Is there a perfect tree for low-effort gardeners? In SoCal, it might be the desert willow, a native plant that manages just fine without help but flourishes with a little TLC — occasional waterings and “haircut” now and then. The desert willow (Chilopsis...
Young George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree. An early biographer fabricated the story — a lie to illustrate Washington’s love of the truth. Washington was a Virginian, and Virginia was a prime area for cherry cultivation at the time. But the trees...
Georgia is the Peach Tree State. Everywhere you turn, there’s a Peachtree avenue, shopping center, medical building, school, and so on. Meanwhile, the Golden State contributes about 80% of the US peach harvest. Southern California’s Mediterranean climate...
Gardening in Southern California is a year-round activity, thanks to mild winters, hot summers, and varied microclimates. However, in some areas, the soil may work against you. The Los Angeles Basin features soils like the Chino Association, a gray, calcareous silt...
Imagine you’re repainting the house. You picked neutral gray for the living room, deep green for the dining room, bright yellow for the kids’ bedroom, and so on. But have you considered the ceilings? A deep green ceiling in a deep green dining room might...
