Each fall, I plant a variety of bulbs to enjoy in the garden each spring and to ensure plenty of cut flowers. But I never plant tulips or other bulbs that need to be chilled in our mild climate.
For many years, I heard that peonies cannot be grown in California. The reasons: it is in the wrong part of the country, it is too warm here, and finally, it just won't work. I really did, until I went to Fioli with a horticulture class.
For many years, fall was my time for planting, cleaning up the garden, and all the other things I couldn't do in the summer when it was too hot to work. I thought that this year would be the same, but not so.
For the past two years I've made my Fall trip to Denmark to visit my new Danish Family! I always wanted to write about a plant that was resoundingly Danish and on this past trip I realized the houseplant I kept seeing over and over was Pilea peperomioides, commonly known as the Chinese Money plant o...
The weather has cooled, thankfully. Seasons are now changing. The local birds have moved on, and sweet, flitting finches are visiting. The horse's and dog's coats are getting thicker. Yes, the winterizing has begun.
I have recently been slowly reading The Japanese Art of Living, An Invitation to Celebrate Every Day, by Natalie Leon (Watkins Publishing, 2024). The Japanese have 72 micro seasons and pay much closer attention to nature.
Filipino-American History Month (FAHM) is a yearly event in October to commemorate the arrival of the first Filipinos in the continental United States at what is now Morro Bay, California on October 18, 1587.
We had this innocent-looking large bush in our front yard for probably 20 years. It had drip irrigation, but maybe that wasn't enough because as our area became drier and hotter with climate change, the bush stopped flowering.
