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    The most vital aspect of positive art, easily overlooked in the commercial pursuit, is that it enhances life with functional purpose and integrity.
    In a practical sense, though all may be called art, the most valuable form is in that of the home garden. The benefits of abundant life can hardly be overstated. An intelligent gardener, with worthy basic premise, starts from the windowsills and doors of home, and with ever-increasing order and diversification, enhances the value of space, light, water, even time and all dead or living materials. We are to encourage abundant life and every choice makes a difference
    Being in one's garden, it is easy to forget the world's problems, and even to naively wonder - "Why can't everyone just enjoy nature and be happy?" The pleasure to our senses offers intrigue and joy, that is improved by effort, and sharing of this critical creative outlet. If we live in an apartment, we might only grow sprouts on the windowsill and perhaps hike in the hills, but we are healthier the more we partake with the living and life giving elements, including that of dirt.
     An excessively formal style represents man over-controlling, yet removed from his environment, hurting rather than helping the living realm. Routine gardening is generally void of benefit or improvement, but tends to perceived deterioration with actual deterioration. In a busy fabricated world that caters to ignorance and unnecessary hostility towards life, it is always a relief and a pleasure to be immersed in a diverse natural setting.
     Working with, rather than in spite of our environment, quality of life increases for all while values and choices change. Dawn at home and visiting other gardens and gardeners is favored over staying too late at the bar or T.V. Fresh produce is chosen over unripe, packaged and processed food. Stretching and exercising in a garden is favored over "working out" in the club. Cars are used less for visits to the store, club, even doctor, weekend trips, entertainment and income. Proverbs 24:27 advises: "First get everything ready out of doors, then build your house and home."
    Every garden can improve and fulfill, and every subtle improvement offers further gratification. Following the ways of a true gardeners mentality, the three R's of Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, become four with Restore and enjoy more. When getting into town, many distractions may be found, yet nature does abound. Enjoy life on Earth, rebirth, and mirth. Basic premise and time, and nature are sublime!
     The true gardener is blessed with many surprises - vistas of beauty, moments of joy, lessons, and serenity. These garden gifts demonstrate wondrously the basic premise often missed - that ecology and economy are linked inextricably. It is logical to be eco-logical! Regarding a commercial point of view, a gardener does not work “for a living” - but for the living. The value of fulfillment is priceless.
Published in "Creation Care" Winter 2003 Number 20 (A Christian environmental newsletter)

    March is a good month (any month is) for the very important task of mulching due to an abundance of garden trimmings and weeds. Pruning and cleaning up your garden produces a bounty of coarse mulch materials that may be spread on the ground to keep out the weeds while nurturing the rest of the garden. Longer and drier days make it easier to be in the garden and it is also a time (in Southern California) when the soil begins to dry out with amazing quickness. One very important reason to apply mulch is that it keeps moisture, mixed with air, in the top level of soil. Genesis 2:15 is a biblical mandate to "dress" and "tend" our garden. In a correct version of Genesis 1:28, we are told to replenish the Earth.
    It is common for people to think of mulch as something you buy in a bag that looks very much like compost or planting mix. These types of soil amendments are more like adding dirt than the coarser materials that make better mulch. Coarser material allows air to flow around the base of your plants and is necessary to prevent rotting or unwanted sucker growth.
     Mulch around your plants looks clean and neat, yet it minimizes garden chores such as weeding, watering, and feeding. Your garden looks better while you work less.
    By walking on a loose coarse surface the cracking leaves, twigs, bits of bark, and other materials break into the soil layer and create a better consistency for percolation of water and air into this critical layer. It is much nicer and cleaner for you and your gardener to walk on a layer of leaves, twigs and other natural material, than to walk in dirt. Larger twigs and some branches can be tucked away in more remote areas to provide a sanctuary for beneficial critters.
    Without mulch the dirt is hurt. It is unhealthy for soil to be exposed to sun, wind, and compaction by foot traffic and forcefully applied hose water. This compacted layer also resists absorption of water and very useful nitrogen from the air. Unprotected earth can become dry and crusty. It can blow away as dust in the air or wash away. The beneficial earthworms and soil organisms also suffer and so do your plants. Earthworms need to come out of the soil as it gets waterlogged, and when they surface, they need to find the security and the food that a covering of mulch provides. (Throw coffee grounds into your mulch and worms will be even more prolific).
    Unfortunately, it is a natural inclination to throw nitrogen containing and nutrient generating mulch materials into the trash. It is easy to overlook the immediate availability of pleasing and decorative botanical provisions that can be used to dress up the ground around your plants. Fresh Juniper, Rosemary, and even Ginkgo Biloba leaves are a few examples of very attractive earth covers. We can also use hay, grass clippings, and ground up branches.
     Remember tender seedlings and annuals can be vulnerable to creatures hiding under your mulch. Snails and slugs do not cross over wood ashes, diatomaceous earth, or copper strips. They are attracted to bowls of beer where they go and happily drown. Collect them very early in the morning when they are still coming back from their nocturnal forays.
    Infested leaves may re-infest. Certain leaf residue may be harmful to some other garden plants. Be careful with eucalyptus, pepper and walnut.
    Despite all the clipping, snipping, pruning, and gathering from your garden and gardener, you may still benefit from a truckload of extra mulch. It is ideal to keep from three to seven inches around your established plantings. (If necessary, rodent prevention includes protective barriers and trapping.). Due to many green waste programs there are huge inexpensive bulk mulch supplies available from any landscaper.
    Just as we humans like to shield ourselves from the elements, the earth also likes to be protected. An informed gardener knows that the use of mulch is a very important chore to perform. In Genesis chapter 2 verse 15, we are told to tend and dress the garden. This word dress that is used in some versions refers to mulch. So remove leaves from walkways, drains, and other plant surfaces, but leave the leaves that protect and nourish the soil. Better yet, pile on as much mulch as your yard yields. Bring in some more. Then watch your garden grow.
published as "Mulch for a healthy garden" in Orange County Home on March 2002

