It’s such a simple thing to do, and so beautiful. If you’re trimming your fruit trees while they’re in bud, as they are now here in SoCal, keep all those twigs and bring them indoors. Stubby little ones can go in jam jars. Long thin whips in a vase make for instant elegance. They’ll keep blooming for a while. For me, no store-bought cut flower can compare.
 |
| Photo by Anne Hars |
Like Emily Green of the Los Angeles Times I’m a vertical garden skeptic, especially in a dry climate. That being said, artist and master gardener Anne Hars and I found a successful, though unintentional, vertical garden in our neighborhood while walking her dogs yesterday. The plant you see above is growing through a drainage hole (the level of the ground behind the wall is where you see the plant growing). Makes me wonder if this particular design could be done on purpose, given the appropriate context. The plants, in this hypothetical drainage hole garden, could act as biofilters, absorbing excess nutrients and toxins. Slap a trademark on it, form a non-profit and Bob’s your uncle.
Extra points to the person who can i.d. the common weed growing through that drainage hole:
Maybe Anne and I will go back, cross out the gang tags and spray paint the scientific name of the plant once one of you identifies it for us.
It’s official. Mrs. Homegrown is an “extreme housewife” according to this month’s issue of Ladies Home Journal.
 |
Mrs. Homegrown here:
Scored big at Trader Joes yesterday. Love a good dumpster find, almost as much as finding good feral fruit. It looks like they were clearing out their plants and flowers for Valentines Day, because out by the cardboard piles we found a grocery cart heaped full of wilted flowers and random potted mums. (Joes really needs to start a composting program, don’t you think?)
We sorted through the cart and found four potted herbs, only slightly distressed. One was a lemon balm, which I’ve wanted for some time. The others, I admit, I don’t really need (because I already have them), and don’t have any space for–but I’ll squeeze them in somehow. In this way, I’m like a crazy cat woman.
ETA: This morning two complimentary bits of information came in regarding TJ’s and composting. The first came in an email from our friend Anne, a Master Gardener. She tells us that: “Master gardeners encourages gardeners to arrange pick up times with TJ’s for plants. They will tell you when they are putting out the plants so you can get them. Lots of mg’s do this and bring them to various garden projects all around LA county.”
So that’s cool. And then in the comments there’s an anon comment from a TJs employee explaining the issues around composting for the stores, and giving some dumpster diving tips!
 |
| Painting by Kelly Pope |
A brief reminder that our friend Nancy Klehm is coming to Los Angeles to give a series of classes. In addition to the Poo Salon, she’ll be teaching the following:
Weedeater Street Medicine in Los Angeles
February 19th+ 20th,10am – 5pm, $165 for two days; $90 a day
Learn to prepare and use the vast amount of medicinal plants that grow in the street and city lots. We will be exploring the cultivated and the wild plants of our surroundings that are readily available for the making of place based medicines. Each day will be rich with hands-on gathering and preparations, tastings and samplings and grounded with an urbanforage walk. A light foraged lunch and teas will be provided.
Day One
Introduction to basic herbal energetics and actions that includes a two hour urban forage walk. Preparations of medicines used externally: poultices, linaments and salves.
Day Two
Introduction to Plant Spirit Medicine that includes a two hour urban forage walk. Preparations of medicines used internally: infusions, tinctures and flower essences.
$50 holds your space. Registration deadline February 14.
Paypal account: [email protected]
Teaching locations and a short materials list will be given with registration. Questions? [email protected]
www.spontaneousvegetation.net
www.salvationjane.net
