Tag: Barb Strona
Who Knew a Talk on Breadfruit Would Be So Interesting?
Mission Hills Garden Club’s last meeting before September featured Ian Cole of San Diego Botanic Garden and formerly with the Breadfruit Institute in Hana, Maui. His focus was managing the world’s largest collection of breadfruit as well as working with farmers and chefs; he was also involved in breadfruit trees and orchards’ propagation studies and […]
Waterwise Edibles
Nan Sterman, February’s Garden Club speaker, wears many hats. She is an author; host, co-producer and co-writer of a television show about San Diego County gardens and habitats; and she has served on several garden-related boards including the San Diego district of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers of which she is a founding member. […]
Part One: Kenya Sojourn
Travel broadens the mind. I disagree. Being in a location with people who have had different experiences, whose way of life is unlike yours, whose physical environment is different from yours is enlightening. Traveling coach by air, to go from point A to point B, is exhausting and annoying. However, the destination can make the […]
To Clean or Not to Clean
What is it about having to clean a house that makes me tired? I suspect it may be my propensity toward procrastination. If I go into the kitchen to clean the stove, oven, fridge, counter tops, sink, floors, etc., I first notice the refrigerator. How can I clean it if I don’t organize it first? […]
Colorado Caper
I tend to make snap decisions about how I feel about places or things, but I often find out I was wrong. Since I skied in Aspen in the late 50s, I assumed Colorado was a place for skiing, period. I never thought of it in terms of anything else. I knew they had wildfires, […]
Water Wise and Water Weary
Over the past few years we have heard more and more about conserving water. I often wonder about the practicality of some of these methods. Some make a great deal of sense. Others sound good but won’t work. Still others are rather bizarre. One of the oddest water-saving methods I’ve heard of is for plants. […]
Successful Gardening with Less Water
Damian Valdez, head urban farmer at San Diego City College, educated the Mission Hills Garden Club about how the Sustainable Urban Agriculture Program, a part of the Life Sciences Department, successfully cuts back on water while still growing lush, healthy plants which are both edible and ornamental. The program teaches students garden design and how […]
Urban Seed
If you were in Old Town until before the end of March, you might have looked across Juan Street just up from La Piñata. You would have seen several shops and a sign that said The Urban Seed. This was the site of the January Garden Club meeting. Here you found an eclectic mixture of […]
On Behalf of Succulents
Jeff Moore, author and succulent nurseryman who spoke to the San Diego Horticultural Society in January, gave a fascinating lecture and slide show about succulents. They are plants which retain moisture for long periods of time (as a good thing). Cacti and succulents fall into this category. Tillandsias (air plants), bromeliads, and even some orchids […]
