‘Fracking’ update
USGS map of the Monterey Shale formation doctored by an energy website "OilShaleGas.com." Click on the map to see if you live in "an area of mutual interest."
It’s been an interesting couple of weeks to do with “fracking” or the mining technique more properly called hydraulic fracturing. The Los Angeles Times reports that the oil and gas industry has written the Academy of Motion Pictures attacking the Oscar-nominated documentary “Gasland” as riddled with inaccuracies. T. Boone Pickens appeared on the Daily Show claiming, “I have fracked 3,000 wells in my life” and that “they always say that it contaminates the aquifer. I’ve never seen that happen.” Meanwhile, though the gas industry agreed to discontinue the use of diesel in fracking fluids in 2004, a congressional investigation reported late last month that more than 32 million gallons of it was used anyway. AP reports that fracking is a …
The Dry Garden: Best dressed list
If the view from your front window is a hedge so maimed by years of buzzing that the only option is to buzz it some more, and if you have better things to do with your money than pay yard crews to torture shrubbery, it may be time to dig out that green wall and start over.
But before sharpening the pickax, dream. Dream aloud. There is no better time than February to view California’s native lilac, lemonade berry, coffeeberry, gooseberry and barberry plants, most of which are in full flower at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.
A tour of Southern California’s best native garden in midwinter reveals these shrubs dripping with gold, white, pink and blue flowers. Although the blossoms are admittedly fleeting accessories, they are succeeded by berries.
Apologies for language that sounds like red carpet commentary. It’s unfair to the plants. Click here to keep reading …
Half of February, all of March
The bad news is that almost half of February is missing from the newly updated Dry Garden Events. I was busy and compiling is time-consuming. The good news is what remains of this short month is there. So is March. The programs are first class. If you have an event that is not included that you would like to be noted, do leave a message in the comment box or send details by e-mail to: emily.green [@] mac.com.
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Yikes
After finding something presentable to wear and taking heavy sedation I will be appearing as part of a panel on urban homesteading tomorrow (Thursday) night at the Santa Monica Public Library, 601 Santa Monica Boulevard at 7pm. Growing food at my old garden in central Los Angeles became less of a priority after most of my “free” time was taken up by a local school project. But count me an expert on what food crops survive 1,400 pairs of feet in an unfenced elementary school courtyard. Latterly, a serious return to growing salads, winter greens, stone fruit and citrus at home has come with a move to a house whose garden is a nice slice of an old fruit farm in the San Gabriel foothills. The challenge here is incorporating those crops in a larger garden that is either un-irrigated or strategically hand watered. Other, far more distinguished panelists include …
Arboretum to public: Grade me
The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden, which was given a hard time in these pages, has called in experts to help canvas those who use the garden on what they think are its strengths and weaknesses. To that end, the consultants would like anyone interested to complete the following questionnaire. I strongly urge anyone who cares about horticulture in Southern California to take five minutes to do it.
Of course, the design of the questionnaire may not ultimately drive at the reason there is invariable sprinkler run-off coursing down Baldwin Avenue from the Arboretum, even after rains. The Arboretum is jointly run by the County of Los Angeles and a foundation that keeps a lower profile than a gopher in Antarctica. Missing from the questionnaire is any inquiry about the efficacy of this split leadership. Who among us has even heard of the Los Angeles Arboretum …
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