admin | May 14, 2012
While roses are almost never recommended in popular fire safe literature. I have found that they make the ideal fire safe plant for several reasons. They are colorful and easy to care for. They are actively gorwing in summer, making them less likely to burn easily. Roses require regular maintenance while not building up dead [...]
admin | April 18, 2012
Ok, I must admit, I am cheap. I mean not Jack Benny cheap; he used to say that when he opened his wallet he could hear birds sing (Cheap, cheap, cheap). But I have a habit of being a bit conservative when I am purchasing new plants. About a month ago I was immersed in [...]
admin | February 6, 2012
Fruit trees pop up in the most unlikely spots in late winter. There are plums and peaches at Costco next to the display of Sofas. There are apples at Walgreens at the front door. There are grapes on Home Depot. But for all the promise of juicy, organic home-grown fruit, are you really getting a [...]
admin | February 2, 2012
The dirt on my dirt. After waiting all of December and half of January, the rain finally fell on the North State. But while it is still a long time before the last frost date, one of the most important acts of an effective garden needs to happen now. That is the act of preparing [...]
admin | April 21, 2011
Ever notice there are things you do around the garden that come so naturally to you that it is hard to remember that others might not have the same effective habits that make you such a good gardener? Or conversely, do you wonder why some gardeners seem to have such Green Thumbs while yours seems [...]
Firefox | August 30, 2009
30ft + 70Ft =100ft of defensible space! Lean, Clean and Green: the first 30 feet. Lean: *Create an open area near the house free of fuels, woodpiles, and clutter. *Ideally have a solid paved or clean, raked gravel walkway that allows room to walk the entire perimeter of the home. Clean: *Instead of decks and [...]
Firefox | July 29, 2009
I took this photo in the my old East Border down in Big Sur last year. It shows a great combo of fire safe plants for summer color. The combo features Aloe x nobilis with red blooms, purple flowers from Teuchrium, Scarlet Flower Carpet rose, Gaillardia Goblin, Gold strap leaves of Phormium, plus blue Perovskia [...]
Firefox | June 30, 2009
When the Spanish missionaries explored the landscape of California, they often named canyons or valleys for the plants that grew abundantly there. Many features, even in Death Valley, are named for the native California Grape, Vitis californica. This hardy, drought tolerant vine scrambled over rocky cliffs, or over trees along stream banks remiding the explorers [...]
Firefox | June 14, 2009
I remember when I was small having to sit outside the Salinas City Hall one afternoon while my mother dealt with some issue inside. The lawn was bare except for a very strange small tree growing against the white concrete wall. The tree had big puffs of pink fluff couched among purple leaves. Years later [...]
admin | June 12, 2009
The sustainable, fully recyclable, ultra modern chic, fire-safe tables and benches by Orange 22. Epigram is the new series with quotes by Milton Glaser with proceeds benefitting the International Rescue Commitee