talking trees
If a tree talks in the woods and no one’s around to hear it, does it make a sound? Tuesday morning I had my choice of places to view the televised inauguration of Barack Obama or ways to hear the… Read More »talking trees
News
expressive irrigation
Only a couple areas of the garden are on automatic watering with dedicated sprinklers. The rest of the garden has to depend on rainfull and the gardener dragging a hose over to whatever needs to be watered. I’m sure that… Read More »expressive irrigation
um, how do you pronounce that?
Am I the only one with problems with how to pronounce the Latin names for plants? Last fall I was at a nursery and noticed a gorgeous stand of grasses in their demonstration garden. What was it, I asked? “JFjfaljsldjflajsdljf… Read More »um, how do you pronounce that?
quaking and shaking
The morning was warm so I went up onto the deck to soak up a little of the January sunshine. While I was up there I noticed the wind shaking the leaves of one of the potted plants growing up… Read More »quaking and shaking
bird's nest fern
Ferns are some of my favorite plants. Their delicate leaves and strong architectural forms keep me looking at them. The little ginkgo-shaped leaves and black stems of the maidenhair fern have to be right up there among my favorite kinds… Read More »bird's nest fern
after a little more research…
If you read it on the internet it must be true, right? I’ve had some questions about a recent post that relayed some information on farmers in Iraq being prohibited from saving seeds. After doing more detailed research it looks… Read More »after a little more research…
a fun gardening movie
Last July I did a post on the documentary A Man Named Pearl, and at point asked a question about what films there were about gardening. Leslie made the recommendation of Greenfingers, a Y2K British production starring Clive Owen and… Read More »a fun gardening movie
balboa park's desert garden
January can be an amazing month for succulents and other desert plants. Many aloes and agaves explode into bloom, and plants with ephemeral foliage are green with leaves in ways you don’t often see them. San Diego’s Balboa Park houses… Read More »balboa park's desert garden
seed saving banned?
View the update to this post here. Here’s a bit of political unpleasantness I read about in a seed description in the Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog listing for the Iraqi tomato variety, Rouge D’Irak: Saving seeds was made illegal… Read More »seed saving banned?
an easy outdoor orchid
Orchids can be finicky creatures, especially when you try to grow species that aren’t adapted to your growing conditions. If you’re lucky enough to live in an area with infrequent freezing temperatures (the warm end of zone 9B or in… Read More »an easy outdoor orchid