Variety is the Spice of Life Growing Philodendrons By Neil Moran There are two types of philodendrons, the climbers and nonclimbers. The climbers need strong support as they grow upward, like a trellis, or a moss-covered stake in a flower pot. The sweetheart plant, aka, heart-leaf philodendron, is one such climber and can survive [...]
Full Story »Gifts for the Gardener
Gifts for the Gardener By Neil Moran For the Bay Area gardener, it’s once again time to look forward to next year when we grow our best garden ever, right? To do so you need the right tools. I contacted a few gardening friends, including a couple of experts, to see what they would [...]
Full Story »Poplars to Become More Popular
Poplars to Become More Popular By Neil Moran Plants never cease to amaze me. And one amazing plant may be growing right in your backyard. Poplar trees, which are included in the populus species, include aspen, poplars and cottonwoods. While perhaps not one of the most sought-after trees for ornamental purposes (although [...]
Full Story »Don’t Fill the Garden Without Checking on New Varieties
Don’t Fill the Garden without Checking on New Varieties by Mick Rood If you are getting ready to fill some holes in your fruit and vegetable garden or you haven’t yet planted some of your warm weather crops, why not try something new? Every year the seed companies try to come up with new varieties [...]
Full Story »Gardening the Natural Way
Gardening the Natural Way By Neil Moran For some of you savvy seniors, gardening organically may be old hat. Like me, you may have learned how to do it in the ‘60s or ‘70s. For others it may seem like a mysterious, daunting thing like learning basket weaving or chess. Actually, it’s not that hard [...]
Full Story »The Buzz on the Bay’s Bees
The Buzz on the Bay’s Bees By Edree Hovey The quiet buzz of bees can be counted on to fill the air of our warm, lazy days of summer. It’s a comforting sound that we hope will be part of our world for generations to come. But if the die-off continues at its current rate, [...]
Full Story »That’s a Load of Manure!
What a Load of Manure! By Melissa Conroy Some enterprising soul discovered long ago that the manure animals so generously produce make soil rich, fertile and perfect for growing crops. People have been using manure to fertilize their fields and gardens for thousands of years, and even today many gardeners eagerly visit their local stable [...]
Full Story »Cut Flowers: Create the Mood with Innovative Containers
CUT FLOWERS: CREATE THE MOOD WITH INNOVATIVE CONTAINERS By Louise Whiteside It’s a special occasion, maybe your birthday or an anniversary. When answering the door, you’re handed a long, rectangular box by a delivery man. The perfumed scent emanating from the box nearly stops your breath. You open the box to discover a dozen deep [...]
Full Story »Bird is the Word
Bird is the Word! Add Beauty to Your Backyard by Attracting Birds to Visit By Leah Lancione Birds add beauty and excitement to an outdoor landscape with their distinctive chirps and songs and colorful feathers. During the late winter and early spring these small creatures need help from you when food is scarce. By taking [...]
Full Story »They’re Baaaack
They’re Baaaaaack! Stink Bugs Take Up Residence in the Bay Area By Penelope Folsom Bugs! Admit it. Like many others in the mid-Atlantic states, you may have noticed stink bugs. And they’re everywhere. Where did these little stinkers come from and why are they in your home? Apparently they arrived here in the 1990s [...]
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