We can grow many kinds of palms in our coastal California gardens — palm trees, shrubby palms, bamboo palms, little foliage palms — lucky us! Our guide to everything palm has all the info you need to make the best selections for your garden.

Plant genera in the Protea family (“Proteaceae”) include Banksia (Australia), Grevillea (Australia), Hakea (Australia), Isopogon (Australia), Leucadendron (South Africa), Leucospermum (South Africa), Protea (South Africa). These plants in the Proteaceae share several requirements and characteristics in common.

Getting to know your soil is key for a healthy, vibrant garden, and it is relatively easy to determine on your own with a few simple tests below. Some soils are fertile and ready for planting, but other soil types may need a little assist.

Watering is one of the most meditative gardening tasks. You’re giving your plants their lifeblood while you admire, inspect, worry over, harvest from, and revel in your garden.