Author: Francesca Filanc

August 2023

The other day I was out by the pool in the early morning and saw a large frog hanging on the pool vacuum for dear life.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-saving-frogs-lives-and-making-apple-pie-from-home-grown-apples

July 2023

Here and there, I loved hearing frogs in the garden as I was writing this article.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-fun-surprises-in-the-garden

June 2023

A green wall is a smart way to have a lush yet eco-friendly garden by recirculating runoff water.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundngs-living-walls

May 2023

We live in a Mediterranean Climate. That means that we are fortunate to be able to grow plants and vegetables year-round that people in other areas of the country can’t without having greenhouses.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-april-showers-bring-may-flowers-1g

April 2023

I write about wisteria every April because it is so magnificent and worthy of having a place in one’s garden or patio.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-wisteria-brings-joy-every-spring

March 2023

A friend passed away recently, and I wanted to send a specific floral look for the gift, a basket with pastel colors and an orchid as the focal point. I had contacted the florist that I usually use but she was unavailable for health reasons. Another florist that I have used in the past was out of baskets.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-creating-your-own-flower-arrangements

February 2023

The holidays this past year 2022, as well as ringing the New Year in, were spent with my family in Spain. My daughter Yvette and her two daughters live in a small village on the side of a mountain about half an hour outside of Pamplona.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-spain-basque-and-american-traditions

January 2023

January is the month when many of us make New Year’s resolutions. It is the month to throw off the old and welcome the new. Because we are welcoming in a new year it is also a fabulous time to think about changes that we want to make in our lives and also our gardens. It is also the month to feed citrus trees and plant bare-root trees.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-meyer-lemons-for-your-home-gardend

November 2022

The other night as I was putting my dog out to do his business, I screamed because I ran right into an Orb-weaver spider web. It’s okay though because these are very large beneficial spiders in the garden. However, this morning I found plants in my garden suffocating from spider mites, a fast-growing stealth predator of an insect.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-are-spider-mites-taking-over-the-world

October 2022

We fall into fall and look forward to cooler weather with leaves changing colors. Where we live in San Diego County, autumn is the time to start planning and planting our winter vegetables and prune back perennials. It is the time to stop feeding plumerias and other tropical plants and trees as well as roses.

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https://www.sdhortnews.org/post/garden-surroundings-fall-into-fall