Note: This article was first published in July 2011. Since that time our summers seem to have gotten hotter, with some record-breaking highs. I am writing another article on summer water that addresses the stresses on plants and how to deal with them in these extreme climate events. Are you ready for the 4th
Summer Water
How to create your own superbloom
Learn to grow your own wildflower superbloom
Lawn out. Wildflowers in.
When you peel off a layer of turf grass, the soil beneath is often compacted, depleted of nutrients and life, and polluted with salts and other chemicals. These chemicals may have accumulated from ongoing applications of fertilizers and pesticides. Or possibly, poor irrigation practices – short, frequent watering periods – that leave behind salts found
3 Garden Pests – Thrips, Scales, Ants
Learn to keep your native plants healthy without resorting to toxic chemicals. Control garden pests, ants, thrips and scales.
How to Prune CA Buckwheat
How to prune CA buckwheat
Planting season for California native gardens
Long time since I checked in with you all. It has been a super, busy fall – wedding, plant sale, autumn foliage trip, another trip to Pacific NW, along with the more mundane activities of playing with grandkids, working at the nature park, and even doing the laundry once in a while. All of this
Tips for Native Plant Heat Wave Gardening
Now that last summer’s extreme heat is behind us, it is time to take stock and see what we have learned. Although I have seen numerous articles (here and here – thank you, Jane S. for sharing these) on garden tips for nonnatives, including subtropicals, vegetables, and fruit trees, I have not found much related to
PechuKucha, anyone?
Almost two months since my last post. Are you still out there? Well, it isn’t cause I ain’t been busy. Spent the summer in the Pacific Northwest and was relieved to get back to LA where the air is clear. Funny when our air is better than Seattle’s but that’s what happens when there are
Keeping Plants Alive in Extreme Heat
We are currently enjoying a balmy 99+ degree day. After the record breaking heat of 114º F on Friday, this is somewhat of an improvement. In this blog post I will 1) suggest practices to help your plants make it through the extreme heat; 2) share temperature data from my garden; and 3) give an
Lawn-less Sustainable Garden Finale
The work on the front yard patios is completed. I planted some grasses and other perennials but am waiting until next winter to plant a few shrubs. As promised in the previous blog post, here is a slideshow containing pictures from late February, when work started, to early April, after it was completed. I’m loving