    Do you drink coffee? Use used grounds, on your grounds, spread them all around and earthworms will abound. It is a very useful way to benefit the garden. This and growing your own coffee plant are the obvious ways to be a coffee gardener. Additionally, your organic coffee purchase contributes to saving the tropical forests that harbor our birds in the winter.
    Organic coffee is typically grown in shade under a diverse canopy of larger trees that harbor much wildlife. This includes very beautiful and even spectacular bird life including many dozens of migratory species. They return to the United States if they have found a safe place to stay for the winter. Over 150 bird species use organic coffee groves in Latin America alone. There are 95% fewer species of birds in the sun-grown, chemically laden coffee plantations. (Coffee along with tobacco and cotton leads in pesticide use) These plantations, lacking in diversity, are one of the main causes of rainforest destruction in the world, while organic groves help preserve the forests.
    All Coffee grounds are useful in moderate amounts for acidifying your alkaline soil, while adding important nutrients, including nitrogen, sulphur, magnesium and trace minerals. Coffee grounds are especially wonderful because earthworms love to eat them and thereby proliferate.
    Earthworms are great for your garden. Their castings (or excrement) are packaged and sold in great abundance because they reputedly keep whitefly away. The castings also provide readily assimilated nutrients for overall health of the garden. Worms are beneficial for helping percolation of air, water, and nutrients by their tunneling and eating activity.
    Nitrogen is the most purchased nutrient used for fertilizer. Coffee residue is two percent nitrogen. More nitrogen occurs by the aeration and breakdown of soil substances due to earthworms being present.
    Magnesium is essential for plant development. One molecule of magnesium is contained in every particle of chlorophyll. Magnesium is also necessary in order for plants to utilize nitrogen, sulphur and phosphorous. The use of coffee grounds in your vegetable garden adds nutrients to your diet.
    A good, easy way to amend your soil with coffee grounds is by lightly cultivating around your plants, then adding the fresh grounds before covering them with mulch. You can get bags full of coffee grounds from Starbucks. They have a policy and literature promoting use of their leftover grounds by gardeners. Just ask for a bagful after the morning rush. Other coffee shops will also provide this service.
    Caffra robusta and caffra arabica are the botanic names of the very attractive coffee plant. Rich dark green leaves with a season of scented white flowers followed by large clusters of red berries make this plant worth growing even if it is never used for brewing. The berries are sweet to eat. The plant is an exceptional oxygen producer and grows well indoors. It prefers temperatures between 59 and 75 degrees. A greater difference between day and night time temperatures improves flavor of the fruit.
    This weekend, be a good coffee gardener. Have a nice cup of coffee. Then use the energy and used coffee grounds to enhance your own personal outdoors. Having coffee in the garden is a pleasant way to start the day.
The version "Grounds for your grounds" was published in Orange County Home on April 2002

