MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The Huntington
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! March 2024. With over 130 acres, sixteen themed gardens and 83,000 living plants there are many...
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November 2024
My Life with Plants TWO
Jan 1
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Plantas de Patagonia
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2024. In December, Scott Borden, eight friends and I visited Patagonia on a Natural Habitat...
Nov 1, 2023
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Bristlecones Take Your Breath Away
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! November 2023. Since my column is called "My Life with Plants," it seems only fitting that I have...
Aug 31, 2023
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Northern England Gardens
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! September 2023. Northern England Gardens I'm not exactly sure when Scott or I last toured English...
Jun 30, 2023
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Charming Calochortus
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! July 2023. I'm not exactly sure when I first became aware of Calochortus. Calochortus weedii - July...
Apr 30, 2023
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The California Channel Islands
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2023. Edited by Scott Borden. We were originally scheduled to visit the California Channel...
Mar 1, 2023
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Anza-Borrego Early Flower Show
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! March 2023. Closeup of Sand Verbena, Abronia villosa. Visit to June Wash After hearing and seeing...
Jan 1, 2023
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Castle Hot Springs
By Jim Bishop for Let's Talk Plants! January 2023. Getting There This past October, on our return from a bicycling trip in Carolinas'...
Nov 1, 2022
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS - Carolina Color Fall Foliage
By Jim Bishop for Let's Talk Plants! November 2022. This past October, Scott and I headed to the Carolinas' Blue Ridge Mountains to see...
Aug 31, 2022
MY LIFE IN PLANTS: Sea Ranch
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! September 2022. This past August (2022) we had the opportunity to borrow a home belonging to a...
Jun 30, 2022
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The Ruin Garden at Chanticleer
By Jim Bishop, for Let’s Talk Plants! July 2022. This spring Scott and I visited gardens near Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, New Jersey...
Apr 30, 2022
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS - Portuguese Wildflowers
By Jim Bishop, for Let’s Talk Plants! May 2022. In mid-April, Scott and I traveled to Portugal for a bike tour. Getting older, we opted...
Mar 1, 2022
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Makin' More Mosaics
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! March 2022. Back in February 2018 and April 2018 I wrote two articles for the newsletter about...
Jan 1, 2022
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Yahoo, Oahu
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2022. Oahu A Variegated Pandanus utilis, AKA Screw pine, overlooking Turtle Bay on the...
Oct 31, 2021
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: California Dates
By Jim Bishop for Let's Talk Plants! November 2021. In a previous article in 2018, Road to Marrakech, I told the story of how dates are...
Aug 31, 2021
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: UC Santa Cruz Arboretum
By Jim Bishop for Let's Talk Plants! September 2021. This past April, I was fortunate to do a long-awaited return visit to the UC Santa...
Jul 1, 2021
MY LIFE IN PLANTS: California Adventure Part 5
California Adventure Part Five - I can hear you say, "What happened to parts one through four?" Well, I'll tell you what happened ... In...
Apr 30, 2021
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Costa Rica Riches - Talari Mountain Lodge
By Jim Bishop. This is a continuation of our trip to Costa Rica in November 2019. Read about the beginning of the trip here. Read about...
Mar 1, 2021
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Home Alone 2020
One good thing that happened in 2020 was that I turned 65, which qualified me for the vaccine when it became available. I’m happy to report
Nov 1, 2020
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Costa Rica Riches - Las Cruces Botanical Station
After several days in around San José we boarded small planes and flew to the Pacific side of Costa Rica to Golfito, near the Panama border.
Aug 14, 2020
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Costa Rican Riches - Around San José
Our trip started in the capital city, San José. From there we did several day long trips. On a walking tour of San José we found that unlike
Jun 30, 2020
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Chocolate Cake and a Vase of Yarrow
Well, I’ve made it to 65. The original plan was to be at Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierras and sit atop the rock where the famous ph
Apr 30, 2020
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Malvern Spring Festival & Chelsea Garden Show 2019
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Chelsea Garden Show has been cancelled. How tired we all are of reading those words about our favori
Mar 1, 2020
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Machu Picchu
As I mentioned in my January article, this past September I joined a plant expedition tour to Peru. It was a different type of tour for me.
Jan 1, 2020
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Peruvian Puya Pursuit.
This past September I joined a plant expedition tour to Peru. It was a different type of tour for me. The focus was mostly on seeing cacti
Oct 1, 2019
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Powis Castle Garden
This past May I attended the Pacific Horticulture tour of Wales. It featured many gardens, towns, historical sites and two garden shows tha
Aug 23, 2019
Adelaide, Australia
My Life with Plants This is part five of a series about a Sept 2016 trip to view the wildflowers and scenery of Australia. From Stirling...
