They popped up out of nowhere. Our grape hyacinth flowers (Muscari armeniacum) have begun to rear their heads — or rather, skinny green arms. Last night we spotted their stiff, simple leaves sprouting from our flower bed, in spite of our being California bulb-planting procrastinators and...

Scent-wise, white flowers are like the older, more, um, experienced sisters of the floral world. Their fragrance is sweet but with an extra fleshy note, evident in the sultry auras of tuberose, gardenia and jasmine. The scent just feels extra…familiar. This quality comes from indole, an...

A quick follow-up to our outdoor theater/rosemary trimming story. Right around sunset here on the West Coast, we pulled down the screen, fired up the HD projector, and watched the Oscars in our yard. Our propane-fueled Robot Heater kept us warm, as did Adele's world-wise...

A rosemary hedge says you've planned your garden for years. Besides freshening up the pasta sauce to turn around an afterthought dinner, your hedge will fend off insects and make the breeze smell like bread. Our Tuscan blue rosemary is surviving well in our lime-rich...