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...
People perspire. Plants transpire. Transpiration is a plant’s cooling process, where it releases water vapor from stomata in its leaves. This natural evaporative cooling moderates plant temperatures and urban heat island effects, especially in densely built...
Los Angeles is significantly hotter than its surrounding countryside. Concrete, asphalt, and buildings absorb and retain heat, raising nighttime temperatures by up to 22°F in some neighborhoods. Annual heat waves in LA have nearly tripled since the 1980s. They also...
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, with occasional hints of...
“Pansy” comes from the French pensée, meaning “thought.” In Victorian floriography, pansies symbolized loving remembrance. Their distinctive “faces” are guides for pollinators like bees, directing insects to the center of the flower...
