branches appeared out from under the shubbery, it was hard to stop. So, I went ahead & potted him in a training pot; I did some minor pruning to the roots (this cultivar known for shallow roots) & removed the tap-root.
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| Pruned & Potted |
Now, over a week since I used the 3% Peroxide, it seems like the browning has not progressed or, at least, not getting any worse. It is hard to see (apologize for the crappy pic), but it looks like there are some bright green needles, indicating new growth, starting to appear on a few inner branches. This might be wishful-thinking on my part, but only time will tell. I don't expect the plant to fully recover..the tip browning is irrevocable..those needles are dead, but if I can see new growth, it may signal that the roots are again starting to deliver nutrition to the plant. Up until yesterday, I had not watered anybody since Dec. 23, last year. The record-setting rain that we got over the Xmas/New Year's holiday was almost 70-some percent of the annual average for so. California. And even though I had moved most of the plants "under-story", everything and everybody was soaked by the time it finally stopped, last week.
I did some watering yesterday & this morning, watered & fed every individual in the collection. Actually, I'm a little surprised that all of the trees, cuttings included, came through the storms OK.
