Southern California Coastal Gardener

Possums are Good!

I was cleaning up in my garden, clearing detritus off a shelf when this little fuzzball peeked out from a watering can. We surprised each other but calmed down to get a picture. I did have a quick conversation with Fuzzy about eating my apples and mangos but also...

Jacaranda

What else could I feature this week but the beautiful Jacaranda tree aka Jacaranda mimosifolia.  I'm always amazed when I hear complaints about this tree being so messy but there's a trade-off, and this one is definitely worth the hassle of sticky flowers....

Fertilizing Your Plants

Here is a primer on Fertilizer.  Not really complicated, but it can seem that way when you are faced with a wall of choices at your local nursery.  Take a deep breath and let's get through this! A Guide to Fertilizing Plant fertilizer comes in liquid and...

Birdwatching

I have my bird-feeders out again after taking them down for a few months. The birds are starting to come in big numbers. The most exciting things I discovered yesterday is the dove who has laid two eggs in one of my elevated pots. She has nested by my gate so I scared...

Coronado Flower Show

Coronado Flower Show Springs into Action to Celebrate 100 Years in Bloom April 23-24: Weekend long centennial celebration brings together local businesses, nonprofits and community groups across the arts, agriculture, environmental and education fields. More than...

Busy Bees Bits and Buzz

Bees are endlessly fascinating. Here are a few interesting links: Mason Bees Solitary Bees Check out this interesting Ted talk: Why do Honeybees like Hexagons?  

Elements & Principals of Design

Elements & Principals of Design through courses at Flower Show Judge school.  It was all a bit overwhelming at first but after awhile I found I was using them in my everyday life.  Think of 'elements' as the ingredients of a recipe and 'principals' as the recipe...

Succulent Cutting Points

I have a lot of succulents and I'm always happy to share, but I haven't always been as successful as I would like when it comes to propagating new plants. Succulents are pretty easy to root but it helps to have a little info to work from. I was discussing this with a...

Daffodils by William Wordsworth

Read by Jeremy Irons.....

On this Day in History – March 24, 1940

March 24, 1940 - Kate Sessions, “Mother of Balboa Park” died at age 83. Kate was a renown horticulturist trained at the University of California Berkeley.    Kate operated a nursery in San Diego, and supervised the plantings at the Hotel del Coronado.    The City of...
Possums are Good!

Possums are Good!

I was cleaning up in my garden, clearing detritus off a shelf when this little fuzzball peeked out from a watering can. We surprised each other but calmed down to get a picture. I did have a quick conversation with Fuzzy about eating my apples and mangos but also...