Nothing is quite as satisfying in salad as a kiwi, that tart-sweet, fuzzy-skinned fruit from the faraway land of… wait for it… California. That’s right. More often than not, the exotic kiwifruit at your local SoCal market is grown in the San Joaquin...
Flowering vines can sense vibrations from nearby supports and grow toward them — a remarkable adaptation that makes them peerless problem-solvers in the garden. While trees and shrubs demand extensive root systems and thick trunks, vines invest their energy in...
Does the name evoke images of steamy tropical romance? It shouldn’t. “Passion” refers to the Passion of Christ. 17th-century Spanish missionaries in South America saw the flowers as symbols of the crucifixion and named the plant accordingly. Passion...
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...
Imagine a canopy of lush foliage and cascading purple blooms that shelter you from the summer sun and envelop you with their soft perfume. Those fragrant flowers hang from a fast-growing wisteria vine, a hardy plant that can live for over 50 years with proper care. It...