    In suburban gardens, trees should be manicured by thinning at least once a year. A regular manicure is best for long-term manageability and keeps the trees structure sound, while providing balanced light for itself and surrounding areas.
     The trees flowers are easier to see, smell and pick. Uphill neighbors can keep their views and birds stay within your view.
     Keeping a tree scaled down encourages growth that is more apt to provide privacy. Leaves stay on their branches better when there are fewer of them for the roots to feed. There is less shedding, and thereby less noise from blowers and steel rakes.
    Even in the case of trees, bigger is not necessarily better. Proper and regular maintenance cost less in the long run, and beautiful trees increase the value of your home.
    For a knowledgeable tree trimmer, it is discouraging to find a tree that has had all its lower branches cut off by someone standing on the ground with a pole saw. The tree is now difficult to climb. It will grow with too much weight out on its ends, becoming top heavy, and could split to a very low crotch. Lower growth produces limbs that are easier to climb for future pruning. Pruning annually prevents having to use an expensive tree trimmer with chain saws, spiked shoes, and good wages.
    A pair of loppers, a 12" - 20" pruning saw, and a ladder is all that is needed to maintain trees. It is fun, healthy and productive exercise. Just don't get too far out on a limb.
    When deciding where to make the first cut, visually follow the tree up its trunk and look at the crotches. Quickly assess whether any large limbs need to be removed. If no cuts are needed at the lower crotches, then continue to follow looking upward and outward to find which of any two connected branches need to be removed. It is generally better to remove the bigger of two branches where they meet. There should be a gradual downsizing transition. Since your tree is being properly managed and thinned rather than "whacked", you will not be left with unsightly and unhealthy stubs. Such a whacked tree takes years of retraining to recover a good shape, if it ever does. Improper shearing or stubbing of trees and bushes causes unfavorable growth and entire flowering seasons can be lost.
    When using a saw, always cut on the lower and outside of the branch to prevent stripping bark as the branch pulls away. Each cut needs to be lined up with the branch that will remain. When you are finished, the trees branch patterns will be more visible and everything around looks and grows better. The tree still looks natural, not like it just had a bad haircut.
   Pines are best cut at the beginning of winter or in time for holiday decorations. Deciduous trees are best to cut before they leaf out in spring. Avocado and citrus should not have their trunks exposed to the direct sun. Figs bear on new growth, so cutting them back aggressively forces more new growth and more figs. An easy way to determine if a branch is dead is to scratch the bark with your thumbnail, and see if there is any green underneath.
    Economically and ecologically, we need to care for our tree, so that we may see a view of birds being free, in our screen of privacy, extra light for flowers abundantly, and growth of more food ideally. "Money does grow on trees" so please properly see to your trees.
The Version "Pruning for healthy trees" was published in Orange County Home on May 2002

