There aren’t many waterwise summer blooming bulbs for Southern California’s hot and dry climate.  Most waterwise bulbs bloom in spring here, then go dormant.  But there are a few that bloom in summer with a very little irrigation, and an extraordinary few that bloom with no irri

— Nan Sterman Plumeria are fragrant, flowering shrubs that are easy to grow in frost-free, water-wise gardens. Most people associate Plumeria with Hawaii but that’s not their native homeland. Where is their native habitat? Watch our show, Intoxicating Plumeria to find out.

March in the Garden Get Ready for Spring — Nan Sterman March is such a busy month for gardeners. There’s so much to see, so much to learn, and so much to do. Where to begin? Here’s my list for getting your garden ready for the months ahead. Edibles Start your home ve

  — Nan Sterman (Continued from last week’s blog) How to attract pollinators to your garden Water, habitat and food are the basics for attracting pollinators into your garden. Water Offer pollinators a constant drip or a shallow dish of water or water in a birdbath. A

— Nan Sterman It’s emerald green. It’s soft underfoot. It smells great when it’s cut. It’s fun to play on. There are many reasons to like grass, but there are also reasons not to have a lawn in your garden. How grass lawns got here Lawns are new to California. They arrived durin

— Nan Sterman How often a gardener sends me a photo, asking me if the bug in the picture is a “good bug” or a “bad bug.” Most people assume  every bug is bad but the truth is, most of the insects in our gardens are “good,” or at least, they aren’t “bad.” In my garden, this is an

— By Nan Sterman Poinsettia season is upon us!  Growers ship out the bright red and soft yellow colored plants every day, sending them to nurseries and garden centers across the country. Thanks to late Encinitan Paul Ecke Jr., poinsettias are the plants we mostly closely associa

Can you imagine what its like to stand in a greenhouse of gerbera flowers in full bloom?  Its like standing in a confetti factory.  You are surrounded in big, bright blooms in a riot of tangerine, raspberry, cantaloupe, ruby, watermelon, lemon yellow, pale white, and coral. At Dramm &

Three days ago it was winter.  Today its spring.  Funny how the seasons change, seemingly overnight.  Its not just the temperature that tells me its spring, the colorful flowers announce it as well. Here’s what’s blooming today: Purple Babiana (baboon flowers), Bright chartreuse Eupho