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 […]
water
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 […]
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 bottom. Bet you were sitting on the edge of your chairs – lounge chairs in the garden with mojitos in hand, I hope – waiting […]
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 are talking about plants or anything else. As an example consider these two videos on planting native plants. The first video, by the Palos Verdes […]
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 many others, did not take a proactive role on water conservation. The lushness of South Pasadena is apparent every time one crosses into the city. Designated […]
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 – 1g white sage (Salvia apiana) 1 – 1g buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliosum), collected from Verdugo Mts. 1 – 1g monkeyflower (Mimulus aurantiacus var. […]
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 twenty minutes, others suggest monthly for several hours at a time. As always, the reason for the spread is partly due to the fact that […]
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 extreme temperatures, it was beautiful. I noticed the tree early in the morning and by afternoon city workers had removed it. I stopped by while […]
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 you wish to attract.Habitat provides conditions in which animals can live, reproduce, and raise their young. These include: 1) food, for both adult and young, […]
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 my native plant garden? The problem, you see, is that there are so many questions that need to be answered before a satisfactory reply can […]