Bread and Roses

...o I’d appreciate your opinions about ways to make our roses more healthy and vigorous. The soil they are planted in leaves a lot to be desired and I’m very confused about watering needs. I’m also open to suggestions from readers about interesting rose varieties either climbing or bush....

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The Great Water Conservation Grift

...rationing in cities. Here in Los Angeles we’ve all been asked to restrict watering to two days a week. There’s no doubt that we’d all benefit from ditching lawns in favor of native and low-water landscapes. However, I believe these calls for household water conservation are a kind of misdirection from what’s really going on. In short, we as individuals are being blamed for a water shortage that would be better attributed to a class of Central Val...

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Weekend Linkages: Towards a DIY Spring

...When public transportation took you to the mountains in SoCal. Image: Library of Congress. Jumping the Gap: Where Green Transphobia Leads DIY smart watering system Easy Way to Clean Gutters AI pizza ad Kim Gordon Denies Getting Bit By A Coyote At Whole Foods H.P. Lovecraft’s Completely Normal Obsession with Cats...

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Reader Favorite California Native: Ceanothus

...But getting it established can be tricky. The most common mistake is over-watering during the summer months and planting in overly fertile soil. We didn’t over-water, so how we manged to kill three of them is a Root Simple gardening mystery. That said, many of our neighbors have had no problems with Ceanothus. If you have a well drained sunny spot, it’s a good bet. I’m particularly fond of the short sprawling varieties such as Ceanothus thyrsiflo...

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