¡Escandalo! Seedy mixup results in #Jalapeñogate drama across the US

There’s a scandal simmering all across the United States that brings to mind a switched at birth storyline on a steamy soap opera or telenovela.  This scandal, though, isn’t about babies, its about….peppers!  Jalapeño peppers, to be exact. 

The issue, dubbed #Jalapeñogate online, has many home gardeners scratching their heads as to the identity or the issue with the peppers that they planted. You see, instead of those glossy dark green peppers that many are used to putting in their salsas and other favorite spicy dishes, the plants are producing bright yellow peppers. … Continue reading this article “¡Escandalo! Seedy mixup results in #Jalapeñogate drama across the US”

I’m hot! So are my plants!

We are again in the midst of excessive heat events in many parts of the United States. Records were broken for the highest temperatures ever recorded just a few days ago. This is also a time when the days are at their very longest, so high temperatures have large impacts on plants in landscapes.

In 2020 temperatures reached over 120 degrees in Ojai California. This caused immediate impacts to both native and introduced landscape plants.

High temperature can have immediate (acute) and continuing impacts (chronic) on plants.… Continue reading this article “I’m hot! So are my plants!”

Smoke gets in your eyes…and in your garden!

Over the last month, I have seen many stories related to smoke from Canadian wildfires drifting down into the eastern United States, causing muted sunsets as well as terrible air quality. Even my mom up in Michigan told me how bad the air is up there this week and friends in Wisconsin have told me that they can’t go outside without donning N95 masks to cut down on breathing in all the smoke particles. Of course, our readers in the western U.… Continue reading this article “Smoke gets in your eyes…and in your garden!”

A Toast to Agaves

Agaves, those bat pollinated, succulent, strong leaved, slow-growing, xeric- and heat-loving Western Hemisphere plants, are literally the heart of the tequila and mezcal industry. As fascinating as the bat pollinator aspect is we’re going to focus on the how agaves are used to produce liquor.

Image by Jesus Cervantes/Shutterstock


Let’s start with the differences between mezcal and tequila. These include region of origin, plants used and production methods.

We’ll start with regions and plants.

The name “mezcal” comes from the Nahuatl word “mexcalli” which means “oven-cooked agave.”… Continue reading this article “A Toast to Agaves”

Don’t get hosed: exploring the efficiencies of garden and landscape irrigation systems

As many parts of the US face drought or dryer than normal conditions and issues about water availability especially in the western states, many gardeners are reassessing their relationships with plants and irrigation.  Many gardeners, especially in the west, are replacing their lawns and landscape plants with more drought and dry-weather tolerant options.  But there still are times when irrigation might still be necessary, e.g., growing vegetables and fruits, establishing new plants, and more.  Using water efficiently and effectively is key in these situations even when water is available and drought conditions aren’t as prevalent.… Continue reading this article “Don’t get hosed: exploring the efficiencies of garden and landscape irrigation systems”

Buying lady beetles and mantids for your home gardens is probably not the best pest control strategy

Biological control is the use of natural enemies such as predators, parasites/parasitoids, and pathogens of pests in order to suppress or control them. This is a great tool for pest control and we hear about biological control a lot, especially when we talk about IPM (Integrated Pest Management). It usually comes with the classic imagery of a hungry lady beetle (often incorrectly referred to as the lady ”bug”) munching on aphids.

Cartoon of lady beetles munching on aphids by Sara Zimmerman (unearthedcomics.com)
… Continue reading this article “Buying lady beetles and mantids for your home gardens is probably not the best pest control strategy”

People and Plants

In this edition of P&P we’ll be exploring the life of the “Father of Texas Botany”, Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer.

On May 21, 1801, Herr and Frau Lindheimer of Frankfurt, Germany welcomed little blue-eyed Ferdinand to the family. After schooling at the Frankfurt Gymnasium and a Berlin prep school, Ferdinand spent the next 30 years studying at universities in Bonn, Jena, and Wiesbaden.

In 1833, for political reasons, Ferdinand decided it was best for him to leave Germany.… Continue reading this article “People and Plants”

Who has seen the wind?

I saw an article describing an atmospheric phenomenon called the “pneumonia front” this week and it made me start thinking about local kinds of wind and their names. No matter where you live, in the United States or elsewhere in the world, you have wind patterns that are related to your local geography. These winds can affect gardens, especially if they are persistent over time, but I enjoy hearing about the different names for wind too.… Continue reading this article “Who has seen the wind?”

You can have your trees and save water, too!

Cake is good, but so are trees.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user Son of Groucho.

Today’s blog post title is a play on the old saying “you can’t have your cake and eat it too.” In other words, once you’ve eaten the cake, you don’t have it anymore. Likewise, if you have a tree, you’ll need to use a lot of water which might run afoul of water restrictions. Or will it? Today’s post demonstrates that you can have healthy trees AND save water at the same time.… Continue reading this article “You can have your trees and save water, too!”

Crop rotation makes the garden go ’round

You might have heard of the concept of crop rotation, or even have had someone tell you that you should be practicing it in your home garden. But does this practice developed for use on large-scale farm fields work for small-scale home gardening or backyard farming?  And if so how do you even do it? Let’s take a quick look at the practice and learn how you might implement it in your own garden, no matter the size, if it is practical to do so. … Continue reading this article “Crop rotation makes the garden go ’round”