BY PAT ASAKAWA (This article first appeared in About Town Magazine March 2022) Spring has arrived and, for most species of wild birds, it is the time to mate, build nests, lay eggs, and raise offspring. As a typical spring morning dawns in San Diego, we hear them chirp and call as though they’re greeting […]
BY HELEN PURCELL MONTAG (This article first appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune on March 12, 2022) Could it be … spring is in the air? As we enjoy these longer daylight hours, have you noticed displays of budding leaves and early blooming flowers? Welcome to March, the month that marks the beginning of spring and […]
By Gretchen Ward (This article first appeared in the November/December 2021 issue of California Garden) Did you get a “Christmas Cactus” last year to decorate your home? It probably looked lovely and lush, full of blooms just ready to burst forth with lots of holiday cheer. Since then you have kept it alive, and now […]
Botanical buddies from different species bring array of benefits to your yard, from pest defense to soil improvement By DONNA MCCLAY (This article originally appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune June 12, 2021) My Sicilian grandmother always planted basil next to her tomatoes. She claimed the basil made the tomatoes taste sweeter. Grandma never spent […]
Question: We removed several large eucalyptus trees and planted some bushes to replace them. Some of the bushes are doing fine but others have died. What do you think is happening? Answer: You should be able to grow a variety of shrubs in the soil where eucalyptus trees previously grew if the stumps and large […]
