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No Mow & Blows Need Apply

by | Jan 7, 2008 | Uncategorized

How cool is this Craigslist ad? C’mon, Sacramento, where are the companies offering eco-friendly garden maintenance? It’s time! I do hope the homeowners understand that using human-powered tools takes more time and that gardeners will need to be adequately compensated.

Reply to: job-530855537@craigslist.org
Date: 2008-01-06, 8:49PM PST

High quality home in Sacramento seeks environmentally conscientious, skilled gardener to come once a week to mow (push mower), fertilize, trim shrubs, do weed control, rake and keep our gardens looking in tip-top shape. You must have experience in garden care. No mow and blow need apply. Must be dependable and trustworthy. Please reply with details of your experience.

* Location: Sacramento
* Compensation: $200 per month
* Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact this job poster.
* Please, no phone calls about this job!
* Please do not contact job poster about other services, products or commercial interests.

PostingID: 530855537

January lull

by | Jan 3, 2008 | Uncategorized

I haven’t been doing a lot of gardening lately other than ogling my lemons, watching birds, and watching my potted amaryllis grow several inches a day on the kitchen windowsill. Its plump buds are just beginning to open. It was an ‘Apple Blossom’, plucked from the bottom of a nearly empty bin in the plumbing aisle at Emigh Hardware.

A couple years ago, I bought an ‘Apple Blossom’ amaryllis bulb for an aunt at Christmas. At first I thought, “Is this a lame gift? Am I projecting my gardening thing on her?” But then she raved about how it grew, and bloomed, and had several beautiful flowers. That left me wondering why I didn’t buy one for myself. So this year I did. Oh, I thought about gifting it because who wouldn’t want a fabulous amaryllis bulb for Christmas, right? Selfishness… and the rationalization that I could be hit by a bus tomorrow and die an amaryllis virgin… won in the end and I kept it for myself. And, hey, why hasn’t anyone ever given me an amaryllis bulb for Christmas? Now who’s selfish?

There isn’t a lot to do in the garden right now except two important things– pruning my roses and deciduous trees and applying dormant spray to my fruit trees. Not very glamorous, but both must be done. I sort of putzed on the winter veggie garden except for planting a bit lettuce and herbs and chard. I’m kind of sorry because I do enjoy watching my little dogs eat snap peas right off the vine, the little dorks.

I’ve also been experiencing some blog template weirdness and have been perusing the help boards a lot lately. I am trying to add a third column to my blog and in doing so, nuked some of the changes I had made to my template. Oh, I backed it up, but that doesn’t save the stuff in the sidebar. My header is having issues too, so I took it down until I can get the third column up and running. Then I’ll put a header back and do all sorts of other wonderful widgety, hacky stuff. Blogging is too fun. I might be starting a Dreamweaver class this month, so watch out for a revamped, revitalized, reborn gardening website as well in the coming year.

LED Christmas lights

by | Dec 29, 2007 | Uncategorized


(photo from HolidayLEDs.com website)

Saw this news tidbit on SFGate.com. Guess I’m not the only one having a difficult time finding LED lights in stores around Christmas time. Second year in a row for me. Right now might be a good time to buy online from places like HolidayLEDs.com. Ooh, multi-colored mini lights are on sale. Also check out their recycling program!

San Francisco Chronicle

Sacramento Magazine’s Garden Notebook, January, 2008

by | Dec 23, 2007 | Uncategorized

Sadly, I’m neither under 40 nor a Power Player (whatever that is)… but I do happen to be the focus of Sacramento Magazine’s one-page Garden Notebook in the January, 2008 issue.

Garden Notebook is written by Joan Waters, Sac Mag’s new garden writer. She and I chatted about my stock horticultural photography over coffee and cookies in my backyard awhile back. Be sure to check out Joan’s new column, and in case you didn’t catch it, she wrote about backyard birds last month and has covered other topics for Sac Mag in the past.

Click on the photo below for a sampling of January articles.

I scanned the Garden Notebook page and saved it as a JPEG. Click on the photo below to see a larger version. Or you can do what I did and pick up a copy while standing in line with the Christmas hordes at Borders Books, Raley’s, etc.

Oh, and the location was Hortus Botanicus, not Bontanicus. Just a little typo. Ok, and one more correction (i.e. nit pick)… my photos are on a site built for me by Acclaim Images, not built by me. Just had to get that out. I’m a stickler for details.