If you’re already thinking about fall color in your garden, I can’t recommend California fuchsia (Epilobium canum) enough. Its tubular bright red and orange flowers bloom in autumn and unfailingly attract hungry hummingbirds, while its soft silvery foliage looks nice all year round. And best news of all for us balcony gardeners: it thrives in…
Category: Fall
How to Harvest and Dry Your Own Herbs the Lazy Way
Few edible plants give you as much bang for your buck as herbs. They brighten up spring and summer when fresh and, with a very small investment of time and effort, can be dried for year-round enjoyment. As summer winds down and my herbs stop growing as vigorously, I harvest them all. Dried herbs have…
Why October 1st is Gardening New Year
Happy October 1st! Despite the Bay Area’s warm temperatures, it’s really starting to feel like fall. The days are noticeably shorter and there’s a subtle, spicy scent in the air. As summer winds down, we gardeners in the Western Hemisphere reflect on the growing season and start scheming for the next one. It’s Gardening New Year….
Rats Have Invaded My Balcony
I was set to have a bumper olive crop this year. When I came back from vacation in August to a mix of successes and failures on the balcony, my olive tree’s abundant fruits consoled me. Fast forward one month, and every single one of those olives has been eaten by rats. Signs of rat activity…
How & Why to Take Cuttings of Perennials in Containers
Perennial plants grown in pots have a problem: sooner or later, their roots will run out of room. And you, the container gardener, have a related problem: limited space for large pots on your balcony or patio. But when your beloved perennials outgrow their pots, it doesn’t have to be the end. In this step-by-step…