Non-Stop Gardening Tips & Inspiration
I can't help it, my eyes light up just thinking about all of the many creative ways to go about vertical gardening. Some are DIY, others are DIY with some help from kits & frames, less work, yay. :-) Other ideas borrow from historical gardens, … [Read more]
Q & A with Emilio of Chasewater Winery & Olive Mill... Q: What is the minimum number of olive tree varieties needed to make olive oil? A: For olive oil and olives on small acreage you need 4 to 6 trees because of pollination issues. … [Read more]
Imagine looking outside your window and gazing out at a floral sea of color. Or, viewing a stunning flowering tree as you walk up to the front of your home. The scenario, whether it’s an impactful flowering tree growing in a container on the patio, … [Read more]
It's late winter and I'm enjoying how many pink flowering shrubs are alive and vibrant right now! ← For the dry garden it's all about manzanita (Arctostaphylos), with their waxy light pink, delicate bell flowers that are not very showy, but subtle … [Read more]
If you find the obligation of watering to be a chore, hooking up a battery operated timer with a simple drip irrigation system may really work for you! To get started, you'll need a hose bib somewhere (anywhere) near the pots or plants you want to … [Read more]
A few years ago I witnessed the falling of a street tree in my San Francisco neighborhood. It felt crazy and surreal, right out of a Hitchcock movie. How could this be? It's the middle of a dry, sunny Spring afternoon. No winds to speak of … [Read more]
Several years ago I visited some of the most incredible gardens in Kyoto, Japan. On the more recent side, yesterday, I spent several hours at both the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco and the Japanese Garden within San Francisco Botanical … [Read more]
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but if you love impatiens, you'll need to consider some good substitutes. Why? Because what loves this colorful annual bedding plant (Impatiens walleriana) is the fungus, downy mildew. It's so serious that … [Read more]
I love using ornamental grasses and those that are drought tolerant are gold and can be extremely useful as well as beautiful. Not only can that, they can give you great bang for your buck while offering you much textural interest. The good news … [Read more]
As someone who enjoys “trying” to speak foreign languages, I admit that my inner plant geek got me good when it comes to identifying plants by their botanical name. Common names are good, too. But, they can steer you wrong and can be very … [Read more]