Growing up in the fifties through the seventies, my experience with roses was of the cultivated variety. Famously large delicate blooms...

Franciscan wallflower or San Francisco wallflower (Erysimum franciscanum), a rare and endemic plant to California, can be seen growing in...

​​Soaproot: A Multi-use Marvel (Chlorogalum pomeridianum) It’s a cold and rainy November afternoon and winter is tugging at my too-thin...

As far back as 1775 and likely much earlier, yerba buena, a California native herb was thriving on the San Francisco peninsula. It was...

Columbine (Aquilegia Formosa): A Flower of Meanings Plant lore associates the columbine with at least as many meanings as the petals on...

California is widely known as the home to some of the largest trees in the world. Among them is the native California redwood (Sequoia...

For the last two seasons, I’ve noticed a pretty green hummingbird; I’ll call him Al (the Allen hummingbird is a common species in...

During recent walks atop Mt. Sutro, I found a fair amount of native Cow Parsnip (Heracleum maximum, syn. H. lanatum). With its large...

Lately, it’s hard not to notice shrubs with bright red berries blooming just about everywhere in the City. But look more closely as only...

San Francisco is a city of sand. When I arrived here over 35 years ago my first garden was in a flat in the Sunset District. I recall...

Summer in San Francisco is in full swing. While the sun shines and the fog rolls in, there’s no better time to take a walk up on Mt....

All seasons must reach their zenith, and spring is no exception. To prove it, I was sitting chewing on a pencil in the Sutro Stewards’...

Since early January, I had been watching this cute little vine weave its tendrils around plants on Mt. Sutro, sometimes overwhelming...

While our welcome winter rains are forecast into March and April, my internal body clock is asking, "Is it spring yet?" From the look of...

While most flowering natives are bedding down for the winter, a little drama can be found in the landscape on Mt. Sutro, some of it on...

Winter is here in the Bay Area, but some natives are already looking forward to the clear yet milder weather that spring will bring. One...

Sticky monkey flower (Mimulus aurantiacus) is a beautiful drought tolerant plant. The name “monkey flower” was given to this plant...

Tellima grandiflora, commonly known as fringecup or big flower tellima, is a fragrant flowering plant native to California but can be...