Jul 31, 2019
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Off to Keukenhof
By Jim Bishop. This May, Scott and I finally decided it was time to visit the tulip fields at Keukenhof in the Netherlands – described as...
May 31, 2019
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Borrego Bonanza, Part II
By Jim Bishop. We made a visit to Borrego in February and another in March to check out this year’s super-bloom. Part I, which appeared...
Mar 31, 2019
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Borrego Bonanza, Part I
By Jim Bishop. As I’m sure you’ve heard this year’s bloom in the Anza Borrego Desert is spectacular. Who knew after the ‘super bloom’ in...
Feb 1, 2019
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Kasbah Tamadot, Morocco
By Jim Bishop. In my previous article I wrote about the agriculture in Morocco as we had observed it on a trip there last November....
Dec 1, 2018
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The Road to Marrakech
By Jim Bishop. Last month we traveled with a group of friends to tour Morocco. It had been on our travel wish list for a while. Morocco...
Sep 30, 2018
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Wyoming's Wonderful Wildflowers
By Jim Bishop. In July, Scott and I visited western South Dakota and Wyoming. We were in search of alpine wildflowers in the mountains to...
Jul 31, 2018
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Crete's Unusual Plants and Wildflowers
By Jim Bishop. This is the second of a series about Jim's three-week wildflower tour of Greece and Crete. You can read the first article...
Jun 1, 2018
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The Other Grecian Formula
This is the first of a series about Jim's three-week tour of Greece and Crete. By Jim Bishop. This past March, I was able to join a tour...
Mar 31, 2018
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Makin' Mosaics: Part II
By Jim Bishop. This is the second of a two-part series about Jim's evolving interest and skills in making garden mosaic pavings. Part I...
Feb 1, 2018
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Makin’ Mosaics: Part I
By Jim Bishop. This is the first of a two-part series about Jim's evolving interest and skills in making garden mosaic pavings. I’m not...
Dec 1, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Jardin Exotique d'Èze
By Jim Bishop. I first became aware of the Jardin Exotique from the 1990s TV show Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, hosted by Robin...
Oct 1, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Lan Su Garden in Portland Oregon
By Jim Bishop. In May of this year, I was fortunate to be able to attend the Pacific Horticulture Society tour of the gardens in the...
Jul 31, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Climbing Cuyamaca: Part 2
By Jim Bishop. This is the second of two articles about the recovery and revival of plant life at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park following...
Jul 1, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Climbing Cuyamaca: Part 1
By: Jim Bishop. This is the first of two articles about the recovery and revival of plant life at Cuyamaca Rancho State Park following...
Mar 1, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Strine Outback Bush Walk – Part 4
Trek through the Tingle Trees By Jim Bishop. This is part four of a series about a Sept 2016 trip to view the wildflowers and scenery of...
Feb 1, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Strine Outback Bush Walk – Part 3
Fabulous Fitzgerald, Heavenly Hakea, and the Best Banksia By Jim Bishop. This is part three of a series about a Sept 2016 trip to view...
Jan 1, 2017
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Strine Outback Bush Walk – Part 2
By Jim Bishop. This is part two of a series about a September 2016 trip to view the wildflowers and scenery of Southwestern Australia....
Dec 1, 2016
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Strine Outback Bush Walk – Part 1
By Jim Bishop. This is part one of series about a September 2016 trip to view the wildflowers and scenery of Southwestern Australia. At...
Nov 1, 2016
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Agavaceae Part 2 – the Aggravation
By: Jim Bishop. This is a continuation of last month’s article “The Adoration”, Part 1 about growing agaves. Agaves are great garden...
Oct 1, 2016
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Agavaceae Part 1 – the Adoration
By Jim Bishop. We have a lot of agaves in our garden. However, it took me a while to warm up to agaves. One of the first ones I grew was...
Sep 1, 2016
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: More Plants go in!
By Jim Bishop. This is a continuation of columns from May and July 2016 about planting the casita gardens back in 2003. You may recall...
Jul 1, 2016
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: O Canada! Revisited
By Jim Bishop. I wrote in my November 2013 column that a 1984 family trip to several gardens in British Columbia, Canada, was the...
Apr 1, 2014
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Branching Out
By Jim Bishop. The second year at my garden in Encinitas, I continued to remove grass and iceplant and expand the flower beds. I added a...
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