East Valley Tribune - Outdoors

Fall decorating relies on veggies

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:32:04 -0700

Fall is a busy time for decorating, second only to Christmas, and the period when vegetables are valued more for their beauty than their flavor.

Keep it 'green' while keeping it clean

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:35:19 -0700

As gardeners and weekend warriors, we do so much to create and maintain beautiful spaces. But much of the work includes the use of gasoline-powered equipment such as mowers, blowers and edgers that spew a surprising amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Yardsmart: The cost of unnecessary lawns

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 10:16:49 -0700

The official count is 130 golf courses in and around Palm Springs, Calif. Every fall, the grass on these greens is forced into early dormancy by withholding the water supply. Then the machines come in to scalp the grass down to the roots. Then they overseed a type of fast-growing grass, most likely annual rye, upon the barren surface and water like crazy. Within a week, the course turns green again, followed by copious amounts of fertilization and watering that must be maintained all winter long.

Plant some candy: the pretty marsh mallow

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:20:49 -0700

With harvest season winding down, it's time for dessert. How about some candy, real candy, from the garden? Marshmallows, anyone?

Masters offer composting tips

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:09:31 -0700

Composting is not brain surgery. It is probably easier than you think. You encourage nature to do what it does naturally when leaves and other green material fall to the ground, gather in a pile and then bacteria breaks it down. The earthworms come along and pull the decomposed matter deep into the dirt to condition the soil and feed the plants.

Pebble plants are irresistible

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:00:59 -0700

I think I've hit rock bottom with pebble plants. These finicky plants are basically doomed to failure, but every time the garden center receives a shipment of lithops, lapidarias or fenesterias, I lose all self-control. Those tiny "living stones" are just too cute to pass up at less than $3 a piece.

Grind mesquite seed pods into sweet flour

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:12:53 -0700

Each summer, Dana Helfer of Tucson collects the long, yellowish string-bean-like pods produced by mesquite trees on her property and around her neighborhood. And each fall, she has the sweet-tasting pods ground into flour.

A European village in the suburbs

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:25:31 -0700

MCKINNEY, Texas — From a chapel sitting serenely on a sliver of land jutting out on a lake, to stone homes with red tile roofs clustered on winding lanes, developer Jeff Blackard is working to bring European village life to a Texas suburb.

'Don't Guess. Soil Test'

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:53:53 -0700

You can buy the most attractive plants in the greenhouse or order the best seeds, but they won't produce if your garden lacks nutrients. A soil test is the best way to check growing potential and determine which, if any, fertilizers are needed. It eliminates the guesswork about soil chemistry.

Get a soil test before you start fertilizing

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:49:48 -0700

You won't need a dirt doctor to tell you when the soil in your yard is ailing; the vital signs will be obvious. Turf grass becomes thin and crowded with weeds. Garden vegetables die back. Flowers fade before blooming. Fruit is slow to ripen.

Experts predict color trends

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:52:46 -0700

While you're still deciding where to spend next year's summer vacation, color forecasters have already predicted what color your bathing suit will be for the year. The housing crisis, ongoing war, historic election and economic downturn have combined to shape Americans' color tastes. We're searching for the color equivalent of mac and cheese: safe, traditional and comforting. But the pops of bright colors, from crimson to acid yellow, suggest that we're ultimately hopeful about the future. Neutrals are now, especially in larger purchases like cars, sofas or carpets.

Why are my beans purple, Daddy?

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 16:07:30 -0700

It sure would be hard to explain to any young child why cooking would turn purple beans, such as the variety Royal Burgundy, from purple to green. Which cooking does. You can't respond by just saying, "Anthocyanins, my dear." You may have to wait a few years before offering a thorough answer.

Gorgeous gourds for fall

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:29:16 -0700

"What makes a gourd desirable?" my husband asked, calling from a farmer's roadside stand where I'd sent him in a panic to find pumpkins and gourds for my fall open house. Everyone has her own answer to that question. Some love gourds with traditional shapes and colors of red, buttery yellow and persimmon orange. Others are intrigued by those with unusual shapes and hues, like ghostly white and eerie green-gray. I'm especially fond of gnarly, wart-covered gourds in crazy color combinations.

A history of healing herbs

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:25:38 -0700

I now know you can't judge a book by its cover. I almost managed to overlook my review copy of "Backyard Medicine" by Julie Bruton-Seal and Matthew Seal (Skyhorse Publishing, 2009); however, one evening I sat down to give it a look and was pleasantly surprised to discover a first-class read.

The beautiful redbud's western cousin

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:53:04 -0700

In the driest years in the California foothills, western-redbud leaves change late in the summer. Their beautiful rounded leaves take on tones of a smoky sunset, much like the color of evening skies during fire season. These small trees with their many trunks become vivid fountains of the wild, the only bright spot in seas of gray-green chaparral.

What a little moonlight can do in the garden

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 09:58:55 -0700

“By the light of the silvery moon” is such a fine time to be in the garden. The look is quite different from the garden in daylight, and worth considering when you plan your plots. Even full moonlight bathes the garden with only about one-half-millionth as much light as sunlight.

Discover the magic of ornamentals

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:28:07 -0700

Ornamental grasses are the gateway to a fabulous garden, and they make you see the world in terms of color, form and texture. That is why landscape designers are so addicted to ornamental grasses, which are outstanding in all three of these aspects.

Spending more time and money in the garden

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:01:16 -0700

Retail may be in a drought, but for many garden supply stores, it's been a green season in more ways than one. We're paying a lot more attention to beautifying our own backyards, perhaps because we're traveling less.

Growing Asian vegetables? A glossary of terms

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:48:37 -0700

Asian vegetables are pleasing to the palate, nutritious yet often overlooked as ingredients in American menus. Here is a glossary of some of the most popular Chinese edibles and herbs, and how they might be prepared:

Asian veggies add new flavor to the garden

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:41:06 -0700

Plant an assortment of Asian vegetables in the family garden or in any suitable pot and you’ll be able to stir up an inexpensive batch of fresh, flavorful food easier than you can say “Chinese takeout.”