Life Style & Travel

UNITED STATES—Like it or not, the warm season annuals that were so flashy all through spring and summer will eventually need to be replaced with cool season annuals to provide color through winter. It is always unpleasant to pull up the annuals of a previous season while they are still blooming, even if they are already getting scruffy and...

UNITED STATES—Rain is at least as relevant as temperature is to the seasons here. Temperature does not change as much. The warmest of summer weather does not seem to be terribly hot. Low humidity helps. The coolest of winter weather is not too terribly cold. Some local climates lack frost. The difference between dry weather and rainy weather is...

UNITED STATES—California native plants seem like they should be very appropriate for home gardens. In the wild, they require neither irrigation nor maintenance. They are quite satisfied with local climate and soil. Of course, gardening with natives is not so simple. Home gardens are very different from wild ecosystems. Furthermore, wild ecosystems here are very different from wild ecosystems elsewhere....

As long as it gets done well before buds begin to swell late in winter, the meticulous and specialized pruning that deciduous fruit trees and roses require during winter dormancy does not need to be done immediately. Here where the climate is so mild, some roses may still be blooming. The main advantage to getting an early start is...

UNITED STATES—The advertising wiz Bernard Lukasey deftly spurned overtures from Hitler’s people to do work for the Fuhrer. It became a calling card that he had some scruples. On the other hand, Bernie did advise Willy Long, and he later came to rue his undeniable role in the creation of the King of Louisiana. “You have to ditch the bib...

UNITED STATES—‘Jewel Mix’ nasturtium starts out so colorful with various shades of yellow, orange and red, including rich reddish brown and almost white pale yellow. They happily sow their own seed to replace older plants. However, as new plants replace old, the variety of color diminishes. Brown and pale yellow are the first to go. Red then becomes scarce....

UNITED STATES—When I meet an idol back stage it is seldom easy to convey all their work has meant through the eons, how it has filtered through and shaped my life. It happened to me last week in Beverly Hills where Dick Cavett was playing himself in “Hellman v. McCarthy." All through high school I used to have lunch...

UNITED STATES—While they are dormant through winter, deciduous fruit trees require specialized 'dormant pruning.' Exceptions are rare. Most need major pruning that might seem to be excessive. Without such pruning, fruit trees produce more fruit than they can sustain. Excessive fruit is very likely to be of inferior quality, beyond reach, and heavy enough to disfigure limbs. Dormant pruning limits...

UNITED STATES─Sometimes you never know how strong of a person you are mentally until you place yourself in a predicament to prove your willpower. I have been actively working to improve my health since the start of the year, I’ve had hiccups throughout the process, but if there is one thing that I’m good at is when I make...

UNITED STATES—Without color or fragrance of flowers, ferns provide some of the most distinctive foliage in the garden. They do not turn color in autumn. Only a few tree ferns develop sculptural branch structure. Yet, they do their job well, and many are happy to do so in spots that are a bit too shady for other plants. Almost all...