Trying to catch the moment between the all day drizzle yesterday and the forecasted heavy rain tomorrow, I went to the nature park with the following ten new plants: 1 – 1g white sage (Salvia apiana) 1 – 1g buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliosum), collected from Verdugo Mts. 1 – 1g monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. […]
soil
Dividing Deergrass
The nature park anniversary celebration is over. Yay! The plant sale is over. Yay! And the weather is perfect for gardening, cool and overcast. YAY! As I walk around the yard thinking about what has worked and what hasn’t, I have lots of ideas on what I want to do. It is so exciting that […]
Natives, great. Edibles, eh.
It is officially autumn. Yes, it reached the upper 80s here in beautiful Southern California, but I know that it is autumn because most of my tomato plants are brown skeletons that could have (should have) been removed weeks ago. A few are still producing cherry tomatoes but the basil has all bolted and withered. […]
Working with clay soil
There is much debate about the best way to garden with clay soil. Growing native plants is very different than cycling through annual vegetables and herbs, and so recommendations for edible gardens usually do not apply to natives. The best approach to native plant gardening with clay soil, as long as weeds or other plants […]
Mycorrhizal Inoculants: Panacea or Snake Oil?
There is a lot of talk among gardeners today about the importance of mycorrhizal organisms for healthy, weed-free gardens. The assertions go beyond the statement that good soil fungi is important for healthy gardens to the assumption that commercially available mycorrhizal inocula will improve plant health, regardless of the types of plants being grown, geographic […]