There Are Rules To Hedging
UNITED STATES—All the wrong plants get shorn. Mow, blow and go gardeners are known for shearing everything that they can reach into creepy and unnaturally geometric shapes, usually flared out at the top, and bulging obtrusively into otherwise usable space. Yet, functional formally shorn hedges are passe and almost never shorn properly.
First of all, a formal hedge should be...
In Defense Of “Scottish” (Part 3)
UNITED STATES—I am defiantly and unapologetically “Scottish.” I shop for parking meters that still flash green dots, betokening bonus time. I don’t pinch pennies but I pick them up. Right in the middle of Robertson Blvd. I retrieved two silver Roosevelts, one eye riveted on the traffic, the other one on the coins—a wall-eyed sight I must have presented—the...
Fragrant Flowers Often Lack Color
UNITED STATES—It's presumptuous to believe that all the fancy breeding that is done to enhance the characteristics of flowers necessarily 'improves' them. Breeding only makes flowers more appealing to those who enjoy them in their gardens. Most flowers were already quite efficient for their intended function in their respective natural habitats long before humans started tampering with them. As...
Peanuts, A Healthy Substitute
UNITED STATES—When it comes to eating a snack most people shy away from fruit and vegetables; I mean deep down we all have a sweet tooth that is difficult to keep at bay. If fruits and veggies aren’t your cup of tea, how about trying the good ole peanut. When it comes to nuts, nothing is more famous than...
In Defense Of “Scottish” Part 2
UNITED STATES—There’s a great element of thrift and ingenuity in being Scottish. Witness an archival 1920s Bob Hope joke (I guess “Scottish” humor was hip then). “I went to a Scottish wedding. It was held in a barn. The hens could eat the rice the guests threw after the ceremony.”
Contrary to legend the light in the fridge burns out...
Make Copies Of Favorite Plants
UNITED STATES—Where they grow wild in riparian environments, box elders, willows and cottonwoods are not as clumsy as they seem to be. As the rivers and creeks that they live so close to erode the soil around them, they often become destabilized and fall. Yet, this is actually part of their plan. If their original roots remain somewhat intact,...
In Defense Of “Scottish”
UNITED STATES—A friend of mine told me about his stint as a server at many fêtes at the Playboy Mansion. With an edge of disgust in his voice, he grimly told me how A-list celebrities came and scooped up all the freebies offered. They were shameless about it. Armloads, truckfuls they made off with, to hear my friend tell...
Cold Winters Have Certain Advantages
UNITED STATES—Even in May, damage from the frosts of last winter is still evident among some of the more sensitive plants. Lemon trees and bougainvilleas that have not yet been pruned may still display bare stems protruding above fresher new growth. Some bougainvilleas did not survive. Those that are recovering will bloom later because replacement of foliage is their...
Snacking on Knowledge
UNITED STATES—Just like meals, snack times deserve full devotion and relaxation. Make them sacred. Practice making them free of distractions, which produce distracted coffee-drinking and distracted nibbling. Divided attention splinters satisfaction. But whatever we do intently is by nature more satisfying.
“Snacking on knowledge” is a little treat I hold out for myself right after a snack. It bridges that...
Shade Is Not Always Cool
UNITED STATES—Tall Victorian houses make long shadows. Lower ranch houses make shade with broad eaves. Awkwardly big modern homes shade more of their disproportionately small gardens than the others, especially since they have such tall fences to compensate for their minimal proximity to other homes. Even the sunniest of home gardens have some sort of shade.
Like various architecture, various...