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The Greener View: Vegetable Garden Seeds
Q: I was digging around in the back of my refrigerator and found a sealed package with leftover vegetable seeds from last year. There are some that are in the original packaging and some seeds in baggies that I harvested from a few tomatoes and peppers. How do I know if the seeds are still good? I don't want to plant them and not have them grow ...Read more

How a Pasadena gardener worked through the worst January of his life to help open schools
LOS ANGELES — Juan Villegas' community was still burning on the afternoon of Jan. 8. But there was one place he had to get to: Eliot Arts Magnet Academy, his alma mater.
The Pasadena middle school had welcomed Villegas as a 12-year-old from Mexico. It's where he found his footing in a strange new country, connecting with other Latino ...Read more

On Gardening: Fairytrail gardens awaiting you this year
Once all of the polar vortices run their course, I assure you our gardens have the possibility of becoming like a beautiful Fairytrail this year. Some of you no doubt think I just misspelled fairy tale (Microsoft Word does). I am talking about a hot new series of hydrangeas. Those of you in the know may have just gone on alert when I said ...Read more

The Greener View: Easy-To-Grow Orchids
Q: I received a Phalaenopsis orchid as a present last fall, and it is still blooming. I have never tried growing an orchid even though I do have some other house plants. I am wondering what I should do with it this summer when it is warmer outside. Are there other orchids that grow in similar situations that also bloom for a long time?
A: Yes, ...Read more

On Gardening: Double your garden pleasure with two new Superbells
Two new Superbells calibrachoas are hitting the garden centers this year and will forever change your mind on the incorporation of double flowers in your designs. That’s right: Superbells Double Vintage Coral and Double Smitten Pink will win your hearts.
Yours truly had a mental block on double calibrachoas until a few years ago when I had ...Read more

The Greener View: Great Backyard Bird Count
In just a few weeks, winter will be over. Most birds will be happy it is over, too. The typical sparrow or cardinal that comes to a backyard feeder weighs about as much as a quarter. They spend virtually every waking moment looking for food (just like teenagers) and may consume 15% of their body weight on a cold winter's night trying to stay ...Read more

On Gardening: Become the maestro of your garden with agastache
Agastache, also known as anise hyssop and hummingbird mints, needs to be at the top of your list as we rocket toward planting season. Your trusty friend The Garden Guy is here to give you the long and the short (or to be more specific, the short and tall) of these ever-so-important pollinator plants. You will soon become the "maestro" of your ...Read more

The Greener View: American Garden Rose Selections 2025 Winners
The American Garden Rose Selections judges have announced the newest roses to be selected in their testing program. This year, there are an unprecedented nine new winners.
The All-America Rose Selections program ran from 1940 until 2013. The AGRS program began in 2016. If you are looking in a garden catalog and see that a rose was the winner of...Read more