Walnut Creek’s Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month she and her staff share their knowledge with readers. Gasteria is a small genus with about 20 species ...

A fun and easy-to-grow succulent is the lawyer’s tongue (Gasteria obliqua syn. Gasteria bicolor). Thick, 6- to 8-inch-long, 1-inch-wide leaves are dark green with small white dots and shaped like a ...