Over the past decades, landscape architects have risen to the challenge of creating distinct “children’s gardens” within the boundaries of larger, established public parks and botanical gardens. In our increasingly urban and techno-centric world, we know green space reduces stress [...]
All flowers make us happy when we see them in a beautiful bouquet or growing in the garden, but... few make us smile more than the magical sunflower! At botanic gardens, sunflowers flourish in wildflower meadows and are the perfect [...]
Even though it’s still winter on the calendar, it’s spring in southern California. How do we know? The California poppies have started blooming! These California natives bloom from February until it gets too hot (July?) but the most prolific bloom [...]
The New Year typically gives us a chance to reflect, look back, take stock, assess how we did, and resolve to do better. This past year has brought challenges like never before for all of us. The desire to look [...]
What a fun hour participating in a virtual Town Hall on "Gardening in a Pandemic". Many thanks to Irvine council member, Farrah Khan, for hosting and to Irvine middle schooler, Matthew Changg, who was my co-presenter. We shared the basics [...]
We, gardeners, tend to focus on vegetable gardens, and with good reason - nothing beats the rich taste of homegrown tomatoes and vegetables. But consider the benefits of devoting some space in your vegetable garden to cut flowers - being [...]
Botanical gardens are birding hotspots! Avid birders flock to botanical gardens worldwide eager to catch a glimpse of rare or seasonal specialties. Annual Birding Festivals boost the local economy and engage the community in the need for conservation. We envision [...]
It's time to deck the halls with our favorite holiday plant, the Poinsettia! These colorful plants are native to Mexico where they bloom during December and can grow up to 16 feet tall. Today they are a beautiful symbol of [...]
Living in Southern California can make it hard to realize that it's Fall! The temperatures are still relatively mild and the color changes in our trees are hard to spot. Wouldn't it be great to make fun of fall memories [...]
Wouldn't it be great to have a beautiful setting like botanic gardens at the Great Park to enjoy the twilight hours of August? Gardens are a magical place at sunset to see beautiful gardens transform as the rays of the [...]
