Aug 28, 2025
A garden is an artist’s canvas. Brushstrokes of yellow and red, a green background, swipes of light and shadow. The creative effort is personal and satisfying. But like all masterpieces, gardens age and require attention.
You may fancy yourself the Claude Monet of Sacramento gardens, but perfection is fleeting. Plants die. Tastes and styles change. Plants outgrow space. Moving to a new home, you may prefer to paint over the existing canvas.
Fall is for planting. The lavender that inexplicably expired, the long-suffering salvia and bare spots stir anxiety. Nurseries are stocked with choices, so many that plant anxiety manifests uncertainty and inaction.
Jul 26, 2025
Spring gardening begins with excitement and energy. As August arrives, plants and people experience a trial separation in hopes things work out. We choose air conditioning and shady patios when insufferable heat clobbers Sacramento.
It’s not our fault August gardening begats sloth and surrender. Gardens refuse to cooperate, shedding the lush greens of spring for the crispy browns of late summer.
Jun 28, 2025
Sacramentans seem conflicted about the perfect residential landscape. Our preferences range from attempting to control nature with vast lawns and boxwood hedges to creating serene spaces that appear untouched by human hands.
Variations abound, inspired by landscape design choices. Contemporary, modern minimalist, cottage garden, French country, tropical, xeriscape—the menu of artistry and whimsy is abundant.
What nudges us to consider a major renovation, a new look?
May 28, 2025
Foraging for drip irrigation repair parts, I glanced at my primitive gardening tools. Idling in a corner of the garage, the old-timers had weathered wooden handles and scarred cutting surfaces. The digging fork had a bent tine, courtesy of tree root vs. steel.
I was reminded of the evolution of garden maintenance. Gardening tools arrived when a human picked up a tree branch and gouged out a planting furrow. Bone, wood and stone tools were simple but effective. Replacement parts ample and free.
Today, preferred tools are cordless and powered by lithium-ion and nickel-cadmium batteries. Mowers, trimmers and leaf blowers are encased in combinations of plastic, fiberglass, metal and composites. They drain kilowatt hours, like the EVs that share many garages.
Apr 28, 2025
Recently, I made a conscious effort to smell the roses. My gardening had veered into the fast lane, bypassing the fragrant route.
When I discovered a weed, it had to be removed. A lopsided perennial was promptly shape-pruned. Fallen fruit was a sacrilege, immediately gathered and discarded. No time remained to smell roses and admire all things green and growing.
I realized constant maintenance had become more difficult, more exhausting, more unnecessary. Perhaps it’s not all about aging, but the realization that duties can wait and the planet will not suffer mass extinction. Thus, maturity of thought. Coupled with deliberate inaction.
Mar 28, 2025
Surfing Oahu’s Banzai Pipeline or scaling Annapurna’s summit in Nepal are risky. In Sacramento, gardeners chase another perilous pursuit. They attempt to grow plants that confound and defeat even the greatest gardeners.
Like a quart of milk, we purchase these perplexing plants, and, within a short time, they reach their expiration date. Our response is a tortured moan and mounting frustration.
The truth is that some plants are not suited to local growing conditions or are finicky and high maintenance.
