Gravitas: One of the Roman virtues, along with pietas, dignitas and virtus. It may be translated variously as weight, seriousness and dignity, also importance, and connotes a certain substance or depth of personality (Wikipedia). Spring is just down the street, bringing promises of ne
Happy New Year! January in the garden: what else could be wetter or colder? I suppose the Pacific Ocean or Hoodoo Ski area. We are blessed with relatively mild winter weather; it’s a great time to rake up storm debris, prune deciduous shrubs and trees, or even plant some new ones. Som
You may have heard that you can change the color of a hydrangea’s flowers by adjusting soil pH. But there’s a little more to it than that. First of all, not all hydrangeas produce blue flowers. Hydrangeas with white or cream flowers, such as Annabelle hydrangeas, oakleaf h
Giant thistle-like plants, artichokes and cardoons are beautiful as well as edible. Their prickly-silver leaves make an excellent backdrop in any garden. Artichokes and cardoons are fun and relatively easy to grow in our coastal gardens. By mulching and cutting them back in the fall,
From spring to frost the many looks of Hosta foliage and flowers decorate gardens with lush, colorful texture and structure. They are both architecture and sculpture. They make wonderful fillers and the small leaf varieties make wonderful low edging plants. How about using them in con
From Renee’s Garden Recipes This moist cake is not too sweet and has enticing highlights of chocolate and orange. A welcome change from ordinary zucchini bread or carrot cake. 2 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt
August is an ideal time to plant seeds for a second gardening season that can be as productive as your major early spring plantings. For a delicious and very nutritious cornucopia of fall meals, late summer is the time to plant lettuces, some herbs (dill, garlic, chives, arugula, par
Chusquea culeou is a South American native that grows in the lower elevations of the Andes Mountains, primarily in southern Chile. It can grow to a mature height of about 15′, with a spread of about 5′ within 4 – 5 years. This bamboo has a columnar to vase-shape form as a mature plant
I’m watching Olympic cycling this morning, laptop clicking away with quick glances at the big screen trying to get a glimpse of Box hill Road. If you didn’t know, this month is talk like a Brit month at the garden center. We will be calling basil (known as “bay zell”) “bah zill”, coto
Make sure your landscape receives enough water to avoid drought stress. Our weather goes from plants getting water and moisture every day to no rain for months. Even established plants, especially rhododendrons and flowering spring shrubs can use an occasional watering in the summer.