I lobbied hard to name my first daughter after a certain plant genus, not because it was coincidentally the name of a brief college girlfriend, but rather because the name rolls so lavishly off the ...

Q: The magnolia trees that have starting blooming around town look so nice that I think I’d like to plant one, too. Are they hard to grow? This is of a white magnolia bloom just is starting to open.

Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa) grows all over Southern California, especially in San Diego. It is generally planted as an ornamental hedge. Given the dense growth and formidable thorns, it creates an ...

Q. I thought Natal Plum was frost-tender, but I’ve seen it survive several winters where frost occurs regularly. Is there a secret trick to get them to survive the cold? Natal plum (Carissa macrocarpa ...