As an ecologist, who studied California native plants before working in horticulture, Rachel approaches landscape design and maintenance from a holistic perspective, taking into account the overlapping needs of people, plants, and wildlife in urban ecosystems. She is the former director of horticulture and garden operations at Descanso Gardens, in La Cañada, California and is currently focused on teaching and researching in the fields of organic horticulture, rainwater and watershed conservation, and public parks and urban green space planning and management.
Bring in clippings of winter greens such as juniper (Juniperus spp. and cvs., Zones 2–10), toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia, Zones 7–10), and pine (Pinus spp. and cvs., Zones 2–9) to celebrate…
Plant trees, shrubs, and perennials in order to take advantage of California’s limited rainfall. Use your hula hoe to get a jump on weed seeds germinating after the first rains.…
See regional picks for short plants, and read the article by Steve Aitken for even more ideas. “As I began amassing countless short varieties, only some of which worked in…
By midsummer you should be knee-deep in tomatoes, beans, zucchini, and peppers, so it can be hard to remind yourself to shop for seeds for your next season of vegetable…
As temperatures soar, all the grass in the neighborhood begins to brown, and you have to deadhead your flowers a day after they bloom, it feels like you’d do almost…
Bulbs and corms that originate in a Mediterranean climate are some of the best-performing but least-known plants for Southern California. There are hundreds of species of incredible bulbs from California,…
July weather is hot and dry, so why not stay inside with the air-conditioning or a fan and catch up on your indoor gardening? Indoor plants need love too, so…
As the rains end and June gloom rolls by, things start to dry up in the garden, and many of your favorite drought-deciduous native plants, such as ‘Bee’s Bliss’ salvia…
Spring has arrived, and we are on our way to summer, so most gardeners are not thinking about their camellias (Camellia spp. and cvs., Zones 6-10). However, May and June,…
Gardeners love cut flowers. And there is nothing more satisfying than growing your own cut flowers. With the heavy carbon footprint of imported roses, as well as the difficulty in…
Do you really want to delete the list, ?
This won't delete the recipes and articles you've saved, just the list.
This feature has been temporarily disabled during the beta site preview.
Add/Edit a private note for this Author
This note is only visible to you.Double Check
Are you sure you want to delete your notes for this recipe?All Access members get more
Sign up for a free trial and get access to ALL our regional content, plus the rest of the member-only content library.
Already a subscriber? Log in
