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...
First, a point of clarification: peonies are NOT cute hooved animals that little girls love. They’re showy, cool-weather flowering plants that often struggle in Southern California gardens. Peonies are native to the chillier climes of Europe, America, and Asia....
Guavas are like gold at the supermarket, if your local market even carries them. They’re small, tasteless, and so costly, you may think you wandered into Harrods by mistake. Anyone who has sampled a ripe guava fresh off the tree will forever be on a quest for...
Tulips need a chilling period to bloom. Crocus and hyacinth likewise need cold stratification to flower. Some ornamental lilies may struggle in Southern California’s hot, dry summers. What’s an aspiring bulb flower gardener to do? You’ll be happy to...
Figs are among the earliest domesticated crops in human history, dating back 9,000 years in regions like modern-day Jordan and the Levant. The Egyptians dried figs for year-round consumption, while the Greeks and Romans associated the fruit with fertility and...
