My landscaper is recommending a redbud tree in the planter attached to my pool. I asked him if that’s a good tree to plant so close to the pool.
Local Columns
The refuge’s 5,382 protected acres are a year-round desert oasis for wildlife and an important food-and-lodging stop for migratory birds.
A reader asks if he should plant persimmon, Persian mulberry, walnut or pecan. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses.
Soil in the ground stays cooler than containers because extra heat is routed to the surroundings and deeper soil.
A ride along California’s 80-mile Pacific Surfliner train route comes with incomparable ocean views and opportunities to switch up exercise routines in beach towns.
Taking to the trails at Clark County Wetlands Park is good for the heart and mind, and a recently launched mobile app can help with both the exercise and education.
Branch dieback in citrus, particularly lemon, is very confusing. Most likely it is a disease issue called “shoot and twig dieback” of citrus.
Strong winds are particularly damaging in the spring when leaves are new and tender. Strong winds equal increased water lost by plants. The sudden death of leaves right after strong winds signals a need for water.
Privacy shrubs should be tall enough to create the privacy needed but not much taller. Bigger shrubs need more water than smaller shrubs, and they need more maintenance as they get older.
For the most part, limes are harvested green. When limes are harvested too late, they are yellowish, pithy and no longer juicy and light in weight.
Flashes of spring color can be spotted now at Corn Creek in the Desert National Wildlife Refuge, where vibrant winged visitors might include the blue grosbeak, Townsend’s warbler and summer tanager.
The bottle tree you are buying from the nursery — Brachychiton populneum — is not really a bottle tree at all. The true bottle tree (B. ruprestis) is very different from the nursery version because its trunk is truly shaped like a bottle. I
My experience with Mexican petunia is that it grows like a weed, and I consider it the broadleaf version of Bermuda grass, aka devil grass. If it’s contained in an area and prevented from spreading into the landscape, I think it will be OK.
The ground is still warm enough to plant. The magic number for landscape plant root growth is about 50 degrees.
The scenic little town 60 miles northeast of San Diego isn’t necessarily on the way to anywhere, but it’s well worth a visit.
