Monday, August 31st marked the 23rd anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. I remember exactly where I was, and what I was doing. Maybe you do too. My young daughters were competitive Irish Step Dancers, and we were in San Diego at the U. S. Grant Hotel, preparing for the next day’s competition, called a “feis.” As my three girls romped around the hotel room, always a novel experience because we didn’t have reason to stay in many hotels, the news broke on the television that P

Everyone has a special gift. And every plant makes a special addition to the garden. Even if they are not the TOP performer that doesn’t mean that they didn’t add their special sauce to the mix. Here are the 2020 Best of Garden Winners, acknowledging all the different ways that plants enhance a garden and impact the gardener! Watch the video for pictures (and more) of all the Winners! Award for MOST IMPACT MARIGOLD Whether in the veg garden, in the front door pocket garden or

I hate doing this…but you need to know. What didn’t work is almost as important as what did work. Now, I ‘m not saying that the disappointments were not partially gardener error. I’m willing to take some of the blame. But not ALL of the blame, because I don’t play favorites in the garden, and I try to give each little specimen what he or she needs. Sometimes, I fear, however, that this results in a “smothering” effect so that I give them so much attention, that they wilt unde

I can’t deny it. While my husband and I are faring well, and healthy, the double phenomena of quarantining for Covid, and having to stay inside because of the intense heat, has taken its toll. We have both been keeping busy with projects and taking care of the house, but it’s been a little bit of a struggle. I do know that we are so blessed to have each other and a home and garden that we love. So I don’t want to complain. But still. I think it’s ok to say that being inside f

You may already know about my cucumber journey this year. It’s had its ups and downs, (see the video!) but in the end, a lovely harvest! I persevered! So many cucumbers, I will have to figure out how to use them. I think maybe cucumber soup – and pickles? I remember so fondly the many jars of pickles in my grandmother’s basement that she had “put up” for the winter. I loved them. And I loved collecting the dill behind my grandfather’s shed for grandma’s pickles. Wonderful me

My sunflowers have given me so much joy this season. With the exception of the Mammoth Sunflower, they have been relatively fuss free, and provided big impact in the garden. There’s nothing better than yellow in the garden in the late summer, and the sunflower does the trick so effortlessly and so beautifully. In the video, you will see that I have described the four types of sunflowers that I have in my garden: Sunfinity Sunflower, Suncredible Sunflower, Mammoth Sunflower, a

I'm a very organized person. I like to know where things are, and where I can find them when I want them. So, it's no surprise that I know exactly where everything is in my garden. And I know exactly WHAT everything is too! As I have been tending and enjoying this spring/summer season, I have been taking mental notes. I do have a garden journal, but it doesn't really tell the whole story. I thought you might like to hear the whole story. Below is a list of absolutely every pl

It’s a New Day! I’m trying something new to make sure that those of you who want to receive my blog posts can consistently do so. I had trouble with my previous platform, so let’s see how it goes! (Thanks to my fabulous husband for helping me out with this!) And now…for a moment of Zen. I recently visited the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, one of my favorite spots here in California. My friend and I enjoyed the sun outside (all indoor venues were closed) and just wandered ar

Is it possible to heal sunflowers when they break? It seems counterintuitive. When you see the stalk of a 7 foot sunflower broken in two, and lying on the ground. How is it possible for the plant to survive? With some special care, -- replacing the broken stalk on its stem so that it could once again stand upright, binding the break with garden tape, staking, and watering consistently, -- after three days the sunflower is still green, still reaching for the sun, and still sta

One of the presents that my husband gave me for my anniversary was a garden drill. I know it seems like a crazy present, but I love it! Robert has lots of tools – he is very handy! So we already had the drill part. What he bought me was the drill bit, a large spiral pointed bit that makes holes into the earth, by spiraling deep into the ground. Here’s my review of my new gardening tool! Pros: How did I ever live without this? Digging deep holes is tough, especially in hard gr

