The Secret Life of Poinsettias
“The Secret Life of Plants” was a popular book published in 1973 which made seemingly outrageous claims that plants respond to stimuli in human ways. Plants would grow better when soft music, as oppo...
Category Archives: Perennials
Let it Grow, Just Let it Grow
I am especially captivated by plants which, water thrifty in any case, are positively drought resistant when allowed to grow out naturally in an untrimmed state, remaining more or less water deprived...
Red Foliage and What it Means
Red Foliage Unites Spring and Fall If there is one phenomenon that unites spring and fall in the garden, other than mild temperatures and planting sprees, it would have to be a certain leaf color. I...
Is There a Melissa in Your Life?
Lemon Balm for Long Life Is there a Melissa in your life? If not, there probably should be. She will bring you fragrance, honeybees, and long life. Melissa officinalis, commonly known as lemon balm, ...
Dianthus, flower of God
How to Grow Dianthus Without Corrupting Your Senses Dianthus means flower (anthos) of God (Dios). Of all the flowers in the world, what makes Dianthus so strikingly divine? Carl Linnaeus, the 18th ce...
Bloodleaf
It makes perfect sense that bloodleaf should be growing well in the garden that surrounds the classroom of Joe Montanez at Alfred Nobel Middle School in Northridge. Montanez has been a horticulture i...
Rosemary Gives Italian Villagers 100 Years of Life
In Acciaroli, a remote fishing village in southern Italy, around 15% of the population (300 out of 2000 people) are at least 100 years old. This fact aroused the curiosity of Alan Maisel, professor o...
The Rise and Fall of the Lawn
Eleanor Porter, who lives in Laguna Hills, emailed as follows: “I need my whole yard of 2500 square feet re-sodded. I have no grass now. I need a low water, low maintenance yard.” You might wish to c...
Yucca, Tangerine, and Hellebore
What do a yucca tree, a tangerine tree, and a hellebore have in common? Not much, really, except that, if you live in the San Fernando Valley, you can grow all three of them in your own backy...
Wisteria, Camellia, & Multi-Color Corn
It has been several weeks since Wisteria stopped blooming but still I thi...