I often talk about all the weeds that come up in the garden. But fortunately there are lots of good guys coming up nicely. One little experiment the past two autumns and winters has been seeing how well well old… Read More »a little seed viability experiment
While my last post was dedicated to an easy seed propagation project, this one details a couple that were a little more labor-intensive. Still not hard, just a little bit more work to pull off. I’ve posted about my pitcher… Read More »from seed, the labor-intensive version
Fall: Prime time to sow many seeds in California’s mediterranean climate. Self-sown generations of clarkia, poppies, baby blue eyes, buckwheats and lupines are showing up all around the garden. But this year has pulled me in lots of directions and… Read More »from seed, the easy version
A card showed up at my desk, a few days early for my official birthday. Some people can restrain themselves from opening cards until the appointed day, but I’m not one of them! The card was one of those that… Read More »birthday seed-card
This has been one of the most spectacular years I can remember for coyote bush brush, Baccharis pilularis. With many plants still dormant from a long season with no rain, the perky green baccharis with their over the top heads… Read More »baccharis season
Last spring’s trip to the Santa Ysabel Preserve introduced me to chaparral whitethorn in full bloom. This plant, Ceanothus leucodermis, has a reputation for being a touchy garden subject. But seeing its pale blue flowers set off against a plant… Read More »“satisfactory germination”
The current house project reached a milestone, with us getting reaching the waterproof house wrap stage, ready for the siding. What this really means is that it’s no longer a race against the start of the fall rains to get… Read More »seeds for the fall planting season
My winter pile of plant and seed catalogs contains one that doesn’t fit the usual model. Instead of page after page of gorgeous soft-core pornographic photos and drawings of plants in brawny full leaf and buxom full bloom, the J.L.… Read More »mostly words