Gardening 101
How to Prune Blackberries
Have you ever noticed that berries taste best when picked at perfect ripeness from the plant? Too many times, I've been disppappointed by berries I've purchased from the store that are still firm and have been picked to survive transportation. Furthermore, I've been...
Perennials for a Cut Flower Garden
Welcome back to my Summer cut flower series! This series is devoted to home gardeners that want to grow their own bouquets and are curious how to get started. Today, I’ll be focusing on my favorite perennial flowers for the Summer season. Perennials are some of the...
Summer Annuals For a Cut Flower Garden
Welcome friends to my Summer cut flower series! This series is devoted to home gardeners that want to grow a cut flower garden but need help narrowing down what flowers to grow in Summer. I’ll be focusing on cut flowers that I have experience growing myself here in...
What to do Before Frost in Southern California
Friends, I first must apologize for not getting this posted earlier. We officially had our first freeze this past week, so this is a somewhat reactive blog entry. To be honest, I’ve been preoccupied with other things, so I didn’t even know a frost was coming----and...
How to Reuse or Amend Old Potting Soil
Recently, I revitalized the pots from last year’s spring bulb display. As I was completing this task, it occurred to me that there might be some of you who wondered if it is okay to reuse potting soil? As it happens, the answer is emphatically ‘yes!’ and today I’ll...
Cottage Garden Trellises & Sweet Peas in Containers
Currently there is a huge task that I’ve been avoiding. Remember my Fall seed starting video where I started eight varieties of sweet pea flowers? Well, those poor plants have been stuck in their seed cells this entire time…and it’s not good. Each morning, I pass by...
Build a Custom Rose Wall Trellis
Do you know those weeks where it feels like there is too much to do so you feel frozen? Well, over-planning and analysis paralysis are how I typically react to busy times. Thankfully, I’ve found that focusing on one, doable task helps me feel a little better. For...
Raspberry Primocanes and Floricanes
You know that feeling of seeing some natural phenomenon you’ve only read about actually happening in front of your eyes? It’s pretty cool, right? Today’s post is a personal anecdote that demonstrates this very feeling, and it’s about growing raspberries in our...