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
A Look at the Old Year and Its Blessings
2021 was certainly much better than 2020. First, it allowed us a bit of a respite from the isolation of 2020, especially for those of us who got vaccinated. I, for one, was thrilled. On the date that my vaccinations were deemed effective, I had a cleaning crew clean my entire house! I never expected […]
Trees Are Nature’s Pharmacopeia
Last fall the Mission Hills Garden Club enjoyed a visit to a magnificent garden and a buffet supper at the home of arborist Gary Walker, known as “the Tree Whisperer.” Walker, a man of many talents, has been “involved with nature all my life.” Son of a French mother and a United States citizen father, […]
The Pleasures of Age
For the past few years it seems that I devote one annual column to age. Before this goes to press, I will turn 81. I can honestly say that so far, this seems to be the best year of my life. First, I survived the COVID isolation; in fact, I turned it into a huge […]
Propagation of Bougainvillea
Some of you know that October is my birthday month. And, since we didn’t meet over the summer season, I decided to use this article to chat about what is currently of importance to me. In the late 1960s, San Diego State had climbing bougainvillea cascading down a hill to the parking lot just off […]
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.”) […]
