April 13, 2026
How to Grow Bottle Gourd (Dudhi / Lauki) in Southern California
Most seed catalogs do not really prepare you for it. They tend to show the more attention-grabbing forms, like the birdhouse gourds. Those can be drie...
Field Notes
Trips, observations, and photo essays
Hikes, garden visits, plant observations, and notes from real places around Southern California.
Hikes and field trips
Outdoor routes and local walks that help build a stronger sense of place.
Places to visit
Browse gardens, parks, and plant-centered places connected to the field notes.
All writing
Essays, growing notes, and older posts while the archive is being reshaped.
Recent Observations
Latest notes
March 28, 2022
Native Demonstration Garden at Old Town San Diego
A park presented by the Kumeyaay, demonstrating the native plants that once dominated the region, and paying tribute to the indiginous population that...
March 26, 2022
Balboa Park California Plant Native Demonstration Garden
Balboa Park hosts a small California Native Plant Demonstration Garden featuring many of San Diego’s native plants that are suitable for home landscap...
February 28, 2022
Fabulous Fabaceae: The Pea Family with Bean, Lentils, Pulses and More
Everything to know about the amazing nitrogen-fixing Fabaceae family.
February 8, 2022
Guide to Growing Citrus in Southern California
If live in a house in Southern California there is about a 50% chance you already own at least one citrus tree. Here is everything you need to know to...
February 1, 2022
Growing and Propagating Yucca Whipplei
“Chaparral Yucca,” “Foothill Yucca,” or “Our Lord’s Candle,” this show-stopping succulent has a fascinating lifecycle and so many uses.
January 26, 2022
Growing Hemp At Home
Hemp is an ancient crop, but there are a lot of myths about it. After about 100 years of oppression, the U.S. finally fully legalized the farming of h...
January 19, 2022
How to Grow an Indigo Plant
Indigo was once a popular natural dye, providing the name to the color. Today it makes for an interesting ornamental plant and acts as a soil builder.
December 27, 2021
California Sagebrush: Artemisia Californica
Calfornia sagebrush is one of the most iconic plants of California chaparral communities, it is extremely drought tolerant, and has great medicinal an...
Field Trips
Places walked and observed
Field Trip
The LA River Pocket Parks in Frogtown
Los Angeles
Because I wanted to see them all in one morning, we drove from one to the next. That worked, but it also made the parks feel more disconnected than they really are. After a few stops, it became clear that these are not really separate attractions. They are small pieces of the LA River bike […]
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Field Trip
The Old LA Zoo
Los Angeles, Los Angeles
A visit to certain parts of Griffith Park are like a visit to ancient ruins, but where “ancient” refers to the middle part of the 20th century. When LA was in its most optimistic phase of growth. The television and movie industry was centered here. That LA charm and magic still remains. Visiting the Old […]
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Field Trip
Monrovia Hillside Reserve
Monrovia, Los Angeles
A simple walking hike with a wide, non-challenging path through the hills above Monrovia. Makes a nice alternative when Canyon Park is closed.
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Field Trip
Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock, Los Angeles
A small day hike easily accessible of the 210 just north of Eagle Rock. The trail is fairly steep, but not especially challenging, and it can be narrow in places. If you want to picnic on the hike, do it before or after your hike at the trailhead where there is a park with picnic tables. Lots of black sage, scrub oak, Lemonade Berry and Sugar Bush and views of the valley.
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