I am always looking for different styles of planters for my own garden and a new community garden I am working to get started in Sherman Oaks. The community garden needs to serve people of all abilities and these elevated beds can be great for older folks or others who are limited in their mobility. […]
A new concept and design for nesting boxes for your garden. They look rugged and easy to clean, 2 important factors with any birdhouse design. — Douglas I inherited an interest in birds from my father, whose family grew up next door to a bird expert. Ruth Thomas studied and banded birds and wrote, […]
I have been looking at something like this to protect our strawberries from various prowling animals like squirrels and such. This article provides links to a host of different cloches for almost any need. — Douglas In autumn hungry squirrels get serious. You need a strategy to protect cool-weather edibles and other plants from […]
Here is an excellent and detailed article on building raised beds for your own garden. Be sure to bookmark this for future reference. You’re going to want it eventually. — Douglas How to Build a Raised Garden Bed via Mother Earth News A DIY project for a permanent garden box to provide a raised bed […]
Could your area use a community garden? The answer might surprise you. Here is one excellent example of both the why and how of one small community’s garden. — Douglas A few years ago, when Gini asked some residents, “What do you think we need in Buena?” A young woman said she wished […]
There have been several apps that perform similar AI matching and each of them gets better with every iteration. Often they are good enough to get you into the right botanical ballpark so you can do more traditional research from there. That can significantly reduce the amount of time required to figure out exactly what plant […]
Some great ideas for dressing up your home and garden both inside and outside. — Douglas Refresh your home with something new and cute this summer. I am going to share some very creative and inexpensive DIY wall decor ideas. I will tell you today that how you could dress up your walls with […]
Before a flower can set seed or form fruit, it needs to be pollinated. Though some plants are pollinated by bats, birds, butterflies, moths, and wasps, most of the work is done by bees. Bees are in serious trouble, though. Their numbers are in sharp decline, mainly because of shrinking habitat. Fortunately, bees have some […]
I see so many bad hedging choices made here in Los Angeles, so when our new neighbors wanted to plant a hedge, I found this article on non-traditions and perhaps better choices. — Douglas Ficus Nitida and Ficus Benjamina are not the solution. Whenever a client asks about installing a hedge they’re usually thinking of planting […]
Read 7 Excellent Screening Hedges | A Gardener’s Thoughts & Fancies via blog.garden-of-eva.com An interesting link found among my daily reading Read more on this topic: The Best Privacy Hedges for Southern California: 7 Plants to Know via Pacific Outdoor Living Noted: Mark Dion Reimagines a Pioneering Botanist’s Lab #ArtTuesday Noted: The Royal Horticultural Society’s […]
