A Gardener's Notebook

Archive for the ‘Video’ Category

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Images from a short walk in Millard Canyon, Angeles National Forest, just north of Los Angeles.

While these shots are out in the “wild” mountains north of Los Angeles, there is a gardening link. If and when you design a water feature in your garden, it pays to go out and take a look at the way nature does it. In this video, I especially noted how twigs and limbs that have fallen from the surrounding trees have created dams which collect smaller stones and directly effect how the water flows down the creek. It also is very important to the sound of your water features. You will most likely have to change the position of the elements in your water feature until it sounds like you want.

Sound is also very important for attracting wildlife, if you wish. Birds and other animals are quickly attracted to the sound of running water, especially if other sources are limited. This is one reason I am working hard to get a water feature  installed in my garden. I love having the birds here, so anything that helps attract them would be great.

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Today, I was finally able to transplant 4 large Cast Iron Plants (Aspidistra elatior) that my landscape designer friend gave me a few weeks ago. They had sat in plastic compost bags with nothing but a little bit of water, but looked none the worse for wear. I think this points to why they are named Cast Iron Plant and also points out their hardiness, something that will be required in this particular part of my garden.

I am trying to “green up” things in the back garden, as it can look a little brown and dusty during the heat of Summer.

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A recent blog post at the BackWards Beekeeping site included some photos and this video about capturing a recent swarm.

Read “Your Bee Rescue Hotline at Work”

Tomatomania is coming again to Encino, California and other locations both east and west. Check out the web site for complete information.

From the Tomatomania web site…

One of Los Angeles’ oldest garden traditions meets one of its newest sensations as Tapia Brothers Farm Stand hosts the largest of the TOMATOMANIA! seedling sales.

To get there drive north on the Ventura Freeway (101N), pass the 405 fwy and exit at HAYVENHURST. Turn right at the stop, then make a quick left into the very busy parking lot.

If you’re driving south on the 101 exit at BALBOA, turn left at the stoplight, go under the freeway and then turn right on BURBANK BLVD. Turn right on HAYVENHURST and right again into the parking lot.

We’ll be open from open 9-5 all three days and there’s plenty of parking available. How many seedlings do you need? We’ll have almost 300 tomato varieties and everything you’ll need to have the most successful tomato season ever!

Wear your TOMATOMANIA! t-shirt and get 10% off your purchase!

March 26 – 28

Tapia Brothers’ Farm Stand
5251 Hayvenhurst Ave.
Encino, CA 91436
818.905.6155

Here is a video from an earlier Tomatomania event.

My good friend, Keri Dearborn of Animalbytes.net, led us on a great walk around the Sepulveda Basin Wildlife area this morning in honor of the annual Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. We spent 2.5 hours spotting all sorts of birds, including 2 new one’s for my life list, a Downy Woodpecker and an Osprey and also an up close look at a vulture.

Below are 6 embedded videos streamed live and recorded with my iPhone. I hope it gives you a bit of a feeling of what it was like to be out with us this morning.

Keri’s husband, Michael Lawshe, took some great photos on the walk, too.

Photos of today’s Great Backyard Bird Count Walk

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