Archive for the 'General Gardening' Category
Thursday, November 8th, 2018
Buenos Aires is home to an extraordinary Japanese garden. El Jardín Japonés de Buenos Aires is one of the largest Japanese gardens outside Japan. It’s located within walking distance of Buenos Aires Botanical Garden. During our visit, the venue was busy with tourists, locals, and groups of school children. It is obviously a much-loved green […]
Categories: Botanical Gardens, General Gardening, Photos
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Sunday, October 28th, 2018
Recently, Dave had a work trip to Buenos Aires, and I was able to come along. Of course, the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden was quickly put on our itinerary. The garden’s full name in Spanish is Jardín Botánico Carlos Thays de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Founded in 1898, it covers 21 acres (7 […]
Categories: Botanical Gardens, General Gardening, Photos
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Sunday, July 8th, 2018
Ruth Bancroft Garden in Walnut Creek, California is packed with incredible cacti and succulents. As my mother-in-law said, “This garden just screams OUCH!” Spines, thorns, and barbs abound, along with stunning flowers, brilliant leaf colors, and striking plant forms. The 2.5 acre (1 hectare) public garden features thousands of drought tolerant plants, from tiny succulents […]
Categories: Books, General Gardening, Photos
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Wednesday, June 6th, 2018
When Dave and I moved to Pacifica a few years ago, our new home had a very sad front lawn, dead but for the weeds. Over time, we’ve put in a garden full of succulent plants and drought-tolerant natives. This spring, it’s full of life, with lots of colorful blooms, and a steady parade of […]
Categories: General Gardening, Photos
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Saturday, May 5th, 2018
The world’s largest glasshouse is open for business again! Plant lovers can once again lose themselves in the newly refurbished Temperate Greenhouse at Kew Gardens in London. The 1863 building has been repaired many times, but this time it was thoroughly modernized. The Temperate Greenhouse dwarfs the nearby Palm House and Princess of Wales Conservatory. Thousands […]
Categories: Botanical Gardens, General Gardening, In the News, Videos
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Monday, November 13th, 2017
Scientists have published a study in Nature that explains why plant diversity discourages insect pests. Damaging insects love monocultures, large areas planted with a single crop, because they conveniently concentrate nutrients in one place. Diverse plantings have less of what they like, so bugs need to work harder in search of food. As a result, […]
Categories: General Gardening, In the News, Problems
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Wednesday, July 5th, 2017
Despite wind, fog, bugs, raccoons, and other gardening obstacles, our backyard in Pacifica is full of blooms for the start of summer. There’s lots of lush growth from our drought-busting winter. Even orchids that like a dry winter dormancy didn’t seem to mind the heavy rains, like the purple Zygo and white Dendrobium in the […]
Categories: Cool Growers, Fragrant Orchids, General Gardening, Photos
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Wednesday, April 26th, 2017
The San Francisco Botanical Garden is bursting with new growth after a rainy winter. Covering about 55 acres (22 hectares) of Golden Gate Park, the garden is always full of life. During a recent visit, there were lots of spring blooms, and everything from tree ferns to giant redwoods were sporting new greenery. Also known […]
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Tuesday, March 28th, 2017
Among the Hawaiian Islands, Kauai is the last refuge for many of the state’s endangered native flora and fauna. They face threats from invasive species, habitat loss, pollution, and climate change. With human help, however, some are recovering and rebounding. During our recent visit, it was a joy to see that many people on the […]
Categories: Conservation, General Gardening, Photos
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Tuesday, March 7th, 2017
There’s much more to Kauai’s wondrous McBryde Garden than its orchids. Here are some more photos from our recent visit, starting with Dave’s incredible picture of two rare Hawaiian Moorhens looking for lunch in a stream. We were told that they are normally very shy birds, but these two didn’t seem to mind us snapping […]
Categories: Botanical Gardens, Conservation, General Gardening, Photos
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