Tropical Paradise in San Pedro
If you are looking for a tropical paradise, you don’t need to book a flight to Hawaii. Just pay a visit to Palos Verdes Peninsula. I was recently privileged to visit the garden of Richard Lynch is S...
California Native Wonders
If you want to learn about the flowers of California native plants, now until the end of spring is a good time to do so. Already, manzanita and ceanothus, the most classic of California classics, ar...
Queensland Poplar and other Botanical Treasures
For years, I had seen this unexpected botanical treasure pop up in gardens and always wondered about it. I enjoyed gazing at its heart-shaped leaves and red petioles (leaf stems) but was forever bef...
Winter Bloomers, Limes, and Chinese Tallow Trees
As winter settles in and flowers mostly disappear from the garden, it would seem to be the proper time to contemplate garden concerns and interests other than colorful floral displays. Yet, living in...
The Truth About Deodar Cedar
Learning the origins of plant names tells you a lot about how people relate to the botanical world around them. Take deodar cedar. Deodar is derived from devadaru, a Sanskrit word that combines dev...
Caper Bushes: Extraordinary Drought Tolerance
The sizzling heat we have just experienced may leave you wondering if there is anything, except for cactus, bougainvillea, and certain native plants, that can survive such weather without serious pam...
Always an Emergency: History of Drought in California
Last April, California’s governor declared, “The drought emergency is over,” but already, less than a year later, in the middle of a warm, dry winter, we are on the cusp of another such “emergency.” ...
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...
Growing Money Trees Can Make You Rich
Money Tree = Jade Plant You might think the idea of a money tree started in ancient times yet all evidence points to it being a rather recent concept. Some say that the money tree is a jade plant (C...
California Natives
If you are passionate about growing California natives, you might want to consider moving to Canyon Country, located in the Santa Clarita Valley. “I moved up to Canyon Country in 1987,” wrote Jim Van...
