On the day-to-day, not much thought may be given to the bee. In fact, many, such as myself, may assume that a bee’s sole purpose is to create honey. But in reality, there are 1600 species of bees in California alone—many of which do not create honey, but are vital to the California landscape. The...Read More

The space in which we choose to live, our community, often includes people we rarely connect with naturally; they may not be our close friends or family, but those to which we are just geographically close. These individuals, however, pose pockets of connection that are important to our daily wellbeing, as shown in this study,...Read More

Why plant a rain garden? You might assume that something with the words rain and garden next to each other does not immediately sound feasible for drought-stricken Southern California.  But rain gardens are a form of water harvesting — a way to capture and filter water that would otherwise flow into storm drains and eventually,...Read More

Thinking about integrating natives in to your garden? Go for it! Some of the benefits include: saving water, lowering maintenance, reducing pesticides and creating a wildlife-friendly garden. Native bees and other California pollinators can improve fruit set, and native birds and insects help keep your garden free of mosquitoes and plant-munching bugs. Gardening with natives also...Read More

Experiencing landscapes that have been consciously developed hones our senses and improves our capacity to appreciate good design. Last month I visited a beauty: The Moreland Garden is a hillside property perched high atop the Santa Monica mountains and designed by landscape architect Lisa Gimmy. This private garden was open as part of the Garden...Read More