Meet the Helix Water District's WaterSmart Landscape 2022 Winner!

The little La Mesa street where kindergarten teacher Nick Noinov and his family live is filled with lovely front yards, but only his is the 2022 Helix Water District’s WaterSmart Landscape contest winner—and you can understand why when you take in the lush array of succulents he planted over the past 20-plus years. You can check out this colorful and texturally intriguing landscape, punctuated with Melaleuca and Caribbean copper trees, plus three plant-filled wheelbarrows in my new story on these local competitions in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home & Garden section. And take in his useful tips!

New Posts for New Client, Roger's Gardens

I’m so delighted to be writing for the magnificent Roger’s Gardens in Orange County. I’m contributing posts to their blog, mostly focused on the intersection of gardening and cooking/food. My first two posts are now live. The first is about Kishu mandarins and includes my recipe for Candied Kishus with cinnamon.

The second post is about Meyer lemons, which I adore and grow in my garden. Here I’ve included my recipe for Meyer Lemon Chicken with Artichoke Hearts, a favorite of mine. With both you’ll learn about their history, how they grow, and many ways to enjoy them! I also did the photography for both posts.

La Jolla Condo Brightens UP

As a family evolves, so too, does their home — even a vacation home. When a Mexico City couple bought their 3,495-square-foot condo with three bedrooms and 3 ½ bathrooms in the Muirlands area of La Jolla in 2010, their young family had much different needs from today. Now, with a teenage son and daughter, the couple could tack toward a more sophisticated, lighter look with plenty of light fabrics. My latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Hot Property Estates real estate magazine digs into how South Harlow Interiors designer/project manager Katie Porter transformed a once dark, classic traditional home into an earthy, organic and modern family getaway.

Escondido WaterSmart Makeover Winner Creates Butterfly Haven

In 85-year-old Jeanne Reutlinger’s world, gardening is an act of collaboration with friends and neighbors — meaning you don’t need much of a budget at all to create a prize-winning front yard. In Reutlinger’s case, her garden is the 2022 WaterSmart Landscape Contest winner for the city of Escondido’s water district. Over three years, with some help from her daughter and grandson and the generosity of neighbors and friends from whom she gathered seeds and clippings—and was gifted with some plants—Reutlinger established a front yard habitat that attracts birds and butterflies—so many butterflies! Read how she undertook this project and get her low-water gardening tips in my new story for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

New Story and Two New Clients!

You never know where your next gigs will come from. In January I got news from the gorgeous Roger’s Gardens in Orange County that they’d like me to start writing blog posts for them. I just turned in my first two: one on Meyer Lemon trees and the other on Kishu mandarins. I also did the photography.

Around the same time, the editor of a young Coronado magazine, Coronado 365, gave me my first assignment.

Photo by Hayne Palmer IV for The San Diego Union-Tribune

Now for the story. Despite my being a Valentine’s Day grinch, I do love the edible bling—and what’s got more bling than Paris macarons? They’re sweet, but not too sweet, and crunchy and gooey. They make you feel très élégant even as the bite you take utterly ravages them. So, how about making them yourself for your Valentine? I got a lesson from Le Parfait Paris’ executive chef Malek Larbi and macaron manager Helen Pham, making Sicilian Pistachio, Chestnut, and California Strawberry flavors. It takes technique, which you can perfect, but is otherwise pretty straightforward. I say do it, making use of their recipes and tips! The article is in The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Food section this week.

Chula Vista's 2022 WaterSmart Makeover Winner

When the matriarch of the neighborhood decides with her husband that it’s time to renovate the front yard’s landscaping, you know it’s going to have to be something special. I interviewed Nancy and Ken Cavanah, longtime residents of their Chula Vista neighborhood (Nancy grew up in the house the couple lives in) and learned how they transformed a traditional lawn into a thriving, colorful drought tolerant garden that draws her favorite hummingbirds and butterflies. And, yes, folks, they did it themselves! Read about their project in my latest story for The San Diego Union-Tribune’s Home & Garden section.