Barbara Strona
Barbara Strona is a native Californian who grew up in the Mid-West and Los Angeles. She and her architect husband, Carl, came to San Diego in 1968 and have lived in Mission Hills since early 1971. Barbara received a Bachelor of Arts from Scripps College with a major in English, and a minor in Art. She attended UCLA graduate school and received a General Secondary Credential. She taught English in Los Angeles, Pennsylvania, and at Point Loma High School. She has been a Realtor specializing in residential sales since 1984. Her passions include her job, reading, writing, foreign languages and foreign countries, animals (feathered or furry), theatre, and her family: husband, two adult children and two grandsons.
Barbara Strona's Latest Posts
Getting Those Orchids to Bloom Again
In June, Chuck McClung spoke to the Garden Club about orchids. Interested in gardens and gardening since early childhood, McClung received a master’s degree in botany from Washington State University and has worked in ecological and botanical research for several universities as well in commercial greenhouses and nurseries. McClung explained he has over twenty years’ […]
Raised Bed Gardening Options and Tips for Success
In April, Eric Olsen spoke to the Mission Hills Garden Club. Olsen, like Bill Toone, is with High Caliper Growing, based out of Oklahoma City. Olsen has had seven years’ experience dealing with soils, plant sizes, plus how to raise plants in an organic and environmentally friendly pot which lends itself to raised bed gardening, […]
Part 2: Adam Graves with more of the San Diego Zoo’s Horticultural Department
The San Diego Zoo is known for its conservation efforts. Familiarly called “Team Plant,” it is comprised of four sections. First is San Diego Zoo which focuses on research, conservation, direct science, education and outreach. The second section is San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research holding a seed bank with over 550 selections and […]
Adam Graves: Some History on Balboa Park and its Trees. Part 1
In February, Adam Graves, director of the Horticulture Department of the San Diego Zoo and previous manager of the browse program and of the zoo’s team of arborists over the past five years, was our featured speaker. Graves received his B.S. in Biology at UCSD and his master’s at Miami University. He also volunteered at […]
Horticultural History: Kate Sessions’ Lost and Found Gardens of Balboa Park
This winter Nancy Carol Carter, club historian, spoke about three of Kate Sessions’ Gardens while giving us a healthy dose of Balboa Park’s history. The three gardens Kate authored for the Park are the Aloe and Agave Garden, the Cactus Garden and the San Jose Hester Palm Garden (or “grove,” Nancy says, “is more accurate.”) […]
Missing the Seasons and Especially Peonies
Although I have lived in California almost 70 of my 80 years, I am a native Californian and have been a San Diego homeowner since March of 1968. Nevertheless, from 1942 until 1953 I lived in the Midwest: Ohio and Michigan where it may snow as early as late October; I do remember snowstorms in […]
Bill Toone and the Monarch Butterfly
Bill Toone spoke via Zoom to the Garden Club in November. While earning a master’s degree in biology from University of California, Toone began studying the California condors. He was hired by Zoological Society of San Diego and became part of the federally mandated California Condor Recovery Team. His attention was diverted to butterflies when […]
Bill Tall Explains Ways to Help Your Garden Thrive
In September, Mission Hills Garden Club was treated to a delightful presentation by the owner of City Farmers Nursery. Founded by Bill Tall’s father in 1972, Tall is the current owner with his children ready to take up the reins when he retires. Of course, Tall says, “It has never been just a job for […]
Autumn Chores
Spring is not the only time for cleaning; for my family, autumn is more important to take stock. We face fire danger, some flood danger, and maintenance is really important before the appearance of fire or rainy seasons appear. Much of San Diego’s beauty is due to the lush canyons throughout many of its neighborhoods. […]
