Garden Allies: Birds That Feed in Flight
Feeding on the Wing One of the pleasures of the Sonoma State University campus is a colony of cliff swallows that nest high on the…
Regions: Oregon
Oregon
Out with the Ivy
The process of ripping out the ivy, creating “structure” on the hillside with rocks, logs, and branches, and selecting, placing, planting, and obs…
The Marigold in California
Stop a minute and think about the beautiful marigold. There is nothing more joyous and life enhancing than yellow, golden, bronze, or orange marigolds…
Garden Allies: Soil Microorganisms
Just about every available surface under our feet is covered with life; even the thin film of water that coats soil particles and lines pores in the s…
Garden Allies: True Bugs
When it comes to the world of small insects, we often use "bug" as a catch-all, but the word has a more specific meaning in entomology, referring to j…
Crape Myrtles in Western Oregon
Crape myrtles (Lagerstroemia) offer the powerful triple allure of brilliant flowers (late in the season), beautiful bark, and vivid fall color. Long g…
Kinzy Faire Clematis
One of the specialties of Kinzy Faire, an exceptional and extensive garden in Estacada, Oregon, is its collection of clematis, inspired by Linda Beutl…
Garden Allies: Solitary Bees
Bees played a central role in increasing this biodiversity. Unlike the highly social honey bee, native bees usually live a solitary existence. Solitar…
The Explorer’s Garden: Shrubs and Vines from the Four Corners of the World
The beauty of Dan Hinkley’s writing is that it has matured as his personal aesthetic for plants has grown more defined. The wild world is…