Aside from our downy jade, neon cigar flowers and pigheaded birds of paradise, flowers are hard to come by in our yard right now. So we were thrilled when one of our aloe plants sent out a skinny raceme covered in tubular mauve flowers. It's an Aloe...
In a recent post for his Radiolab/NPR blog Krulwich Wonders, Robert Krulwich writes: "Life is short for small creatures, longer in big ones. So algae die sooner than oak trees; elephants live longer than mayflies, but you know that. Here's the surprise: There is a mathematical formula...
This year, Groundhog Day falls on a Saturday, which means you can either toast the spring-embracing skittishness of Punxsutawney Phil or drown your sorrows in smoked porter as you hunker down for six more weeks of winter. Either way, consider it a warmup for the Superbowl. February...
Wildlife differs ferociously from continent to continent, but birdwatchers from here to Melbourne have one creature in common: Strelitzia reginae. We've got a bird of paradise shrub in our yard that blooms twice a year, late fall through winter and late spring through summer. To keep...
✚ Flavorwire, a great place to explore stuff you’ve always wondered about and didn’t even know it, recently ran a story about plant furniture. We’re not talking garden benches here; Asif Khan's Harvest Table (and Harvest Chair!) are actually composed of freeze-dried flowers. Plus there's...
Is it just us, or does the experience of sending flowers feel less like a Hallmark moment and more like buying a used car? We’ve often tried sending our moms $35 bouquets that ended up costing almost 60 bucks at checkout. That’s why we’re digging this...
"What's your favorite tree?" Several trees come to mind including our own Feijoa sellowiana (pineapple guava), but I've had this banyan tree in my mind for almost three years since my 2010 business trip to the Westin Moana Surfrider in Waikiki Beach, Oahu. Planted as a...
One of our favorite things about living here is our proximity to the Self-Realization Fellowship’s meditation gardens. They’re located in Encinitas, aka the yoga capital of the U.S. and the "flower capital of the world." (According to the sign at the town limits.) These two forces...
The quickest way to incur the indignation of your East Coast friends: tell them you’re just now — in January — planting spring bulbs in your Southern California garden. “But we planted ours months ago!” they’ll rage at you on Facebook. Spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils...
You know that first tingle of the flu, when it’s cracking its knuckles and just limbering up to unleash the hurt? When all you want is an injection of Day-Glo vitamin C to the veins? (Whether or not it makes a significant difference?) Tangerine juice...
