My Garden Notebook: October to December
Last October I came home from a trip and noticed a large golden fruit hanging on my Bartlett pear tree. Several years ago, the original tree began to …
Plants: Edible plants
The Life of Dr Francesco Franceschi and his Park (Part II)
Franceschi’s nursery business, the Southern California Acclimatizing Association (SCAA), and his botanical work always required more money than they…
A Gardener’s Notebook: April to June
There’s a gazing ball, one of those mirrored silver orbs, in a vase in the gazebo, put there a long time ago when some project going on elsewhere th…
Seattle’s P-Patch Program
The desire to grow our own food—even for those of us who live in the city—is strong, as evidenced by the potted tomato plant. Like a heat-seeking …
Roots and Shoots, An Intergenerational Garden
It is a warm sunny day in October and the Elizabeth F Gamble Garden in Palo Alto is abuzz with parents pushing strollers, pre-schoolers chasing butter…
Wild Mushrooms
The west coast states are well known for their giant Douglas firs, sequoias, red woods, sugar pines and stately oaks. Much less is known about the p…