Can our landscapes model a vibrant future? Not according to the LA DWP.

July 7, 2014

Garden Design, Gardening, Lawns, Water and Power

.... I believe it used to have a typical sickly lawn in front of it, but last time I was in the neighborhood I saw it had been rejiggered to be a low water use landscape. And that’s good…really…a great idea, guys. But… The new landscape is mostly artificial turf, with a few swathes of D.G. and a strip of purple gravel mulch running along the foundation, and that gravel is studded with strangely trampled looking agave-ish plants, and a couple of rando...

Read…

Your Beekeeping Questions Answered

Mr. Homegrown

July 10, 2014

Animals, Bees

11 Comments

...ush’s advice is well outside mainstream beekeeping. Given the spectacular failures of the big beekeepers in recent years, I think it’s time well past time to look at alternatives....

Read…

Shoemaking workshop in Los Angeles, Oct. 16-19

Mrs. Homegrown

August 12, 2014

Domesticus, Events, How-to

5 Comments

...e’s the official description: You are about to embark on a journey back in time where everyone’s shoes were custom made because they made them for themselves. We will start by making a 3D pattern of our foot and transferring it to the leather you select. Once the upper and sole are attached we move onto turning and hammering, closure and finishing and finally gooping the soles. You will get experience with patterning, cutting, skiving and various...

Read…

CritterCam Reveals Yet More Rats and a Plea to Not Use Poison

Mr. Homegrown

September 5, 2014

Animals

6 Comments

...he weekend. It reveals two rats peeking out from under the shed. It may be time to consider locking up the chicken feed at night. That and a little cleanup behind and around the shed are the only things I feel the need to do. A rant on rat poison Thankfully, the general public can no longer buy d-CON rat poison in California. Unfortunately, professionals still have access to even more toxic chemicals. These poisons have been linked to the recent i...

Read…

Hollywood always gets gardens wrong (I’m talking to you, Maze Runner)

Mrs. Homegrown

September 25, 2014

Thoughtstylings

19 Comments

...my friends. Cloth ivy. The sort used to festoon wedding tables, or is sometimes found creeping dustily along the molding in B&Bs. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to offer a pack of hungry teenage boys a bowl of cooked ivy, much less fake ivy. Now, of course, the intended audience, teenage girls, are NOT looking at the ivy as the hot boy leads discuss their survival problems in the garden. They are, in fact, at this moment, laughing ri...

Read…