A Study in Orange
A friend of mine who lives in Glendale has created a remarkable garden. He calls it “A Study in Orange.” Gardens in a single color are not unusual. I have seen a blue garden that featured...
Category Archives: Flowers
How to Protect Roses from Deer
Two inquiries received by e-mail, both dealing with unwanted garden intruders, are the focus of this week’s column. !folo!Q: Deer have eaten the flowers and leaves from our rose bushes. What is...
Flowers and Crop Rotation
The comfortable days of October are the best days to plant. This is true not only from the standpoint of Valley gardeners, but from the standpoint of trees, shrubs, ground covers, vines, bulbs, just ...
Neighborhood Plants & Tree Transplanting
Lately, I have received several letters requesting names of plants that grow well in specific situations. The best way to select plants is to walk around your neighborhood and choose from among those...
Classic Fall Triumverate: Pansy, Viola, & Violet
When it comes to fall gardens, the triumvirate of pansy, viola and violet cannot be ignored. These closely related plants are designed to bring grace, whimsy and joy into the garden. At your first fa...
Botanical gardens filled with surprising gifts
I visit botanical gardens because the surprises I find there are agreeable to me. As you grow older, you become increasingly dependent on what is familiar and would rather not be surprised, if you ...
Gardens provide oasis for reflection in trying times
This column is dedicated to the memory of the innocents murdered in Newtown, Conn. Last Sunday was drizzling and cold. It had been many years since I had visited the South Coast Botanic Garden on t...
Botanical gardens filled with surprising gifts
I visit botanical gardens because the surprises I find there are agreeable to me. As you grow older, you become increasingly dependent on what is familiar and would rather not be surprised, if you ca...
A garden of beauty and daring experiments
From an upper-story bedroom window, Michael Kappel looks down on his sumptuous garden in Westwood. It is a soothing sight for someone who lives in constant and excruciating pain, the result of a spin...
Finding new plants at Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks
I had never been to Gardens of the World in Thousand Oaks but was glad, last Sunday, that I visited. It doesn’t take much to make a garden columnist happy. A glimpse of a plant previously unsee...