Anawalt Gardening & Tool Tips
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Xeriscapes save more than water. They save time, effort, and money because they require little maintenance.
Plus, a well-designed xeriscape offers unique beauty and tranquility, as anyone who has cooled in the shade of a native oak can attest.
From its (probable) birthplace in India, eggplant spread to other parts of the world via trade routes.
It wasn’t until the 16th century that eggplant made its way to Europe, where it was grown as an ornamental plant. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, it gained popularity as a food crop in Italy and other parts of Europe.
Like human beings, some plants need more support than others.
Sure, they can manage without it, but problems arise with unsupported vines like peas and cantaloupe.
A garden trellis is a structural support for vining plants, promoting better health and increased yields.
Bell peppers originated in the tropical and subtropical Americas. Columbus introduced them to Europe in 1493, marking the beginning of their cultivation in Europe.
Plant diversification occurred primarily in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America, where peppers flavored dishes, preserved food, and treated various ailments, including toothaches.Â
The wild ancestor of the beet grew along the coasts of Europe, North Africa, and the Mediterranean. They were first cultivated for their greens, not their taproots.
Beet plants are easy to grow in Southern California’s balmy conditions, and their hardiness helps them survive even inexperienced gardeners.
The spiral is one of nature’s most beautiful and efficient forms.
Rose petals spiral out from the center of the bud. Seashells, galaxies, and hurricanes follow a spiral pattern.
Spirals maximize space, resources, and distribution. The “perfect” Fibonacci spiral governs the arrangement of leaves on a plant stem and seeds in a pinecone.
In Italy, cantaloupe cultivation rose with the Renaissance and, by the 15th century, had spread to Spain.
Luckily for LA-area gardeners, the delicious “muskmelon” is a warm-season crop that thrives in heat and sun — i.e., Southern California summers.
There’s an unsightly crack in your once-pristine floor tile.Â
How did it get there? Kids, settling foundation, the hand of God… who knows?
More important, how can you get rid of it? Should you? And how soon?
Like so many other popular garden plants, celery originated in the Mediterranean. It was first mentioned in Chinese writings in the 5th century AD and has been cultivated for centuries.
Ancient civilizations used celery as a medicinal plant. In 14th-century Italy, it was selectively bred into the form we recognize today.
Some gadgets on this list cost more than a Caribbean cruise.
But if you’ve got money to burn and love technology and gardening, we’re offering a way to blend your passions.
Iris plants are long-lasting perennials belonging to the Iridaceae family. Some varieties can live more than a century.
Southern California’s mild winters, dry summers, and well-drained soil allow irises to flourish, and the region’s mild climate stimulates a robust growth cycle, from dormancy in the hotter months to spectacular blooms in the cooler seasons.
Butterflies enchant us. Their brilliant colors and graceful flight capture the eye and stir the imagination. They transform an ordinary garden into a zen-like sanctuary in a sea of suburban sameness.Â
The best way to welcome them into your life is to create an environment that gives them everything they need short of room service.
With just a little TLC, a fuchsia plant will reward you with bright, showy flowers from late spring to early fall.
Native to Central and South America, fuchsia prefers cool, moist summers and mild winters, growing like gangbusters along the California coast. Heat and drought-resistant varieties do well in California’s inland areas.
A clean shovel is a thing of beauty.
Not hardware store clean, but fresh from the garden and properly cleaned for storage. Just as your prize-winning tomatoes need care, so do the tools that help you cultivate them.Â
Rainwater collection was legalized in California with the Rainwater Capture Act in 2012. Before then, permits were required and still are in many states.
But Californians are in luck! Even though gas is sky-high, and housing prices are through the roof, rainwater is free! And all you need to store it is an efficient rainwater harvesting system.
Arugula is a leafy green with a distinct peppery flavor. It belongs to the Brassicaceae family, which includes mustard and cabbage.
It has been a staple in Mediterranean cuisine for centuries. Pliny the Elder wrote about it in the First Century AD.
The Romans considered it an aphrodisiac and used it as a culinary and medicinal herb.
Hydroponic gardening offers several advantages over traditional sod-busting, including the efficient use of space, water conservation, better pest control, and faster growth rates.
Commercial farmers have embraced the technology. Chances are those juicy cherry tomatoes you bought on sale were grown hydroponically.