Managing Time in the Garden

So it's Spring and the weather is gorgeous and yet you're still not finding time to get out in the garden? I get it. Check out this article I wrote for the San Diego Union-Tribune on some tips for managing time in the garden.

Are You Coming to the SF Flower & Garden Show?

The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show kicks off today and runs through Sunday. I look forward to the garden show every year and even more so this year because I'm one of the speakers. If you're coming on Thursday, be sure to stop by the Kitchen Garden Stage at 10:30 a.m. for a garden-to-table presentation on growing and preserving citrus. I'll cover the gardening info and my friend Jennifer Altman will tell you all you need to know about preserving citrus with salt and using it in recipes.

The show has lots of other great seminars lined up as well as the always-interesting display gardens. Hope to see you there!

"Grow a Little Fruit Tree" by Ann Ralph

If you're looking for ways to squeeze more fruit trees into your home garden, check out the new book "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" by Ann Ralph. Ann used to work at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery and did really helpful demos on pruning there. She's taken her years of experience with fruit trees and funneled it into her new book to help gardeners see the wisdom of keeping their fruit trees small, i.e., less than 6 feet tall. Check out my review of the book at Gardening Products Review.

Magnolias in Bloom at San Francisco Botanical Garden

I've been so busy with the promotion of my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening, that I'm afraid I let the entire month of January slip by without posting. Have you been making the most of the dry, warm weather we've been having? Have you been gardening?

I have managed to get some time in the garden, but there's still plenty to do. However, I'm hoping that in the next few weeks I'll be able to carve out some time to get to the San Francisco Botanical Garden to enjoy the magnolias in bloom. The Garden, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, has nearly 100 magnolias including 51 species and 33 cultivars. You can pick up a free Magnolia Walk map so you don't miss any of the spectacular trees, or you can go for a docent-led tour. Either way, here are some samples of what you'll see:

Magnolia campbellii. Photo by Bob Gunderson.

Magnolia doltsopa. Photo by James Gaither.

Magnolia campbellii 'Darjeeling'. Photo by Larry Beckerman.

Magnolia campbellii. Photo by Brian Fitzgerald.

 

Magnolia campbellii. Photo by Richard Shewmaker.

 

Magnolia doltsopa. Photo by James Gaither.

Magnolia dawsoniana. Photo by Saxon Holt.

Magnolia doltsopa. Photo by Travis Lange.

Magnolia stellata. Photo by Toto Hartono.

Magnolia campbellii. Photo by Tom Karlo.

Last-Minute Gift Idea for Gardeners: Early-Bird Ticket to the SF Flower & Garden Show!

If you're looking for an easy-to-purchase, totally affordable gift for a Bay Area gardener, may I suggest getting him or her a ticket to the 2015 San Francisco Flower & Garden Show, running March 18 to March 22. You can get a one-day pass to the show for the early-bird price of $17.50 (regular price: $22.00). Tickets are available online or at many Bay Area nurseries.

I'm even more excited than usual about the SF Flower & Garden Show next year because I'll be speaking at the show. On March 19th I'll be doing a garden-to-table seminar about citrus with my friend, chef and culinary instructor Jennifer Altman. We'll talk about growing citrus in your home garden, preserving the fruit, and using preserved citrus in recipes. Buy your tickets now and come see us!

Chatting with Farmer Fred

I had the opportunity to talk with Farmer Fred Hoffman this morning, not once but twice! First on his "Garden Show" on KFBK and then again on "Get Growing with Farmer Fred" on KSTE. We talked first about my new book, California Month-by-Month Gardening: What to Do Each Month to Have a Beautiful Garden All Year, and on the second show we talked about California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening: Plant, Grow, and Eat the Best Edibles for California Garden.

Here's the link for the podcast of the first show. My segment starts around 22:40.

And here's the link for the podcast of the second show. My segment  here starts around 20:45.

Thanks, Fred! It was a fun chat!

Here Are the Winners of the Gardener's Supply Company Giveaway!

Hope you had fun checking out the website for Gardener's Supply Company. The lucky winners--yes, there are actually 5 winners for this giveaway!--who will each receive a set of the LED pinecone lights are: Anonymous (commenter #3), Jennifer57, bluebird23, kansas_krystal, and Katrina. I'll contact each of the winners via email to arrange for shipment of the prize.

If you're still Christmas shopping, you can get free shipping on orders over $50 at Gardener's Supply Company if you place your order by midnight tomorrow night. They have lots of items that make great last-minute gifts for gardeners and garden-lovers.