Gardening
Patrick is a watering fiend. Over years of marriage, I have come to realize that he uses it as a relaxing escape. During early-morning hours and as the sun sets in the evening, I will …
The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden by William Alexander. Algonquin Books, 2006, $22.95, 288 pages. FROM …
The kids' grandma's birthday is in January, and I'm thinking bulbs for a gift. She's getting a little achy for digging in the garden. "The knees don't bend the way they used to," she says. …
I didn't recognize where I was. "Things have changed a lot," said Jorge Rodríguez, leading me out of the rain, into his two-story cinder-block house. "I came to Los Arenales looking for new horizons," he …
Mom's birthday is on the horizon, and I'm thinking window boxes. For as long as I can remember, she's always kept a vibrant perennial garden full of snapdragons, salvia, and alyssum at the foot of …
My friend Bernice reigns as gardener-queen of our neighborhood. Her rose plants grow like big bushes; her citrus trees hang heavy with fruit, and her vegetable garden produces more than her family can eat. We …
It is Vincent Lazaneo’s job to answer any question about a fruit, vegetable, herb, flower, or ornamental shrub that a San Diego gardener might ask. How many plants is that? “It’s a little mind-boggling,” he …
Jim Stelluti, Artistic Garden Refiner 619-298-7641 Jim Stelluti has spent 30 years creating gardens, and -- uniquely -- taking pictures of them. By now Stelluti has 100 slide shows on every conceivable garden subject, from …
M.A.: In my garden, I have been experiencing extensive damage by snails. I have been able to curb the destruction by using the infamous beer trap that works for their cousin, the slug. My question, …
American Insectaries Escondido (760) 751-1436 www.betterbugs.com Forget the ladybugs. They're cute but most will immediately leave your property and head for the hills. Instead, Jim Davis recommends green lacewings for all-around pest control in the …
Don't replace your lawns and hedges with a native-plant garden to eliminate watering. "It is relatively low-water gardening for the amount of plants, but not no-water gardening," says Encinitas native-plant landscaper Dave Buchanan. Tearing out …
A few years ago a friend of Lou’s and mine planted a vegetable garden for the first time. George and his wife Sally lived in an old house high on a hill with an ocean …
As time goes on, my garden becomes more defined. I like flowering trees and bushes, and climbing roses, for example, more than annuals, or herbaceous boarders. I’m sorry, I don’t like much color; I’d rather …
"My granddaughter and I made a 6-foot-by-6-foot sunflower house and then put morning glories across the top. My other grandchild has a tepee of red scarlet runner beans, those little pumpkins, and gourds."