    Irrigation systems can certainly be helpful, however often it is more efficient, less frustrating, and even necessary to use the hose. You avoid the challenge of an irrigation system, improve personal garden experience, and garden more effectively. Many very nice gardens are maintained without an automatic system.
    Automatic systems easily go out of adjustment in coverage of both area and volume. These systems should be thoroughly checked, re-adjusted, and reprogrammed on a regular basis. It is helpful in many situations, to supplement with the hose.
    Too much water is not only wasteful, but encourages weeds, illness, and even death in the garden. Obviously, too little water and your plants could permanently pass the wilting point.     Don"t be afraid to multitask while handwatering. Stretch and peruse. When both hands are needed, one of many types of spray heads may assist, or the hose may be left to flood an area. Once water starts to overflow, go to another area, then return back again to the previously watered area for further penetration.    The need to be attentive when hand watering, causes us to follow and enjoy our gardens more. Watering only where and when needed develops drought tolerance. Careful watering also keeps water from running into the gutters and eventually polluting water resources down stream.
    Watering less often, but more deeply, encourages deeper rooting and drought tolerance. Mulching and trimming also helps plants withstand drought. Our choice of plant material is an important consideration that helps decide how much water we need.
    Some people resort to an automatic system because they don't want to contend with a kinky hose. There are a couple of things to know that are very useful to keep ones hose from kinking. To un-kink a hose, pull it out completely. Twist and turn in the opposite direction that the hose is twisted and kinked into until it is completely straight,
     To prevent kinks, leave a little pressure in the hose when pulling it in or stretching it out. Don't leave this pressure in afterwards. During the heat of the day, your hose could burst.
    Another tactic is to just leave the hose stretched out. Conceal it for aesthetic reasons and to keep it shaded for longevity. A pleasant way to stretch out a hose is to have it end just above or near a large bucket or pond. When the water drips slowly, birds are attracted. A nice bucket with a handful of goldfish (They eat mosquito larvae) and one or more water plants makes a special water feature for very little cost. The bucket can be handy and better to use for watering purposes especially on potted plants. Sitting water looses chlorine and so is favored.
    New thin walled hoses that bounce back into tight coils are kink resistant. Like other hoses they have a stiffer rubber sleeve that protects them where they screw at the faucet and are the most vulnerable to getting kinky.
    Remember hoses are coiled for packaging purposes and for tidiness, but after aesthetics are considered, they do not necessarily need to be coiled at your home garden. Don't let your hose get kinky, and you will have a lasting and pleasant experience.
The version "No more kinked hoses" was published in Orange County Home on July2002

    While doing gardening chores, one will invariably find snails in proliferation, especially wherever there is irrigation in a non-freezing zone. As slow moving as these slimy creatures are, one wouldn't expect them to think, but only to somehow sense shade and moisture. However, slow movement is conducive to thought. A snail, before the approaching sun and especially in the sun, must think carefully about how it will safely hide.

    In a non-violent, but rather experimental mood, I removed a couple of snails and placed them nearby in the sun, one behind the other. I hoped they would go immediately into their shells. To chickens, I give the not so pleasant task of taking life, as I prefer homegrown eggs to escargot.

    Squashing them, to make instant fertilizer, I have managed quite well, but I do not readily choose this rather cruel and disgusting venture. A kinder method, not always appreciated, has been to roll my snails into the street where I hoped they would go into a deep state of rest, before being run over.
    I do realize that snails would prefer to drown in beer. An old bowl or pie tin filled with beer and set into the ground makes a perfect trap. Snail bait is highly toxic, even able to kill little children. Some new products are not as toxic, one of which uses iron phosphate, a fertilizer, as an active ingredient.
    Prevention is always best. Snails will not cross a 1" wide strip of copper. These strips of copper are sold in hobby stores and are used by stained glass artisans.A snail will also not pass over wood ashes or diatomaceous earth, but these ingredients wash away and diatomaceous earth is considered carcinogenic. Racoons, opossums and especially skunks like to eat raw escargot and grubs. Welcome them, but keep the coons out of your fruit trees or fishponds.

    My two snails knew that being on a small porch in the sun was a very vulnerable situation. They were now out to "save their own skin", or in this case their own slime. The rear snail maneuvered quickly. Aggressively, it crawled upon the other to save its own effort and slime. The mounted snail knew immediately that carrying its own weight would increase expenditure of effort and goo by two. With an adept athletic maneuver, the bottom snail made an abrupt turn towards the sun, and dumped the other one. Individual tracks to the shade were now being laid.
    Wanting to see more snail craftiness, I reversed the order and put the snails onto a narrow ledge. The stronger, quicker snail was now behind the free loader, but was not about to be held up in the sun by its nervy companion. This tougher animal, moving forward with great momentum, was able to flip its rival nearly off the ledge, while pulling itself promptly into the shade. That was a quick match, and being so entertained, I decided to try a third scenario.
    This time instead of putting them in a narrow strip of sun next to the shade, they were deposited on a broad open sunny porch. The smarter snail decided to take a little break inside its shell, so as not to be in position for giving any free rides. After a couple of minutes, I took the other snail out of its shady nook, and put it directly in front of the smarter snail that was just starting out and not expecting any hindrance. The battle that ensued was furious. After a slimy battle, they both tired and had to retreat into their shells. Engrossed in a somewhat mischievous attitude, I took them with me to their next dilemma....
    Unable to encounter any chickens or ducks, and behaving oddly in both kindness and cruelty, I decided to deposit them into a situation at the bottom of a garbage can. In the garbage can were a few small chunky construction items, surrounded by an impassable moat of coarse material that looked like cat litter. The coarse material would prevent their tender bodies from getting to the sides of the can and crawling out. I figured they wouldn't have much chance of getting away, and I wouldn't have to squash them. I left them, and went about my business. Before long, I needed to toss another item in the trash and found that a narrow piece of trim had somehow been toppled, thereby providing a bridge and escape route. The snails were gone and undoubtedly eager to slime their way into my garden. They of course would wait for the cover and moisture of night and I would be up early looking for them.

