Update #1: The gopher chronicles (Original post: Cooking for Vermin) It’s been three weeks since I tried to ward off gophers by using extra-hot chili powder. People want to know if it works. The conclusion: There’s no sign of obvious… Read More »random updates
If your definition of a good party is one that gets the police called on it, my July 4th party was a failure. But by other standards I think it went pretty well. (The new garden bench was really appreciated… Read More »after the party
It’s done at last, the project from Hades. What started out as this ugly outdoor fireplace with attached bench… …has now morphed effortlessly (yah right) into this new garden feature: part bench, part deck, part raised bog/planter. It’s about four… Read More »the big project
These showed up in my office last week. Look to the left, tucked into the corner. It’s a pair of fairly senior zucchini that someone has dolled up. I swear I’m not behind this–The slugs ate all my squash seedlings… Read More »squashed (almost-wordless wednesday)
I’m starting to worry about the Jamie Durie’s of the world. I, as a gardener, am getting concerned that the kind of landscaping he represents—outdoor spaces that are becoming increasingly indistinguishable from tightly decorated indoor spaces—seems to be taking over.… Read More »outdoor rooms versus the garden
Here’s the latest addition to the garden, a small chunk of the House of Hospitality in Balboa Park, a small chunk of San Diego architectural history. In the late 1990s the city rehabilitated the building, one of many historic structures… Read More »piece o’ history
At the plant sale attached to the recent succulent show a couple of the society members looked at one of the plants I had in my hands and made all sorts of approving noises. “Great plant!” or “Wow, you scored!”… Read More »you paid money for that?
It’s been a bad year for pocket gophers. I’ve been cleaning up the garden for our annual big July 4th party, dealing with gopher damage and generally getting everything pretty-like. One large spot in the front–just about the first zone… Read More »cooking for vermin
You might think of gardens and even garden blogs as little zones of quiet in the hubbub of life beyond. But try as you might the outside world always seems to find you. Some of the dark forces in the… Read More »i was hacked
Please ignore. This is a test to see if I’ve been able to restore this site to its pre-hacked state.