Welcome Garden Warriors! Hope Gardens can provide you with the guidance, and the muscle, to grow all things organic & sustainable. Garden on, friends!
Happy July! Now is the month to plant those pumpkins for Halloween harvesting. Good for us, pumpkin seeds are relatively cheap and easy to grow. Pumpkins have amazing varieties that are deliciously nutritious to eat and super fun to carve. The presence of pumpkins, and other colorful gourds, announces fall as much as a tree’s […]
Burkard Nurseries in Pasadena is closing its doors. I have only been to this wonderful nursery once or twice but I found the quality of their products and the presentation of plants inspiring. They had mature and well-cared-for specimens, and the staff was friendly and knowledgeable. I appreciate and totally respect the owner’s desire to […]
“Blue skies smilin’ at me Nothin’ but blue skies do I see Bluebirds singin’ a song Nothin’ but blue skies from now on.” Irving Berlin Blueberries are such a wonderful and easy fruit to grow, it will have you singing! Here’s some tips to get the best blueberries you can. Blueberries need sun […]
I am crushed to inform Angelenos that Green Arrow Nursery in North Hills has been sold to developers for apartment buildings. Sperling Nursery last year and now this. I’m heartbroken for the fantastic employees who have worked there 25 plus years. Green Arrow has the most excellent customer service, both friendly and informed. The […]
Holy Lycopene, you guys. There are over 700 tomato cultivars available today. Overwhelming! Picking the healthiest plant is the most important choice of all. Here’s some tips while at the nursery or this weekend’s Tomatomania! Buy a plant with a strong center stalk. Avoid the Charlie Brown plant. Avoid plants that are broken or […]
Hope Gardens Guide to Non-GMO, Non-Monsanto mostly Heirloom Tomatoes 2016 Presently available heirloom tomatoes: Aunt Ruby’s German Green 80 days. Indeterminate. One of the largest green beefsteaks. They have brilliant, neon-green flesh with a strong, sweet, and fruity flavor. This family heirloom from Germany was the winner of the 2003 Heirloom Garden Show’s taste test. […]
Ever want to just try a few seeds without having to run all over creation, hefting giant and expensive seed packs around? Just a few seeds? What harm is there in it? If you have a seed or variety of vegetable you want to try, give me a shout in the comments and I will […]
Using different hardscape materials, clumping bamboo, fountain grass, pittosporum, flax, society garlic, succulents and fountains and sculpture. I think tucking it under an existing tree, the shade adds to the peaceful feeling.
Here’s a list of all the great groundcovers and low-growing plants you can add to your parkway and still get the DWP rebate. Great So Cal Groundcovers
Greetings! At Hope Gardens, the past six months have been an exciting time of growth. The DWP rebate has opened up the possibility of full-scale landscaping to hundreds of people who otherwise would not have considered swapping out their soul-sucking sod for a drought-tolerant, wildlife-attracting paradise. We have had the opportunity to work with […]
Hi all! I know design can seem very daunting so I wanted to share some ideas with you. When placing plants think about groupings, repetition, scale, height and follow the forms of your home and your hardscape. Here in this recent install we use complimentary and contrasting colors with unique heights and shapes. Let’s take […]