I have been home for a little over a week now after an amazing three weeks in Myanmar. My favorite region in the world is Southeast Asia and my trip to Myanmar only strengthened my bias. Tourism is in its fledgling years. The history is rich. The scenery unique. The people were some of the most friendly and trust-worthy…
While traveling throughout Myanmar you will find that there are a few trees that are really important to the Burmese people and can be found growing most everywhere we visited. One, of course, is the Thanaka Tree (Limonia acidissima). It is the tree from which Thanaka, which is used by most Burmese women for beauty and cosmetic purposes, is made….
To me there is no better statement-making accent piece that you can put in the garden than stonework. It can range from a natural rock formation to carved stone pots to my personal favorite – stone statues. I have found gnomes, dolphins, turtles and even a carving of Zeus in gardens that I have visited. But for me it…
If all goes well this post will automatically load from a pre-scheduled time right as I am touching down in Yangon, Myanmar. Between trip preparation this week and two days on a plane (thanks to the crossing of the International Dateline) I knew I wouldn’t be motivated to work on this week’s entry much. I had been asked by a few people…
For various reasons I do not like to grow that many fruiting trees in my garden. I do have a nice Red Malaysian Guava, but other than that I choose to avoid fruiting trees. If I do plant a fruiting tree, I like to have a few additional qualities in it past the fruit. Plants in…
Water-soluble fertilizer is not cheap. I currently pay anywhere from $40 to $50 per 25-pound bag. So when my fertigation system malfunctions and wastes an entire 25-pound bag (and who knows how much water), I tend to get pissed. For the third time in two years I have woken up to a surprise the following morning…
When it comes to growing exotic hibiscus there is no better time of the year than right now to see them in bloom. As any gardener who cultivates these beautiful plants in the ground here will tell you, September and October are the best two months for hibiscus in Southern California. By now all the branches you artfully pruned late last…
Well the title says it all. My Brazilian Red Cloak really is going off this year. I believe the hard pruning I did two springs ago and the unseasonably warm weather all year are the main contributing factors. My neighbor even stopped over to ask what that plant was called in my backyard “that looks like it…