This was so fun to do! It is the end of my tomato season (with the exception of my Sweet Million which I planted later in the summer to prolong my tomato crop) and I have enjoyed my tomatoes all summer during quarantine. But I really hadn’t tasted them, if you know what I mean. I had used them in salads indiscriminately, not really choosing any particular one – just picking those that were ripe, or those that were closest to where I was standing in the garden! So I thought th

Today my husband took me to a neighborhood pottery store to buy me some pots for the backyard iris garden that I have been refurbishing. This was to be my Anniversary present for our 39 years of marriage! When we walked in we were taken aback at the sheer number of pots that were available. I don’t know if you’ve noticed – but garden pots of any kind are hard to come by these days. Most of them are sold out on Amazon, and only very unusual and expensive pots can be found. So

The Japanese Garden at the Huntington is only one of the jewels in the crown at this special place. Attached to the Japanese Garden are a Zen Garden and two Bonsai Courts. My friend and I strolled through the Zen Garden, very serene (but also very hot! ) which opens onto a an even more unique experience: The Bonsai Court. Bonsai is a Japanese art form in which special cultivation techniques produce small trees in containers that resemble the shape and scale of full size trees

Six Things I Learned from my Late July Planting… 1) Plant Thinned Sprouts When I had to thin my Sunflower seedlings, I hated to throw them away – and I had quite a few! So, I planted them that day, put little popsicle sticks next to them for support, and watered daily. And guess what? Of the 10 that I transplanted 8 of them are thriving! They are much smaller than the first seeds, but they’re growing, and if I can keep them healthy in this 100 degree heat – I think they are g

There is so much to see at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, that you really can’t do it proper justice in one visit. And that’s not counting the fabulous library and museum spaces that are closed now because of Covid. On a recent weekday, a friend and I ventured out from our quarantined lives for a brief vacay at the Huntington. Though the outdoor gardens are open, the Huntington is still very careful about safety. We had timed entries, they took our temperature when we ar

This little guy has an important story to tell. What starts as a small pine cone, grows into one of the largest living things in the world, the Sequoiadendron giganteum, or Giant Sequoia.This weekend we hiked to a Redwood Grove in Mineral King, near the Atwell Mill Campground where many large, Giant Sequoias reside, and it filled me with awe, and certain sense of optimism about what is to come. I think there’s a metaphor here for our lives in this chaotic time. Giant Sequoias

I’ll admit it now. I’m a life-long hypochondriac. I’m very high functioning, though. I can go months without seeing a doctor. But I will worry most of that time that there is something really wrong with me. And don’t try to tell me your symptoms if you have something wrong with you. I immediately think that whatever you have, I have too. I literally have to warn people who want to share their health concerns with me, because their malady can set me back weeks. On the one hand

This beautiful purple flowering bush in our front yard is rather exotic. Who would guess? It’s not native to our region, and it’s not in exactly the right spot for optimal growth, but it seems quite happy. The color of the flower is an absolutely luscious, deep, royal purple, and it’s not a tiny bloom, either. It’s probably at least 3 inches across. It does look a bit tropical, and it doesn’t act exactly like a tree, that’s why it’s called a bush. Something about it reminds m

Living life with curiosity makes everything more interesting. As I wander around my garden I am always full of questions. Why this color? Why not pollinating? Why so many? And usually, because of the phenomena of the internet, the answers are right at my fingertips. Yesterday as I was checking my front garden pathway (for the millionth time – don’t judge, I’m quarantining), I noticed something very peculiar about my zinnias. Though all one plant, each bloom almost looked like

My mom loved irises, and was an avid gardener all of her life. In that regard, the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. I love irises and have loved gardening all of my life too. So, because my mom lived with us for 15 years before she went to her reward, she was the resident gardener, and planted dozens of irises all over our garden, in every possible nook and cranny. Now that I am the resident gardener, I am doing my best to take care of her irises, making sure that they