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July in the Garden
We’ve had a lovely long spring, but summer is inevitable. We are learning this again, as we do every year, in July, our historically hottest and driest month of the year. Keep things easy this month, on you and the garden. Work in the mornings, stay hydrated and ease off the pruning and fertilizing. […]
Read MoreMay in the Garden
We’ve had a wonderful spring this year. Whatever May brings, let’s remember that we have been gifted with cool days and nights, a few late storms that brought snow and some rain, and an abundance of flowers and other signs of vigorous life in our gardens. I’ve been working on photographing pollinating insects this spring, […]
Read MoreApril in the Garden
Sorry this is getting posted so late!! What happened? Perhaps it’s spring??? Hopefully you have done all of this and you just say “check,” “yep, did that,” and “already got it covered!” May tips will post in a couple of weeks. Peyton Spring in the garden! Expect flowers. And weeds. And baby birds. And aphids. […]
Read MoreMarch in the Garden
The month is half over already! It must be spring…busy days. You’ve probably already done about half of these garden chores! If so, you’re ahead of me. But I love being outside during these warm (not hot!!) days with cool mornings, green hills, wild flowers blooming and lots of wild activity. I don’t even mind […]
Read MoreSpring Planting
You hear it often that Autumn is the best season to plant in California. This is true, but you can plant in the spring. And how can we not be outside when the weather is so gorgeous? And really, we must do something besides battling weeds, right? There are many California native plants that […]
Read MoreFebruary in the Garden
Is it spring yet? Many days in February feel like spring. But we still might get a frost. Fog, rain, snow and even hail are not out of the picture. It’s a transition month. Enjoy it; summer will arrive soon enough. There’s plenty to do in the garden this month! PLANTING: You can transplant most […]
Read MoreNovember in the Garden
Autumn is in full gear this month. This is a great time to plant almost any tree, shrub, perennial, ground cover, wildflower seeds and the last of spring-flowering bulbs. While the days are shorter and storms may affect our ability to work outdoors (we can hope for many such interruptions!), it is generally more pleasant […]
Read MoreAugust in the Garden
August can be a light work month in the garden, assuming you have repaired water leaks and kept the weeds, diseases, and pest insects to a manageable level. The main job this month is to conserve water in every way you can and plan on ways you can make your garden more drought resilient. […]
Read MoreGardening in a Drought
While hand watering my container plants on Wednesday, the approved day to water in my district’s guidelines, I thought about comments people made to me last week. They were basically of two kinds: “We’re all going to have to move out of California.” “We can’t have gardens anymore. There is no water.” […]
Read MoreJune
June means hot and dry weather, with occasional drops in temperature. Daytime temperatures average around 92 degrees Fahrenheit daytime and 58 degrees Fahrenheit at night. Expect almost 14 hours of sunshine per day, but don’t expect rain: June is historically the third driest month of the year. Without adequate snow pack and rainfall this winter […]
Read MoreSpring
“Just living is not enough,” said the butterfly. “One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” Hans Christian Andersen This year, spring sprang into being in the Northern hemisphere at 2:37 a.m. PST March 20. Some plants in the garden decided it was spring in February, or even January. Some are just getting the […]
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Are you a Native Plant purist?
When we design, we talk about “purpose.” In the established garden, we use the term every few years -to reconsider the garden. Guiding principles, such as water-efficient and beneficial-to-nature, are big-picture “purpose” values in many modern gardens. On the micro, unique level, has the purpose in your existing garden changed? Are there new activities that […]
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