The gardenia comes from tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and the Pacific Islands. The plant adapts well to Southern California’s benign climate and rewards the attentive gardener with fragrant, creamy white blossoms from late spring through...
Imagine a tea party where only plants are invited. No pinky-pointing socialites. No crumpets and biscuits. The tea is a home-brewed concoction of rotted vegetable matter and water. Sounds delish, right? Only your plants will love it and beg for more. What Is Compost...
The record low temperature in downtown Los Angeles is 28°F (-2°C), set on three occasions. Outlying areas like the San Fernando Valley have seen even colder temperatures — dropping to 18°F (-7.8°C) in 1989. While this may not raise eyebrows in Duluth, Minnesota,...
What kind of banana plant bears flowers but no fruit? A bird of paradise, of course. Yes, that exotic-looking plant in your neighbor’s yard is actually a banana expatriate from South Africa, a country known for bizarrely beautiful flora and large carnivorous...
What’s the showiest flower of them all? It might be the dahlia, with its extravagant and intricate blossoms, extraordinary color variety, and long blooming season. Dahlias are native to Mexico and Central America, where the Aztecs cultivated them for their...
