Under the Solano Sun

I had been looking for a way to both encourage a love for gardening, and to strengthen the bond with my long-distance bonus grandchildren in Oregon. I had given them gardening tools a year ago, and had recently found some cute animal shaped watering cans.

If you're looking for a unique cactus for a small space, special interest area or a low water garden Cleistocactus strausii is the right plant for the job! It is commonly known as a silver torch cactus.

Here's a riddle; How do you grow a four-foot plant in an eighteen inch spot? Give up? Grow vertically! This heirloom lemon cucumber', (Cucumis sativus 'Lemon'), needs plenty of room; at least 4 feet with its vines of up to eight feet long! Trained on this trellis, its footprint is only 1212 inches.

As I busily go about on my daily round of errands during these late summer daysthe heat radiating with every step-- I become ever more grateful for the life-affirming trees among us and all that they provide.

Greetings! It has been a long time since I have written to you all, and I am more than a little rusty! Today's big news is that my new gladiolus bulbs have arrived from the Old Bulbs Gazette and have been planted more or less.