Category Archives: science
sweat it out
It’s great to see the garden “sweat” again. Whether glistening from morning dew or transpiration, it’s a sight for sore (dry) eyes. The leaves of the tree aloe ‘Goliath’ were a grimy, sooty mess just a few days ago. Hosespray … Continue reading
Posted in climate, Occasional Daily Weather Report, science, succulents
4 Comments
James Griffith @Craig Krull Gallery
Never mind Halloween, it’s been a scary week, and overnight more fires erupted, many much closer to home. Checking the Los Angeles Times for the grim wildfire updates brought some unexpected and sorely needed happy news: “La Brea tar is … Continue reading
Posted in artists, climate, science
3 Comments
low humidity, high winds, pink houses
“The Santa Ana winds were blasting through the streets, bristling and smelling of desert, of white sunlight, of sharp, wiry plants and white rock…A hot madness was enclosing the city.” Kate Braverman, Lithium for Medea (February 5, 1949 – October … Continue reading
Posted in climate, MB Maher, science
6 Comments
letter from sagehen creek field station
(Shirley Watts’ series of symposia entitled Natural Discourse, bringing scientists and artists into botanical gardens to make site-specific work, has taken on an even fiercer urgency seven years after its inception in 2012, as scientists and artists grapple with the … Continue reading
Posted in artists, climate, essay, MB Maher, photography, science
4 Comments
the kids are all right
The kids know what’s at risk. Only the essentials — water, soil, the atmosphere, sea levels and acidification, desertification, mass extinctions, food supply chains. Perhaps widening income inequality is making kids immune to the economic scaremongering arguments of their elders … Continue reading
Posted in climate, science
5 Comments
suburbitat
“Formed in 2001, HPEC has grown into a multifaceted organization that works to create sustainable landscapes, restore native plant communities and provide habitats for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife amid development.” Back in June a bunch of garden bloggers visited … Continue reading
Posted in climate, creatures, design, garden travel, plant nurseries, science
Tagged High Plains Environmental Center
9 Comments
friday clippings 7/12/19; shapes of things
With this July being the 50th anniversary of the moon landing, it’s been nonstop space coverage here at home. I doze off and on, but Marty is absolutely rapt, so I can always quiz him afterwards on what I missed. … Continue reading
Posted in clippings, MB Maher, science
3 Comments
Nigel Dunnett’s Low-Input, High-Impact Landscapes
A few days before he was scheduled to speak at the Huntington on March 19, Nigel Dunnett took a short side trip to experience Southern California’s superbloom. The APLD Greater Los Angeles and Pacific Horticulture Society had invited the Professor … Continue reading
Posted in climate, design, MB Maher, science
10 Comments
homage to the banana
Of Ensete, Musa, and Musella, the three genera of bananas, I’ve grown just one. Above is Musa ‘Siam Ruby’ in more plentiful irrigation times in my garden around 2010 — just like the Dude’s rug, those big leaves really pull … Continue reading
Posted in design, edibles, science
6 Comments
Natural Discourse 2019 Preview Conversation 10/19/18
Where: Wind Tunnel Gallery Art Center College of Design 950 South Raymond Ave, Pasadena When: Friday, October 19, 2018 5 to 7 p.m. free but reservations encouraged The winter aloe bloom season is coming, always a compelling reason to visit … Continue reading