    The moral of the story is - watch out for clever treacherous snails. If you can't get up early to hunt for snails still out and about, put your leftover beer in a throw away tray. If your always away, you may be able to pay, to keep snails away. Remember the copper strip if your on a trip. Instead of snails trails, turn the snail pail into eggs or chicken legs.

    Container gardening offers distinct advantages. Paved areas such as your patio or entry can be beautified with an addition of living art. If plants in your container lose seasonal appeal, or need to have their exposure to sun changed, they can be moved to a better location.
     There are as many different containers and ways to use them as there are ideas conceived and plants available. An old shoe with a cutting from the neighbors overflowing succulent or an individually handcrafted and finely fired pot with a rare fruit tree may be chosen. Many books have been written on the subject. Despite so many possibilities, there are a few methods and some basic understanding that simplify success.
     It is best to use a handful of loose material like broken crockery over the holes in the bottom of pots to aid drainage. Raising pots above the ground with spacers or feet helps drainage and prevents wood decks from rotting. In very rare and carefully tended situations, a plant may survive in a container without holes (such as a glass terrarium with a bed of charcoal).
     The right soil mix may be derived from various sources. A good place to look is under old trees where leaves have decomposed for many years. Fresh green leaves, fallen flowers, coffee grounds, and other fresh organic material can be added in moderate amounts for free nutrients, better drainage and/or improved water holding soil texture. Packaged mixes generally have a lighter-weight mix of sterile soil and are convenient and helpful especially for a top layer free of weed seeds. These commercial products are not necessarily better than the soil in your garden or compost. The need to feed varies according to soil and plants used.
     Many fine specimens are grown in small containers, however smaller outdoor containers dry out easily, especially when they are of unglazed clay exposed to sun and wind. They can be kept watered if regularly attended to, but when soil becomes dry, it becomes more impervious to water. The easiest way to check water content of your pots, especially plastic ones is by checking their weight.
     Dry lightweight containers should be picked up and submerged for a penetrating soak that will last. Filling a bucket or basin with water from the hose is an easy way to start the soaking process. An easier and even better way to do it is using captured rainwater or untreated pond water. A good compromise is to use water that has set for a while.
     Compost tea or soil soup made by soaking a sock full of finished compost or earthworm castings in a bucket of water is a most ideal solution to soak your plants in. Let the filled sock sit in a bucket of water for at least a full day if you can wait.
     Submerge potted plants carefully so that the light soil does not float up. It helps to put a rock, brick or another plant on top to hold it down. When bubbles stop rising, the soak is finished. The plant will now be happier and will accept future water more easily. A layer of soaked sphagnum moss on top of the soil or any other form of a mulch layer helps keep the soil moist.
     A pot full of pretty flowers is more apt to dry out than many other choices. Try something different. Perhaps a mixed variety of succulents in a shallow terracotta pot may be placed on a wrought iron stand or as a centerpiece on an outside table. Succulents are interesting the year around and they are versatile with weather conditions. Though they are more forgiving, they also need to be watered regularly in the warmer months.
     Container plantings can be miniature landscapes and when they are circular, they can be turned and viewed from many different angles. Wiping buttermilk on your old terracotta pots will encourage moss to grow on the sides. Old boats have been planted with vegetables and old wheelbarrows are perfect for flowers. With a basic understanding and so many choices, have some fun with your own choice of containers.
"Creative container gardening" in Orange County Home on August 2002

    Ecological is also economical. You don't have to pay an exorbitant water bill if you plant drought tolerant plants. Instead of ornamentals, maintain food-bearing plants for fresh produce. Save on maintenance bills with a more natural design. The best plant choices have more than one use. For example, the California Walnut is edible, drought tolerant, and attracts birds.

