Normally this time of year I’ve pretty much abandoned my outside garden. Yes, you can still garden in California this time of year. But is does get a bit cold and windy and the bones are a bit creaky. Staying inside where it is nice and warm seems much more appealing (even the dog agrees). [...]

Recently there has been some controversy brewing over the claim that one author owns the entire craze associated with black plants. I won’t get into the details here since Fern did such a great job over at Life on the Balcony. The entire back and forth conversation got me thinking about my own book collection [...]

This GBBD is a really good example of the confusion the weather in California causes. Because we have such a warm climate and long growing season, I see things blooming that I would often expect to be done this time of year. For example, the Jarrahdale pumpkin is happily battling the morning glory for control [...]

Ordering plants online can be a risky business. Although I find gardeners as a whole to be a reputable bunch, I’m sad to say that most disreputable growers have always been in the mail order plant side and now online orders. Just as easy as it was to hide behind a PO Box, these less [...]

October was one of those months. And sometimes a girl wants needs some chocolate. I had recently encountered @slochocolate via Twitter and checked out their business website Sweet Earth Chocolates. I was thrilled to find out that they sold Organic & Fair Trade Chocolate. Not only could I satisfy my craving but I could delude [...]

The change of seasons on the Central Coast is a slow, subtle process, but they do change. For the past week or so I’ve notice fall creeping up the hill on my drive to work. The hills would normally be a bit more golden this time of year, but fluke October rains have greened them [...]