I’m always on the lookout for hikes that feature our area’s rich California native habitat and wildlife — and Crafton Hill’s Grape Street Trail in Yucaipa provides plenty of that. It’s an intermediate trail that takes you up a not-too-steep hill to nice views [Read more...]
Low-water Yard Attracts People and Wildlife
February 1, 2013 by · 2 Comments
One thing Redlands resident Brenda Wolfe definitely didn’t expect after she converted her former landscape, primarily composed of a not-so-healthy lawn and an oleander hedge, to a low-water one. “I’ve learned I need to close the blinds in the bathroom. I’m not used to having people standing out front. [Read more...]
Seek Local Native Plants for Cold (and Hot) Tolerance
January 19, 2013 by · 2 Comments
“One of the advantages of growing local native plants is that the plants from your immediate vicinity are well adapted to our climate’s yearly fluctuations and can take those rare days with winter low temperatures and high temperatures in the sumners” – Bart O’Brien, RSABG
our agave ‘Blue Flame’, coffee berry, Mexican feather grass and manzanita did well in recent cold snap
Here in California we’ve had some unusally cold weather this January [Read more...]
Favorite Native Plant: Hardy, Dramatic Manzanitas
January 8, 2013 by · Leave a Comment
Manzanitas (arctostaphylos) are one of my favorite native plants. Their reddish bark offers a striking contrast to their green leaves, which look healthy even when temps start soaring. Very drought tolerant, they grow well in the West as long as [Read more...]
Nature Photos of 2012
January 2, 2013 by · 2 Comments
Nature was very talkative in 2012. May we continue to see her beauty and learn her lessons in 2013. Photos below. [Read more...]
Favorite Natives: Western Sycamore
November 10, 2012 by · Leave a Comment
Note: Redlands area residents: Thursday Nov 15 certified arborist Paul Chaney will be speaking to the Redlands Horticulture and Improvement Society’s on ‘The Science of Trees and Proper Tree Care”
Here in Redlands CA, ESRI employs 2000 workers and is a huge presence in our town. With hundreds of sycamore trees dotting ESRI’s campus, the tree is obviously a favorite of the company’s founder, Jack Dangermond. “I like this tree. It makes people feel good when they are around them,” [Read more...]
Favorite So. California Native Plants
October 27, 2012 by · 1 Comment
We had a garden club meeting in my town (Redlands CA) and were lucky to have as our speaker Bart O’Brien from the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) in Claremont. He presented a wonderful talk about California native plants. More importantly, he shared his favorites for our area. These feature good survival rates [Read more...]
