In Praise of the Hedgerow

...uld function as hedgerows? What if we took out all those lawns and planted native and/or flowering climate-appropriate plants instead? In a somewhat rambling lecture I just gave to a group of Master Gardeners, I sang the praises of that UC study and also linked it to another nice resource, the UC Davis Arboretum Allstar list of plants that look good, provide habitat and don’t need a lot of maintenance. Combine these two resources with a third, Pie...

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Can our landscapes model a vibrant future? Not according to the LA DWP.

...r landscaping, consider consulting one or more of the many brilliant plant people and designers in this city. Call us if you need numbers. Consider using permeable surfaces and contoured landscaping to capture every drop of our rare rainfall and send it down to the thirsty soil. Show us how to use native and Mediterranean plants to make lush landscapes that call in the pollinators. Help us create landscapes we want to walk through and live in. Mod...

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Three California Natives that Double as Culinary Herbs

...ial, government and commercial spaces had climate appropriate landscaping? Native insects, birds and other critters would explode in population. It would be a paradise. It would also be a huge culinary resource. Grow these plants in your garden and you can dodge the controversies of foraging in the wild. Towards that end, I thought I’d look at three easy to grow California natives that look great in a garden and double as culinary herbs. White sag...

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Saturday Tweets: Ascension K-Mart Choppers

...aqknc — Zahra Hirji (@Zhirji28) April 28, 2019 Weed fabric is terrible for plants and soil and nature and….. But in this example don't just settle for wood mulch, put in more plants! https://t.co/6ss5RXrgJv — Benjamin Vogt (@BRVogt) April 28, 2019 "We have to continue organizing against unfair labor practices in architecture… We have to continue organizing outside of architecture, joining in fights for a $15 minimum wage and free public colleg...

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The Virtues of Gerard’s Herbal

...e word “virtue” instead. I propose a revival of this word when we speak of plants. “Use,” like so many other things in our culture, is far too utilitarian. Speaking of the “uses” of plants reminds me of a professor in my music department who, when arriving at a party, asked the department secretary, “who’s the most powerful person in this room?” so that he would not have to “waste” his time with simply enjoying the company of other people. Speakin...

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