    An informed gardener knows that ecology works harmoniously with economy. Plant selection, overall design and usage are aspects of your landscape that need to be logically planned. Your gardens location and conditions as well as your personal preferences, abilities and desires should be considered. Determine what degree of formality you want in your design and what other priorities compete for space, time and other resources.

    It is enjoyable and easy to attract and feed some wildlife. A small garden in the middle of a highly developed area may not be appropriate for a diverse wildlife sanctuary, but tubular red flowers attract hummingbirds, even in small gardens. Climbing Aloe and Cape Honeysuckle are a couple of the many hummingbird favorites. If cats are not a problem, a source of dripping water is often a delight for a variety of birds. Feeding the very aggressive imported House Sparrows, Starlings, and Pigeons only hurts the native or indigenous bird species. Indigenous plants feed indigenous birds the best.

    A productive food garden will require regular and thoughtful care. The amount of available sunlight is a most important factor. It is wonderful and relatively easy to find a place for a basket of hanging strawberries or to grow fresh sprouts on your windowsill. You can enjoy tasty varieties when you grow your own, as you do not need to select hybrids for packaging purposes. Homegrown plants are not grown at the expense of quality or routinely sprayed with pesticides.

    Low maintenance is a priority for many homeowners. The way to accomplish this is to use drought tolerant plants arranged in a natural manner. Your design can also feed some wild birds, and butterflies. Select plants that can grow naturally without having to be sheared. Unused lawns can be replaced with a variety of groundcovers that give seasonal variety needing only seasonal care. If privacy is needed in a small garden, it may be better to use a pine fence rather than a hedge which needs regular shearing and takes up more space.

    For plants to be truly "eco-logical", it is necessary to be logical in your planting designs as well as in your general garden practices. Use a thick layer of mulch and recycle material from your garden and kitchen. If you really want ecology to prevail, make compost and feed kitchen scraps to an earthworm box or a couple of hens.

    But above all, remember to enjoy your garden.

    Fall is a great time to do many projects in the garden. Shorter, cooler and wetter days provide better growing conditions for planting. In our Mediterranean climate, winter rains encourage growth. Working with the cycles of nature makes your work easier and more successful. Getting a head start before the rains of winter come is beneficial.

    Growing some of your own food is a useful and fulfilling way to benefit from the garden. Food crops in the garden are attractive; they provide superior flavor and nutrition; they make wise use of space; and they can be grown without pesticides.

    Tomatoes are America's favorite garden crop, but only cherry tomatoes continue to produce in cooler weather. The fruiting crops, like tomatoes, squash, peppers, melons, and corn are wonderful garden crops. They need the warmer days of summer, regular water and care to grow well. Fall is a time of harvesting, and it is also a time for planting, especially cool season crops, in Southern California.

    In order to utilize the most sunlight while efficiently and effectively getting the most use of your space, plant at the north end of your garden with the tallest plants first. This approach also prevents trampling smaller plants and gives you the work area necessary for planting the bigger plants. When establishing privacy or a windbreak it is logical to plant from perimeters and inwards.

    A logical way to start is to first prepare your ground. Dig large holes for fruit or nut trees and bury lots of organic amendments. Continue to add amendments in the surrounding area, while setting the grade to prevent water runoff. You are starting with the soil and with the tallest plants first.

    There are many trees to choose from. If your choices are deciduous trees that are sold bare root in winter, you can prepare the area ahead of time and finish planting them at the beginning of the bare root season during December or January. Other trees with the fruit removed, properly trimmed and well watered are ready for planting in fall.

    Nut trees can be the tallest, reaching as high as 80 feet. They need a large yard. Mulberries, avocadoes, and persimmons grow 35 to 40 feet, but these trees as well as mangos, guavas, jujubes, apples, peaches and citrus are available in dwarf varieties that grow to a more manageable size. Regular pruning of your tree crops encourages them to grow plumper produce. Since more sunlight passes through a pruned tree, surrounding areas will be more productive as well.

    Large perennial vines are best planted in the fall or winter to climb up, through, and over various supports including arbors, patio covers, and even trees. Mature crop vines such as chayote, passion fruit, and grape can grow over 40 feet in a season. Vines are cut back in the fall or winter allowing light and space for cool season annuals.

