If you cook (or know someone who does), you should grow a few fresh herbs. Here’s a list of those that are easy to grow and thrive in...

This post is really just a list of my personal opinions on what smells wonderful in the garden. You can agree or disagree, but it’ll get...

There was a period in my gardening life when I looked at books and catalogs and lusted after ALL the roses. I was seduced by the...

I’ve been swamped with work for a couple of weeks now, because the seasons are changing, and I have to keep up! It’s time to take out the...

I’ll probably have many posts on this topic – the transition from gardening to professional flower farming. Gardening is something I’ve...

I associate tuberous begonias with California. Tuberous begonias are the ones that look like roses, but come in saturated colors like...

At the end of every month I try to have a post about what happened with our flowers that month. It's as much for me as for my readers,...

The painting above just went to Gallery 24 in Los Gatos. I painted it from real roses in my garden - a variety called Hot Cocoa. I...

I’ve been weeding out photos on my computer and phone, so I thought I’d share some random pics of the garden and flowers in our home....

One day's harvest of my 2020 mums, including Vesuvio, Apricot Alexis, Seaton's Ruby and River City. UPDATED FOR 2025 - WE NOW GROW...

If you want to plant tomatoes, here's my advice: don't get too carried away! Unless you're feeding dozens of people, don't buy more than...

March is a busy month for Northern California gardeners. The weather is getting warmer and the nurseries are full of tempting little...

You don’t need a lot of fancy tools to start gardening, so don’t be tempted by everything you see at the nursery or online. Buy the...

Last week I planted potatoes; March is a good time for planting potatoes here in Northern California. Local nurseries often have...

I’ll start this post by saying that I was trained as a research scientist and my heroes are Linnaeus and Gregor Mendel. Is anyone still...

Bones may be an odd title for a gardening blog post, but if you’re planning a garden, this is important. Bones are the big, permanent...

This was a month for watching and waiting, while things began to unfold. There were many days that were wet, windy and cold. Daffodils...

Most poppies are in the genus Papaver, so they’re closely related. Sometime soon I’m going to write a post about scientific names –...

My garden has always inspired my art, and at this time of year, when the tulips are blooming, it seems like a good time to share a couple...

I’m not an expert on compost, so I’m not going to preach about hot versus cold, worms or starters, how and when to turn your piles....