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Cienega Valley - January in a Drought Year
What's wrong with this picture of Cienegas Valley in San Benito County? — It's taken in January, not July!Normally it would be lush along Cienega Valley in January, a chance to see the rolling golden...
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The Best of Times - The Worst of Times
A few days ago, I tried to cancel the order of 2 fruit trees from a nearby nursery. "We don't have a drought," said the nursery manager. "Your garden looks bad because we had a bad frost in...
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Ugly in the Garden
A gardening friend and mentor who moved away a couple years ago recently emailed me to say she was in the area and would like to visit. Lovely! But also — a little like when your mother-in-law...
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The Passion Trap
It's this time of the year again. I'm hearing the happy songs of birds when I ride my bike to work or when I go out into the garden. More visitors come to the baths, and there's a palpable sense of...
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Keying Practice for the Beginner
Ready to rock'n'roll!I love my dissecting microscope! Great for bugs too!I've been feeling the need to justify buying the The Jepson Manual, Vascular Plants of California, Second Edition. $85 for CNPS...
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Huntington Gardens - The Desert Garden
 A few weeks ago, Mr. Mouse and I had the great fortune of being able to take a trip down to Los Angeles. Our initial plan had been to see the Huntington Library and Gardens and the Rancho Santa Ana...
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Japanese and Chinese Garden at the Huntington
Mr. Mouse and I have always had a soft spot for Japanese gardens, and one of my fondest memories is of a week in October that I spent in Kyoto, going to a different garden every day.The Huntington gave...
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Now is the Time for all Good Gardeners to take Cuttings of Chaparral Plants
Yes, winter is when chaparral plants typically wake up and send oodles hormones to their nodes! Those hormones will make leaves and flowers grow - or roots if the node is underground. It also helps to...
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Tree down! - the end of an elegant old madrone
Oh how we are glad of the rain yesterday! - and more coming.Even the power out was great, giving us a lovely evening with the peaceful drumming of rain on the roof, and no electronic devices buzzing or...
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More Amazing Plants at the Huntington
You may recall I visited the amazing Huntingdon a little while ago. My first post focused on the Desert Garden, and this post is to share more amazing plants.I don't usually favor blog posts with lots...
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Entrance garden makeover part 1: weeding, edging, planting one section
BEFOREThe soil in this area is about four inches deep, then hard-pan, and what's in those inches isn't that great. I realized my idea of plants spilling gracefully onto the path was not really...
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Just Add Water
When I left for a two-week vacation on Valentine's day, things looked grim in the garden. With just 2 inches of rain for the rainfall year, or, really since January 2013, even my native plants did not...
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Redwood understory, Redwood Grove planting
I have a lot of gardening to catch you up with. If I spent the hours on my mother's pocket handkerchief garden that I have on our property of late, it would have edging of finest Belgian lace. But my...
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Best Garden Show Ever!
For Ms. Country Mouse and me, going to the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show has become a tradition. We would not want to miss the opportunity to talk to the many wonderful people who come visit the...
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Green Wall Update
In 2010, tired of the bleak wall I was viewing from the kitchen window, I put up several succulent green wall contraption, and I've been quite happy with them over the years (see these posts)....
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A Visit to East Bay Wilds - California Native Plant Nursery
Rainyday shopping at East Bay WildsPete Veilleux lives in the East Bay area (of the San Francisco Bay Area) and his nursery, East Bay Wilds, is in an inner suburb of Oakland. I was excited to plan a...
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Best Time of the Year
Now that we've finally gotten a little rain, many of the plants in the garden are starting to bloom - and a recent bike ride along the Steven's Creek Trail showed many California natives in full...
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Worst time of the year - for weeds! But wait: Toyon seedlings!
This year I'm doing a better job of pulling the Mediterranean weedy grasses in the north valley before they go to seed.Pretty sure this grass is a weed!I resolutely face up-slope towards my target zone...
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Blooming in April
Today is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, and Carol at May Dreams Garden is hosting another show-and-tell party. More importantly, it's only ten days to go until the Going Native Garden Tour will take place...
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How to Replace a Lawn with California Natives (and other drought tolerant...
I so enjoyed being a docent at Town Mouse's lovely garden yesterday (April 26), as part of the Going Native garden tour.Town Mouse in her lovely spring gardenThis year many earnest visitors told me the...
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