    After larger plant choices are settled, decide where to plant other perennial crops. Since perennial crops should be trimmed in the fall or winter they may not look their most attractive, but it is a good time to plant them. The relative permanence and larger area needed for brambles, herbs, artichokes, asparagus, and special hybrid blueberries give these plants priority over smaller annuals.

    Annual or biannual cool-season crops offer a lot of variety and include the brassica family (cauliflower, broccoli, and brussel sprouts), peas, roots, and leafy vegetables. Lettuces, cabbages, purple chard, and kale are attractive even when planted among flowers or fit under pruned shrubs. Carrot is an ornamental edible with fine textured foliage and flowers something like Queen Anne's Lace. Peas also have attractive flowers. Their fresh sweet taste will tempt you to eat them raw before they make it to the kitchen. Peas and beans take nitrogen from the air and transfer it to the soil.

    When fall ends and winter begins, with pruning finished and every space filled by plants or thick mulch, you and your garden will be completely ready. Your garden will thrive as it starts a new season with superior rainwater and more gentle sun. Just sit back and watch nature take over.

About Gene

Physical: Forgot my age, but it’s generally guessed to be about 10 or more years shy of the actual count. I don't wish to be categorized by my astrological signs either. (5'8-9" 135lbs. Caucasian, brown eyes, hair.)

Marital status: Divorced, 2 sons - Jordan born 1977, Valedictorian Laguna Beach H.S, graduate student at U.C. Davis; Dakota born 1983, highly gifted and awarded student at L.B.H.S., freshman at U.C.S.C. (2002)

Education: Largely self taught; all A's in many related college courses from 3 different colleges; (kept blowing the grade curves and had to get out, answered many college teachers questions); Life Scout, Nature Instructor, and Assistant Senior Patrol Leader in the Boy Scouts of America; travels, books, experience

Teaching: "Flora and Fauna" sessions 2 years at K-4 alternative school in Laguna Beach; "Survival With Plants" at C.A.V.E. Creative Alternative Vocational Exploration, L.B.H.S.; "The Art and Joy of Gardening" 2 years at Saddleback Jr. College extension service; and 2 years at Laguna Beach City Recreation Department; taught beekeeping and composting on "Sprout Acres" tours; "Gardening" to Annelisas private elementary and preschool students; and guest speaker at Orange Coast College.

Other Work Experience: 20+ yrs self-employed as "Green Gene" (landscape clean ups, improvements, consultations, and beekeeping or removal services). A few years total at Green Thumb Nursery, Happy Plants Nursery, and Skip Davis Landscaping.

Other Related Writings: "Ecological Economics For Every1"(52 page booklet 1977); "The Sensual Romantic Garden" (over 5,000 words); "Living Artwork" 4 pages and 40 slides sold to Mother Earth News 1988; "A Tribute For Nimzy" (For the local paper about the goat that traveled in back of my truck). Other garden articles sold include "Give thanks by giving back" "Bible trees for Orange County" "Weeds" "Children in the garden" "Animals in the garden" "Succulents are wonderful" "Tropical fruits for Orange county" "Succeed with seed" "Lush poolside planting" "Lower maintenance for an improved garden" "A strawberry Valentines" "Holiday decor" "Join a garden club" "Details in the garden" "Tips from apartment dwellers" " Herbs....fast, easy, convenient" "Hortense Millers life from the garden" "Quick,easy water features" "Fight a biological war in your garden"" Raise worms with kitchen waste" "Beat the heat" "Make your own mini landscape" "Soak up some knowledge" (using the hose as a tool) "We are a season ahead" "neglected notables" "More and better for less" "Safe exercise in the garden" and more

Hobbies: gardening, beekeeping, hiking, bird watching, jogging, ping pong, surfing, chess, reading, and writing

Travels: Overland from Portugal to India and back - close to 1 year; Hawaiian islands - 4 trips of about 12 weeks total; 2 visits in Belize about 1 month total; Mexico - about 7 weeks; Guatemala about a week; California most frequented state.

Memberships: Audubon Society, California Native Plant Society, Crystal Cove Interpretive Association, Orange County Beekeepers Association, The Nature Conservancy, Laguna Beach "Energy and Environment Committee" and more.

Favorite Activist: Julia Butterfly Hill Favorite Food: green coconuts and other tropical fruit Favorite Novel: Candide Favorite Vacation: snorkeling waterfalls and rainbows

What else do you want to know?