If you like cooking with fresh herbs you can easily grow many of your own in containers or in the garden. This is much more convenient than going to the store because a recipe you want to try dictates this or that fresh herbal ingredient. Starting herbs from seed is not difficult, but purchasing young […]
Winter is still with us, but it is time to think about the plants that we will plant this spring. Three that immediately come to mind for me are tomatoes, eggplant and peppers, a trio of vegetables in the Solanaceae family that are widely planted for summer cuisine. All are tropical plants and thrive in […]
It is almost winter or what counts for that mild season in California; a good time for taking stock of our gardens and plan for next year. What do I want to plant for next year? What seeds do I order and do I want to change the landscape or some aspects thereof next year? […]
Winter time is here and it is time to think about pruning our ornamentals, roses and fruit trees. Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia indica) are a wonderful ornamental tree commonly planted in our area. It has bark that is attractive; blooms from about July until fall in colors of white, pink, purple, crimson and comes in a range […]
Recently, Andrew Carmichael, a Master Gardeners who is also a certified arborist among many other accomplishments provided our monthly meeting education lecture. He spoke about the aesthetics of trees and about how if you really love trees you will both care about them and care for them. I was in total agreement with his views […]
Have your favorite perennials been looking crowded and not blooming as abundantly as they used to? Maybe it is time to divide them and replant or share them with neighbors or friends. There are actually tables that will tell you how often you should divide your German bearded irises (Iris germanica), daylilies, Coreopsis, Pentstemons, Shasta […]
Taking time to smell the roses can be extended to enjoying nature too as we go about tending our gardens. Recently, while in my garden, a beautiful black and blue dragonfly came along that I have never seen before. It landed several times on a steel stake, in fact, long enough that I could get […]
One of my gardening delights is to enjoy the beauty of Narcissus as they welcome spring. As the Van Engelen, Inc, a bulb purveyor, puts it “Narcissi are the art and soul of spring” There are so many kinds of Narcissus and other spring bulbs it is sometimes hard to make the choices because it […]
Saving seeds can be a fun thing to do and you can save seeds from plants that you find particularly satisfying. You can save a little money too. Some terms and definitions are in order to help understand the basics of seed saving. Self-pollination occurs on plants with ‘perfect flowers’ where the transfer of pollen […]
Gardening is like most human endeavors prone to making errors. Last year I had a great harvest of strawberries from April to July. These were plants that I dug up at my old home the previous fall and moved them to my new home in Morada. I spaced the plants about 12 inches apart and […]