Results tagged “plants”

I’m not going to wait until one of you gets your compost together to ask me an important question. I’m not going to hear the 4th query on “why do I suck at gardening?” (A: worms hate you). This column needs to be responsive, sure… but let me ask a question that you should be asking: Why do my dahlias have jock itch?

Just like in a recent episode of Weeds, deep within public lands are some major areas prime for cultivating marijuana. Yesterday, local and federal officials eradicated two sites, one in a state park and another on National Park land. Likely to be worth close to $10 million on the street, 2,088 marijuana plants were found in Malibu Creek State Park and another 1421 in Zuma Canyon.

When a bald eagles disappear from the Channel Islands allowing room for Golden Eagles, who eat really cute little foxes, to take over, everyone freaks out (got 20 mins? Watch this amazing short documentary). When a pretty flowering Spanish Broom begins to grow, not many take notice despite it being one of the top invasive and harmful-to-the-ecosystem plants found in the Santa Monica Mountains. Now, that might start to change.

Wakame, which is used in Miso Soup, is a non-native Asian kelp that found its way to the California coast, now possibly threatening the state's marine ecosystem. Scientifically called Undaria pinnatifida, it was first found in Los Angeles around 2000 and began spreading northward and was thought to be stopped near Monterey. Then last May, it was found in San Francisco. The species is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species and scientists are worried it could block sunlight for native marine plants and kelp. "This is not well studied enough, and we're really quite nervous about it getting out in the ecosystem," a scientist told the AP. "It will attach to about anything."

Waiting lists for popular community gardens can be years long, but many have grown weary of waiting. As 21st Century "Victory Gardens" have come into vogue in our yards, in our neighborhoods, at our schools, at our state capitol, and on the White House lawn, many would-be green thumbs want to get their hands dirty and their veggies and flowers growing.

LAist's own Green Thumb is here to help you get into gardening...So, as he says: "Get down on your knees and start planting."

Valley-ites (and anyone else whose toes are tingling with the chill), get ready to crank up the thermostat, bundle up in the blankets, and pour yourselves a hot toddy. According to the Pasadena Star-News, the "National Weather Service has issued a frost advisory for Los Angeles valleys." That means in the wee hours you'd best "take measures to protect plants and pets from freezing temperatures."

Los Angeles is cold. It’s too cold for this Midwestern escapee’s comfort even if it is Christmas. Humbug. Yes, God gave us Jesus and a really great climate in SoCal, so it’s not supposed to freeze. We don’t really freeze that much, but Jesus and a frost show up once or twice. It happens; my Yahoo Weather report says expect the low 30’s. It says Buffalo. It says Dayton.

Guerilla gardening is largely thought to have its roots in England, where folks have long planted unexpected gardens in neglected public spaces as a sort of call to action that highlights the misuse of land and repurposes it into something beautiful. They often work in crews or teams and go on carefully-planned gardening missions. Recently a local team of guerilla gardeners transformed a section of land next to an off-ramp of the 101 Hollywood Freeway.

Last weekend, the homeowners, docents, and designers who are taking part in today's Green Gardens Tour gathered in the beautiful Santa Monica library to talk with each other and to be honored by the tour organizers at a thank you breakfast.

We live in a beautiful part of the world, don't you think? Despite the fact that sometimes it feels like all we ever see are the taillights and inane vanity plates of the car we're stuck behind, if we take some time to check out all the flora and fauna that our soil produces, we might get that nice swift kick in the rear from Mother Nature we didn't even know we needed. On...