(Posted on July 8, 2018, also see Tips for Native Plant Heat Wave Gardening, Sept. 18. 2018) We are currently enjoying a balmy 99+ degree day. After the record breaking […]
water
Summer Water
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 […]
Drip irrigation for backyard trees
I left you at the end of my last blog post with a cliff hanger. I showed a picture of four Rain Bird valves with combination DIG filter/pressure regulators and hoses hanging off the […]
Planting native plants
There is so much information on the web and some of it is contradictory. How can one know what to believe? This is a truly difficult question – whether we […]
Drought and the garden
The news reports on California’s drought are dire. However, the drought did not happen overnight, we are now in our fourth year of drought. Nevertheless, for years my city, South Pasadena, like […]
It rained – time to plant
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 […]
How to water established trees
I have been doing some online research on watering established trees. It is amazing how much contradictory information is out there! Some say water once or twice a week for […]
Oaks in Garfield Park
A week ago last Sunday, on June 16, another mature specimen oak went down in Garfield Park. It was a sunny day, there had been no wind, no rain, no […]
Habitat
Good habitat requires more than a group of native plants. To understand what makes good habitat it is important to look at the garden from the perspective of the wildlife […]
When and how much should I water?
When working at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden on the “Garden Hotline” one of the questions that I found most vexing was: How often and for how long should I water […]