When life gives you limes...

...make a damn cocktail.

On a rough Saturday, that happened to be the first Saturday of summer, I bought a fresh bottle of Campari, and sat myself out on the porch for a few hours of nothing.  

Just a little oleander from my backyard for you.

Hollywood celebrates its namesake

While the Bird of Paradise is still the official flower of Los Angeles (despite its South African origins), toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) is now being recognized as the official plant of the city.

Photo above by Miguel Vieira/Flickr.

Vega-Tables

Not me.  Yet.

Often when I mention to people that I love to garden, they immediately start talking about their tomato plants or vertical lettuce gardens.  These are areas I have minimal experience in, as I have tended to lean more towards aesthetic or wildlife gardening - flowers, bugs and birds.  I have dabbled in vegetable gardening, even worked on an organic farm in Wisconsin for a summer, but am still daunted by the idea of nurturing a successful, food-producing garden. 

We happen to have a peach tree in our backyard (it really belongs to my landlord).  The birds often get to the peaches before we do, and I asked a gardener friend recently how to save a few peaches for myself.  He had elaborate schemes to keep birds away from the tree, and out of the yard entirely.  I love the birds!  I plant certain things just for the birds!  In fact, the past month or so a family of phoebes has been dining out back every evening.  I don't want them to go away for the sake of a few peaches!  When most gardeners find a tomato worm on their plants, they toss it over the fence.  I cheer it on and tell it how pretty it is. 

But I do love being able to step out back, pick a tomato and toss it into the skillet. Or to chop some young lettuce and drop it in my salad bowl.  There is a sense of freedom that goes along with sustaining yourself from your own backyard.   So this year I have planted a handful of food-bearing plants, and hope that through a little practice and some luck I can eke out some lovely food, and hopefully develop a symbiotic relationship with my wilder neighbors.

Here are some links to some helpful articles on various urban farming practices:

Best tomato cages

Creating a no-dig garden (I've been wanting to try this low-water method for years.  Still haven't.)

Inspiration 

More inspiration

Or just go to a Farmer's Market


Photo above by Gardener's Supply Co.

U.S. Botanical Garden

I was sent to Washington, D.C. last week for a work conference, and squeezed in a quick hour at the Botanical Garden on the mall on my last day.

As soon as I walked into the misty glass house, my blood pressure dropped and my olfactory senses perked up.  Slowly meandering through the exhibits of Jungle, Desert, Rare Orchids and Medicinal Plants, I made notes of plants I already knew, and those I'd like to get to know better. 

Outside, the gardens celebrated the wild, with paths leading through native plantings, bioswales and creative paving.