Are You Following Me?

I've been doing some virtual housekeeping (so much less strenuous than the real kind of housekeeping) and making an effort to organize my social media life. You're going to see a lot more activity on this blog than you have in a long time, starting next week. And not just on this blog, but on the other social media channels I participate in. So if you don't want to miss anything, make sure you're following me.

For starters, you can subscribe to this blog to have new posts delivered to your email inbox or through an RSS feed. Just fill out the Follow By Email or Subscribe To boxes in the right-hand column.

And to follow me in other social media, look here:

• On Twitter, you'll find me as @AlamedaGardener.
• On Facebook, you can like California Gardening Books.
• On Pinterest, you can follow my many gardening boards at pinterest.com/alamedagardener/.
• On Google+, follow me at google.com/+ClaireSplan.
• On Instagram, you'll find me as AlamedaGardener.

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The Man Behind the Knock Out Roses

Check out this article in the Washington Post about Will Radler, the amateur rose breeder who developed the Knock Out line of roses. I don't think it's fair to fault the Knock Outs because they don't fave a fragrance (with the exception of the yellow Sunny Knock Out rose). There are plenty of worthwhile flowers that don't have a fragrance, although I admit not many unscented flowers are allowed in my garden. If you ask me, Knock Out roses, with their disease resistance (except for rose rosette disease) and no-deadheading, have earned their popularity.

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Talking About Water-Wise Gardening...

I had a great time visiting the A.K. Smiley Library in Redlands on Monday night to talk about the very hot topic of water-wise gardening. I'll next be crossing the bay to talk about it at the Mill Valley Public Library on Saturday, July 25th at 11:00 a.m. Do you have any questions about low-water gardening and coping with the new water restrictions? Let me know!

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Upcoming Garden Talks in Southern California

Hey, SoCal folks! I'm hitting the road and coming south to do two garden talks next week at libraries in Redlands and Moreno Valley. Here are the details:

Monday, July 13th, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Water-Wise Gardening 2.0

As California’s drought drags on, we’re now living under new, much more challenging water restrictions. Come and learn how you can meet the challenges presented by those new restrictions and still keep your garden going. We'll discuss watering techniques, drought-tolerant plants and hydrozoning, lawn alternatives, and more. 

A.K. Smiley Public Library

125 W. Vine Street

Redlands

(909) 798-7565

Tuesday, July 14th, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
California Month-by-Month Gardening

Learn how to plan, plant, care for, water, fertilize and troubleshoot your garden every month of the year.

Moreno Valley Public Library

25480 Alessandro Blvd.

Moreno Valley

(951) 413-3880

The talks are free and I'll have books for sale at the end of each talk.

Hope to see you there!

Photo credit: M Kasahara

Sign Up for "Time in the Garden"

I have long wanted to start a monthly newsletter about gardening but somehow or another, it kept getting moved to the bottom of my to-do list. But no more. This is the month that I'll be launching my newsletter, "Time in the Garden with Claire Splan"! Here's what you'll get if you subscribe:

• A monthly to-do list for your California garden
• Tips on saving time on gardening tasks
• Links to helpful reviews of new gardening products and books
• Recipes for your home-grown fruits and veggies
• News and ideas to try out in your own garden

It's free, of course! And no spam, ever--I promise! Click here to sign up.

California Month-by-Month Gardening Wins Award!

Great news to share! California Month-by-Month Gardening has received a Silver Award in the Garden Writers Association Media Awards Program! Judges said "If I lived in California I'd want this book. I'm not generally a fan of month by month guides, but this one has tons of great information and very useful, and clear, photography" and "Friendly tone. Consistent and easy-to-follow sections." Have you ordered your copy yet?

Water-Wise Gardening 2.0

Bay Area folks: Bring your brown-bag lunch and come join me tomorrow, June 8th, at 12:30 p.m. at the Albany Public Library (1247 Marin Avenue) for a talk on "Water-Wise Gardening 2.0." With the new water restrictions in California, we need to employ every water strategy possible to keep our gardens happy and healthy. A few of the topics I'll cover include mulching, hydrozoning, lawn elimination, and keyhole gardens. Come join us!