The cherry trees are in bloom in the Sepulveda Basin around Balboa Lake. Balboa Lake is in Anthony C. Beilenson Park the San Fernando Valley, on Balboa Blvd. just off the Ventura Freeway. Drop by if you’re in the area. The city planted huge swaths of matching pink flowering trees a few years ago and Read More…
theGardenPages Gardening Blog
Heat Wave Takes Toll On Southern California Gardens With Sunburned Plants
My plants are frying! OK, so it’s been over 100 degrees here in sunny so Cal for the past few days. That’s OK, it’s called summer, we learned about this in school. And the state of California has declared a drought, and the city of Los Angeles is asking us to reduce our water consumption. Read More…
Fall Planting Tips: 3 Flowering Herbs to Plant Now In Southern California Gardens
It is a lucky cook who is able to pluck a few fresh sprouts from a nearby herb plant to spice up a dish on the stove. Here are a few fabulous herbs that do well in drought tolerant gardens, and Fall is a perfect time to plant them, so get out there already! Here Read More…
Future Wisteria Flowers for #FloralFriday
The wisteria in my garden is just getting ready to bloom. There is one little petal open in this wisteria photo, but I think the real star of the show are the interesting cloud formations floating around today. Anywhoo, the wisteria buds are good because this is about the time I should be chopping it 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…
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…
Leyland Cypress Fast-Growing Drought Tolerant Landscape Screen Plants
Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) is a very fast growing tree that grows tall and thin, making them perfect for privacy screen plants in the landscape. These shrubs can grow four to five feet in one season! Their columnar shape helps them fit in along the back of the border or between houses. The top is a Read More…
Fruit News Roundup: A $6,000 Watermelon, $2.5 Million Cantaloupes, And A Fruit That Makes Everything Taste Sweet
I couldn’t resist putting together this post about fruit. But, don’t read it right before you go food shopping… A ‘Densuke’, watermelon recently sold for $6,000 in Japan. It was a special ice-box sized variety with a unique black skin grown in the north of Japan. The skin is actually a very dark green with Read More…
Wednesday Plant Profile: Optuna Cactus and How to Eat Prickly Pears
It’s almost time for prickly pears! I grow a prickly pear cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) in my back yard and it has great pears. Opuntia cactus also have edible pads, the younger ones are more tender. This cactus variety grows wild in the southwestern United States and Mexico. Prickly pear cactus have deep green branching pads, Read More…
Flowering Thyme, Drought Tolerant Herb With Elvin Blooms For #FloralFriday
I have a new addition to my drought tolerant herb collection; thyme. Common Thyme or English Thyme (Latin name Thymus vulgaris) is another Mediterranean native, so it’s perfect for my dry garden too. These herbs grow as small shrubs or shrublets with tiny, oval leaves measuring just 1/4 inch long. They are perennial and flower Read More…