“No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it. For by its very tossing it tightens its grip and plants its roots more securely; the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.” So …
Lavender is a plant most everyone loves. Whether it’s the purple flowers, the fragrance, or even the images of a lavender harvest in French lavender fields, lavender is a loved plant. It’s also a great landscape plant for us in …
How do our wells get water? The water that falls on our ground recharges our wells. Not just someone’s way downslope, but our own wells, and possibly our nearby neighbors’. We can actually take charge of the water that falls …
“Any plant that encourages bird life, supplies the bees with an unexcelled source of honey, gives food to man, furnishes tannin from its bark, protects arid slopes from erosion, paints the landscape with vivid colors and carries joy into the …
All during the growing season, trees and shrubs rely on their leaves to feed them from the sunlight. During this time all kinds of activity occurs on those leaves. Insects and caterpillars munch on them, which in turn are munched …
Shrubs are perfect to use as hedges, for screening, and for adding more dimension and layering to a landscape. I’m starting to plan my new landscape makeover and I’m pinpointing the spots that need screening. The worst part is the …
The beauty of California… isn’t it why you’re here? It offers a variety of geography, from mountains to coasts, to deserts. And that diversity in geography manifests a diversity in the plants and animals that live here. That’s biodiversity. California …
I was shocked when I learned that 60-90% of the houses that burn in wildfires are ignited when tiny embers from a fire hit the house. Not from flames. Not from heat. In order for that to happen there has …
We’ve been blessed with lots of rain this year, though, sadly, it was far too much for many areas to handle. Precious lives have been lost, as well as property. According to Dwight Weiss, cofounder of Weiss Bros. Nursery, from …
Long ago when I started gardening, I learned that you want to feed the soil, not the plant. I took this to heart and it steered my approach to gardening. The idea was to foster good soil biology and let …