What I Learned Planting My Native Garden

Are you thinking of replacing your lawn with a native garden? Turning your yard into a native landscape can be a powerful tool in protecting local habitat, saving you money on your water bill and lowering your carbon footprint. It can seem like a daunting challenge: where do you start, how hard is it to…

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HOW-TO: Install a Rain Chain

Rainwater is a precious resource in Los Angeles and the best way to harvest it is to start with your home. Many of our homes have gutters and downspouts installed that direct vital rainwater away from our gardens and directly to the street and storm drains. A great alternative to this is to install a…

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Tips to Share with Your Gardener

As your garden evolves from a typical lawn-centered landscape to one that is more sustainable and appropriate to our southern California climate, it is important that the maintenance of your yard shifts to accommodate the new landscape.  Sometimes this involves working with your gardener to better understand the needs of your garden. Some helpful tips…

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Winter is Here – It’s Time to Plant!

Southern California winter months are the ideal time to install native and climate-appropriate non-native plants into your landscape. In Southern California, it rains in late fall, winter and spring with almost no rain in the summer. Rainfall in December is around 1.75 – 2” increasing to 2.75” in January and then begins to decrease after…

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Soil Maintenance – the Secret to Healthy Plants!

One of the keys to maintaining native and climate-appropriate plants in your sustainable landscape is the health of the soil.  Plant roots utilize and store nutrients in the soil environment, so it is essential that the soil contains what the roots need!    Can’t I Just Add Fertilizer? It is not necessary to spend your…

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A Dirty Recipe for Perfect Soil

One of our recent blogs gave you an idea of why organic soil is better for your plants than dousing your garden with chemicals. Here are the key components of healthy soil, explained: Sand, Silt, and Clay These materials comprise the texture of soil. While the three are comprised of rocks and minerals, they vary in…

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