Brush Cherry, or Carolina Laurel is a pretty, dependable garden shrub that grows quickly into screens or hedges. These shrubs can grow up to 30 feet tall and 10 – 12 feet wide. I have seen mature stands of Carolina Laurel grow even taller. Carolina Laurel is versatile too, growing in full sun to part Read More…
Author: Laura Z
Gardener in sunny SoCal
Cranberry-Pear Or Apple Dessert For Abundant Autumn Gardens
If you are lucky enough to be harvesting lots of pears or apples this fall, or just looking for a new dessert dish, here are two simple and tempting recipes using fresh fruit from the garden. One combines cranberries and pears, the other uses blackberries and apples. Feel free to mix and match berries depending Read More…
A Green Bean Garden Bonanza? Garden Fresh Recipes, Lore and Labels
When my son was about 6 years old he used to pick green beans right off the vine and eat them in the garden. As a mom I was thrilled he was getting his organic vegetables fresh as a gardener I was happy to overlook the occasional damage caused by his harvesting technique. If you Read More…
Towering, Drought Tolerant Pink Hollyhocks in California for #FloralFriday
My neighbor’s hollyhocks are blooming again. They tower over her garden with huge flowers and I admit to being a wee bit jealous. The old-fashioned garden hollyhock of my childhood storybooks is also called Althaea rosea. They are native to the Mediterranean region which means they make perfect flowers for a low water yard. See? Read More…
Pink Roses, White Flowering Privet And Lavender
The lavender has been blooming for about a month now and is continuing to get new buds. Also blooming this Friday are roses, here are a few Double Delight roses with pretty pink edges and creamy centers. The other rose is a striped variety with fun vertical stripes in deep pink and white. After a Read More…
Blue Flowering Sage with Fiery Skipper Butterfly
This week I have photos of my sage herbs in flower. Not only does it taste great in my sauces and stews, it really looks beautiful in the garden.This Mediterranean native plant has been established for a few years and now lives on rainfall alone.It has tall spikes of blue flowers loved by bees, butterflies Read More…
What’s Blooming In Southern California This April
Wondering what to plant now that will bloom next spring? Here are a few heat-resistant, drought-tolerant ideas for you. All of the plants in my garden are growing on rainfall alone. Umm, OK, when it was 120 degrees last year I may have given them a little extra water, but that was it, really. I Read More…
Spring Flowers In Southern California
Warm weather is bringing flower blossoms and sprouting bulbs here in Los Angeles. Here are a few pretty baubles blessing my garden right now: Lavender is blooming all over. We’ve has a few bouts of rain lately and the lavender is putting on an extra fragrant show. This one is in my ‘back 40’; an Read More…
Hot Pink Flowering Bougainvillea
Here’s a quick late night Friday Floral for you; the bougainvilleas are blooming here in southern California, and putting on quite a show. Their colors can range from purple to reds, pinks or white, but my favorites are the hot pink versions. This one is climbing over a fence in my neighborhood. Once they get Read More…
The Allure of Black Roses for Halloween
Happy Halloween! Many of us are getting our pumpkins carved and the candy ready for trick-or-treaters. And perhaps some of you will be getting or giving a bouquet of black roses. For anyone who is wondering about the history of these mythical roses I found a wonderful article for you by one of my fellow Read More…