Category: The Garden Guru

(Editor’s note: Several readers wanted to know more about the Garden Guru’s background. In response, Mark Koehler has written this column today.) Hello again Westside Gardeners! Most of you already know of me and my extensive...

Hello Westside Gardeners! Most recently, I was asked to come up with some ideas for a hedge line. This site was on a local suburban farm. The location for the hedge ran from the back of a barn to the neighbor’s fence line. I...

Hello Westside Gardeners! This article is a continuation from my last article, the many functions and drawbacks of turfgrass here in the Westside. Today, I would like to discuss practical solutions to create a garden with little...

Hello again Westside Gardeners! We are currently into spring, though other parts of the country are not. This means our daytime and nighttime temperatures have risen. Spring bulbs and fruit trees are blooming, and our lawns are...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners! As spring approaches, I would like to share some of my own secrets to better your garden. When amending the native soil, I like to mix a compost and sand loam blend with 5 to 10 percent screened...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners! This article is devoted to a drenching fertilization process I highly recommend for plants and trees. I would like to share my own recipe with everyone. It’s simply processed from high-quality...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners. I wish everyone a Happy New Year! January is an important month with much to do in your garden. First, let’s discuss pruning roses and stone fruit trees. Pruning too fast and hard is the number...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners! As we enter early winter, many of our woody, herbaceous perennials and shrubs still show signs of summer stress. Foliage is disfigured and burnt. Stems are discolored and weak. How can we help...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners! As a certified master arborist, I would like to discuss our local shade trees within our city parks and street trees and how to invigorate them into a healthy stage. As we all know, our native...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners. What is phyllophobia, and why is it such a harmful horticultural practice? Phyllophobia, also known as CRD (Compulsive Raking Disorder), is the fear of allowing any fallen leaves to remain on the...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners. The anticipation of autumn weather means continued warm days and nights in the Westside. It’s also the optimal time to accomplish certain garden duties before the weather cools and seed-eating...

Hello again, Westside Gardeners. Most of us think about pruning deciduous stone fruit trees in the winter, but now is an optimal time for tree height reduction. When deciding which laterals to keep and which ones to remove, keep...