Oxalis: Strong as an Ox, Sour as a Lemon
There is a certain plant that has remarkable strength. I always think of an ox when reading about it or hearing its name and for an obvious reason: it’s called oxalis. Yet the etymology of oxalis h...
Category Archives: Weeds
Pigweeds: Edible but Invasive
Back in August, I received an email from Ronald Chong, who gardens in Hacienda Heights. Chong sent a picture of a plant for which he sought identification. I told him it looked like pigweed but we n...
Erharta erecta & Commelina benghalensis: How do you control them...
Sharon Reeve, from La Mesa near San Diego, has a problem with Erharta erecta and Commelina benghalensis. Anyone with these weeds have experience in their control?
4 Worst Weeds in California Gardens
If there is one daily activity that unites the human race above all others, weeding is it. Most people on Earth still grow at least some of the food they eat and in order for their seeds to grow int...
Nutgrass, Gardenias & Plum Trees
Q: Some friends of mine had a beautiful lawn here in the San Fernando Valley, but they have nutgrass growing in it. I had never heard of it, but everyone on their street has it. Can you recommend som...
From Dallisgrass to Leyland Cypress
Q: My home was a rental for 15 years. When I actually moved in here a few years ago, I noted that dallisgrass had taken over the front lawn. I first plied a little trowel and hand hoe – neither...
Scarlet Pimpernel
It is widely regarded as the most ornamental weed, if you dare call it a weed. Its sudden appearance in the garden is greeted with yelps of astonishment and joy since most people do not consider it a...
Don’t Let Fountain Grass Become a Weed
What sort of concept can be noble, money-saving and victimizing at the same time? The concept of drought-tolerant, low-maintenance gardens. Over the years, I have seen quite a few gardens that were d...
Buttercup Oxalis and its Kin
Depending on your perspective, when you pass by a certain house on Rhodes Avenue in Studio City, you may see absolute neglect, the height of simplicity in a brilliant garden design, or God’s ha...
Going to War Against Spiderwort
For years, I have been at war with the common spiderwort (Commelina communis). Although it is, at times, a bitter battle, I must confess to stopping and stepping back, every now and then, simply to a...
