Autumn arrives
A busy year! And we’ve barely begun begun our busiest season, which is autumn, the best time of the year…
Three Seasons & A Rest
In California’s Central Valley and Southern Sierra, we have three seasons of garden work, and one season of rest. Although…
Winter Wonderland (California Style)
I love this season! Wait – didn’t I say that about Autumn? As I’m writing this it is raining,…
Heat Stress
Western spice bush (Calycanthus occidentlias) under some severe heat stress in this part sun foothill garden. Is more water the…
Visiting Denver Botanical Garden
One of the reasons I love to travel is to visit public lands and botanic gardens, both to admire and…
Making use of all this rain
After years of dry winters, 2015/16 wasn’t bad. But nothing like this winter. In almost all of California, we receive…
A garden of another color
Our newer, water-saving landscapes are helping us break free of plain old green in the garden. With many plants, the…
The New Perennial Movement & California Native Plants
A design style that makes good use of California native plants is The New Perennial Movement. This design trend,…
Earth Day in the native plant garden
When I was a younger, idealistic college student, I participated in Earth Day activities every year in the Southern…
Spring in the CA native plant garden
Late-winter is one of my favorite seasons in the garden. Plants that were dormant in summer and fall look refreshed…