Anawalt Gardening & Tool Tips
European explorers brought bottlebrush seeds to California in the 1800s.
The plants adapted so well to the Mediterranean climate that they’ve become a staple in water-wise landscaping throughout the region.
Fortunately, some common garage door issues involve simple fixes and minimal effort.
You’ll be back in the easy chair in no time, and you may even rule the roost briefly (very briefly) as a conquering DIY hero.
Azaleas belong to the Rhododendron genus and are native to Asia, North America, and Europe. Garden varieties trace their lineage to species from the southeastern United States and East Asia
Most azaleas prefer cooler temperatures, but with proper care, some heat-tolerant varieties will do splendidly in your Southern California yard.
It’s time to organize, and if you don’t have the space or budget for a state-of-the-art rolling cabinet system, perhaps a simple pegboard is your best bet.
Pegboards are cheap, easy to mount, flexible, and easy projects for even novice DIYers.
Sustainable gardening may seem like an Earth Day sequel, but many traditional cultures have practiced it for centuries.
It minimizes waste, conserves water, and promotes biodiversity while ensuring the soil remains healthy and productive for future use.
Sometimes, the simplest and most affordable design solutions have the biggest impact.
Paint is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to transform a home.
Hollyhocks are typically biennials, meaning they grow foliage in their first year and bloom in their second. However, many hollyhocks act more like perennials, returning year after year.
Their tall spikes can rise to 6–8 feet and bear large, funnel-shaped flowers.
Air temperatures can drop by 5°F to 15°F under the canopy of a mature shade tree.
Shade also benefits plants in your garden and can significantly lower AC bills. So stop complaining about the heat and start planting trees!
Balcony gardening dates back to Ancient Rome, where affluent citizens adorned their villas with hanging and potted plants on upper floors.
The trend re-emerged during the Industrial Revolution as cities grew more congested, prompting residents to reclaim small outdoor spaces for personal greenery.
Plants release water vapor from stomata in their leaves, and this natural cooling moderates urban heat island effects, especially in densely built areas.
If plants lack water during extreme heatwaves, their canopy temperatures can rise above ambient air temperatures due to transpiration inefficiency.
Annual heat waves in LA have nearly tripled since the 1980s. They also last longer.
Inadequate nighttime cooling stresses vulnerable populations and limits the body’s ability to recover. It also wreaks havoc on outdoor plants.
Is there a perfect fruit?
It might be the dragon fruit, a Central American native that tastes like a cross between a kiwi and a pear or melon.
White-fleshed varieties are milder and refreshing. Red and purple-fleshed varieties are sweeter and sometimes have hints of berry or grape.
Pansies trace to 19th-century Europe. Bred from wild violets (Viola tricolor), these garden staples were developed for their unique “faces” and bold color patterns.
Over time, hybridization produced the wide variety of sizes and hues we see today.
Chalkboard paint is specially formulated to produce a writable and erasable surface.
Once the paint has cured, you can write or draw on it with chalk or special markers and wipe it clean when ready to start fresh. Kids love it because they can be “naughty” with permission.
Prolonged exposure to temperatures above 95°F can cause leaf scorch, wilting, and sunburn in sensitive plants like lettuce, ferns, hydrangeas, and impatiens.
Once leaf tissue is scorched or sunburned, it doesn’t recover, even when temperatures cool.
Mitigating wildfire danger starts with your property.
While nothing can protect a home from a raging inferno, fire-resistant landscape design can delay a fire’s spread and shield against smaller threats.
California seems an unlikely candidate for growing traditional pear trees, which need long, cold winters to thrive. But newer low-chill varieties are well-suited to warmer climates, and, in fact, California is the third-largest pear-producing state in the USA.
So what’s stopping you, pear lover?
The name “snapdragon” derives from the flower’s resemblance to a dragon’s mouth, which opens and closes when you gently squeeze the sides.
The flower boasts a wide array of colors, including rare shades like green and bronze. Some varieties display bicolor combinations, adding to their appeal in gardens and floral arrangements.