Spend time now for a glorious garden all year! The hustle and bustle of the holidays is almost over and it’s time to get back in the garden for some much needed peace and re-connection to nature! January is supposed to be a wet one this year with El Nino rains predicted, but on those […]
Garden Villain: Tomato Hornworm
End of the Tomato Season I’m so sad. I returned from a Labor Day weekend trip to discover that tomato hornworms had decimated my tomato plants. In the space of five days, they ate virtually every leaf on eight mature tomato plants. Only one plant, in a separate raised bed, escaped with minimal damage. What […]
What to Do in the Garden: May
Get Ready for Summer! The May garden is a beautiful sight to behold: flowers blooming, veggies growing, and lots of green growth on trees and shrubs. But the hot weather of summer is right around the corner and May is a great time to plant heat lovers and get the garden ready for those hot […]
Growing Vegetables: Top 5 Summer Favorites
Growing Tomatoes, Peppers, and Squash, Oh My! Growing vegetables in your own backyard is the best way to get that vine ripened peak of flavor taste that you just can’t find in store bought produce. If you grew ‘cool season’ veggies over the winter and early spring, it’s time now to switch to ‘warm season’ […]
Five Simple Steps for Citrus Tree Care
My orange trees are blossoming now and the scent is heavenly! Got citrus? Southern California is premiere citrus growing territory. Even if you don’t have a yard, you can grow citrus in pots. Now that the chance of frost is past, it’s a great time to plant citrus. They are beautiful evergreen trees with the […]
What To Do in the Garden: March
Feed! Seeds! Weeds! March is probably the busiest month of the year in the southern California garden. So head to the nursery to get plants and supplies, slap on those gardening gloves, and let’s get busy! Feed Everything! It’s spring and everything in the garden is sending out new growth. Encourage vigorous healthy growth, and […]
Three Steps to Take Now for a Pest and Disease Resistant Garden
Clean-up, Dormant Spray and Mulch If you were troubled last year by fungal diseases like powdery mildew, rust, black spot, peach leaf curl, or others, there are steps you can take now to limit these diseases in your garden. And an added bonus is that these steps will also curb insect pest infestations. Once I […]
What To Do in the Garden: January
Pruning, Planting and Protecting, Oh My! January is a very busy month in California and other mild winter gardens! So put away those holiday decorations, oil up those pruning tools and get outside in the crispy January air! Here’s what to do in January: Pruning Roses don’t really go dormant in mild winter areas, but […]