Bonnie Blodgett: You enter another world when you decide to cross the border
The mixed border has been the next big Thing for a while now. the other day, I happened upon an article published in a 1997 botanical journal in British Columbia that might have been written last week. Not only were the “new” shrubs the same ones we’re still excited about, including ‘Golden Prince’ euonymous, creeping [...]
Out of the woods: Chapman School oak felled for safety
CHICO — When students and faculty arrive at Chapman School today, they will find a small mound of soil and sawdust that looks not unlike a grave, where a very old friend once stood. A massive valley oak that had been a meeting place and a focal point in the play area lawn was cut [...]
Master Gardener: Espaliered fruit trees — a good fit for a small yard
Q I would like to grow fruit trees in my back yard, but the yard is very small. a friend suggested that I grow espaliered trees. how do I get started? A Having a small yard need not deter you from growing fruit trees. when pruned as an espalier, a fruit tree will grow in [...]
Food Forward volunteers pick backyard fruit for the needy
There’s a quiet rescue operation happening several times a week in private yards throughout Los Angeles. Scores volunteers with the nonprofit group Food Forward are salvaging backyard fruit for food pantries across the Southland. On a recent Sunday morning, more than 60 men, women and children armed with metal ladders and garden tools spent hours [...]
Proper pruning can help prevent wind damage to trees
Pasadena sustained the worst of the damage caused by the strongest Santa Ana winds in three decades. huge piles of debris from broken trees are much more than can be removed any time soon. Falling debris and trees damaged many roofs, cars and anything else that happened to get in the way. Other towns and [...]
Put the Accent On Greenery
Published: Friday, December 9, 2011 at 2:00 a.m. last Modified: Friday, December 9, 2011 at 2:00 a.m. Red is provocative, orange is dazzling, yellow is stimulating and bright blue is moody. Green? Well, green is soothing and — yeah — boring. not really. Innumerable vibrant shades of green exist in nature, with tones ranging from [...]
Diary of a garden rescue: wreaking havoc
We are renovating a small town garden, loved by its former owner but where nature is getting the upper hand. Yesterday in the mizzle of November, the nephew, the aunt, the husband with chainsaw and I had wreaked havoc on the garden. At the ready with loppers and pruning saws, back pockets bulging with secateurs [...]
City trims endangered redwood tree
Published: Monday, November 21, 2011 at 4:46 p.m. last Modified: Monday, November 21, 2011 at 4:46 p.m. City crews began cutting dead wood out of one of the redwood trees in Center Park Monday to prevent any possible injury or damage from falling limbs. Facts LIGHT UP a LIFE What: Hospice of Petaluma’s 27th annual [...]
Extension Corner
Right plant, right place What is poor placement of a tree? anything from improper soil, too small a space for the height and width of the plant, improper exposure or planted outside its native range is considered poor placement. Essentially, we create the problems in our landscapes because we did not understand or were not [...]
Weekend Plantings: ‘Pruning Azaleas,’ ‘Plant Amaryllis Now’
But that’s not the case with the variegated Caribbean agave (A. angustifolia “Marginata”), a green-and-cream, mounding plant up to four feet tall and wide. this handsome, suckering plant from Mexico and Central America grows on well-drained sites in sun or light shade; established plants never require irrigation, fertilization or spraying. although useful as an accent [...]