One of my favorite plant sales of the year is almost here, the Long Beach City College Horticulture Department Spring Open House and Plant Sale. This year is they are celebrating their 41st Open House. I look forward to this plant sale every year, more than any other garden event. Although it is not near as big as some of the other Southern California plant shows, tours, and sales, like the Fullerton Arboretum Green Scene or the Spring Garden Show…
Here is a link to my first post about starting the new figs trees from cuttings. After storing the damp Black Mission Fig cuttings, wrapped in paper towels and a plastic bag for a few weeks, I took them out to check on their progress again. So far so good, for most of them. There are no signs of mold or mildew, and all of them still have signs of life in the nodes. Four of the cuttings have little…
My son had an extra day off from school and he helped out with a little bit of work on the new laundry room counter top. First we cut and screwed down the plywood. The next step was to measure, score, and snap the hardibacker board. That was the part I really needed his help. I hope to get out to buy the tile this week and start setting it, but that means my hubby and I need to agree…
Backyard chickens make great pets and wonderful fresh eggs in suburban gardens, as long as a hen doesn’t start to crow like a rooster. Hanbury House shares what works and what doesn’t to stop the crowing.
Up until a recent renovation at the Long Beach Airport, underneath the carpet a series of beautiful floor tile mosaics were buried for decades. The floor tile mosaics were designed as part of the Southern California Art Project of the Works Project Administration in the late 30s and early 40s. Some of the mosaics have been visible on the staircase and in front of the upstairs restaurant, but the remainder of mosaic tile was covered over by carpet for…
Although my gardening passion is mainly for edible plants, I feel having a variety of organic cut flowers to bring in the house or share is another good use of our growing space. I create all sorts of floral arrangements, depending on what is in season. One of my favorite flowers for arrangements is Alstromeria. I like that they last a long time after being picked, come in a variety of pretty colors, and are a bit drought tolerant. However,…
Every year from late July to early August, I often hear an approaching green fig beetle before I see it. It sounds like a Valley Carpenter bee, an insect I really like, so I usually pause and look around, but more often than not this time of year, the noise is a fruit beetle on the hunt for fruit or a nesting spot. As a child, I enjoyed catching these beetles, which very likely was the beginning of my fascination…
“My grandfather once told me that there are two kinds of people: those who work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was less competition there. “ ~Indira Gandhi
Mid Winter January 1st, 2010 Not much is flowering currently, but it appears Spring is just around the corner for coastal Southern California. Some of the perennials are starting to emerge through the soil. It inspired me to go out and clean up a bit today. According to the nearby U.C. Davis’ weather station, we have already had 217 chill hours. That is great news for the fruit trees in the yard, since most of ours need about 250 or…