Make every day a beautiful day.
Eye on Life Magazine is a Lifestyle and Literary Magazine. Enjoy articles on gardening, kitchen cooking, poetry, vintage decor, and more.
One of the things that make crape myrtles attractive to gardeners is the fact that they are known to bloom the first year just from planting the seeds. They also grow readily from cuttings and that is usually the way they are cultivated. Young cuttings are simply set out in the fall and often bloom profusely the following summer.
Read MoreIf you were to crush their leaves in your hands you would find a delightful perfume just waiting for your discovery. Your butterfly and insect friends love the bright red, purple and pink flowers. Then there is the sheer beauty of the flowers and the evergreen factor that make this ornamental a must for many gardens.
Read MoreIn terms of ornamental trees, another native California tree to learn to appreciate and plant is the American Torrey Pine tree. As many native California children did back in the 1950s we first studied this tree not for the tree itself, but for its part in feeding the Kumeyaay Tribe of Native American people. They weren’t the only ones who used the fruits of this largely now considered ornamental tree as a primary food source. Generations of early Mexican colonists to coastal regions of California also used the Torrey pine nuts for food. Today, you might find them served in upscale restaurants referred to as piñon nuts. They are very large, hard, but entirely eatable.
Read MoreThe Monterey Pine is as its name suggests native to what is known as the Monterey Peninsula and when found is almost always along the California coast (near and around Monterey and Santa Barbara), extending to the Santa Rosa and Santa Cruz Islands, and Guadalupe Island off lower California. That doesn’t mean that it wasn’t introduced elsewhere along the California coast.
Read More