Gardening

Does gardening count as a moderate workout? In the fitness world, it's an ongoing debate. Yes, say some: The walking, bending, digging and pruning is strenuous enough to gain fitness benefits. No, say others: More vigorous movement is needed. A recent study may put this discussion to rest, at least for older people. Researchers from Kansas State University studied the gardening habits of 14 men and women ages 63 to 86.

The term "guerrilla gardening" evokes a gritty, iconic Banksy image come to life -- fighters in balaclavas, moving in shadows, poised to pitch their grenades. Except these bombs are filled with seeds, not shrapnel. The guerrilla gardening strategy is this: Find an unused plot of city landscape, a strip of public dirt next to a major intersection, a parcel of weeds next to an on-ramp. Drop some seed bombs. Make it into an unofficial city garden.

BOOSTER SHOTS Dig in garden to stay fit In the fitness world there's an ongoing debate about whether gardening constitutes moderate physical activity. Yes, say some; the walking, bending, digging and pruning that go on are strenuous enough to gain fitness benefits. No, say others; more vigorous movement is needed to make a difference. A recent study may put this discussion to rest, at least when it comes to older people. Researchers from Kansas State University studied the gardening habits of 14 older men and women and determined that their time spent among the foliage does count as moderate physical activity -- important to note, since many people become sedentary as they age. They observed how much time the participants, ages 63 to 86, spent on tasks such as watering, walking, cleaning tools, weeding and harvesting.

Tucked into a tough Pomona neighborhood behind a bamboo-camouflaged metal gate is an otherworldly garden that once was a magnet for horticulturists and designers experimenting with plants and landscapes. The contained wildness still beckons with a sense of mystery. Hundreds of exotic plants crowd meandering paths leading to a maze of hidden outdoor rooms and patios. Lush vines and plants dangle from branches of dead trees.

HAVEN'T yet created that backyard dream retreat? Take a few lessons from residents in Venice who took on small spaces in different and creative ways. These four landscapes will be among more than 25 properties open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday during the Venice Garden & Home Tour. Tickets are $60 in advance, $70 on tour day. For more information, call (310) 821-1857 or visit www.venicegardentour.org. -- Nancy Yoshihara and Barbara Thornburg

Re Overrated (May 8): Kobe Bryant is the best player on the planet. Chris Paul has a better supporting cast than Kobe has had the last few years, so before you anoint him the next Kobe, let's see how he does in the playoffs and years to come. Please stick to things you know, like shopping and gardening. Tamra Donald Huntington Beach

ITS BOLD, frond-like leaves are an icy green, and its 18-inch spires of burgundy flowers lure swarms of hummingbirds in search of sweet nectar. The honey bush, a soft-stemmed perennial shrub from South Africa, makes a striking centerpiece for a low-water California garden. Those huge, serrated-edged leaves are the first things that draw garden lovers to the honey bush. Multiple stems rise from a central point.

Last year, Bill Anderson grew 10,990 tomatoes, not counting the ones consumed by Buster the Manchester terrier. He picked the first two on May 2 and the last 11 on Oct. 4. Five months later, he planted the first of this year's seedlings. Anderson and his wife, Christine Griego, don't have a back 40. They live with two dogs in a small house on a 6,500-square-foot lot in Winnetka. Aside from the tomato plants -- 34 last year -- there's some grass, a few trees, a few dozen rose bushes.

Gardening: A photo caption in a Business section article Sept. 14 about vegetable gardening misspelled the last name of consultant Marta Teegen as Teegan.

Hillary Rodham Clinton will have no shortage of issues to take on as secretary of State. She steps into the job amid a global economic meltdown and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On top of that, she must address the rising tensions between India and Pakistan, and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, while managing complex relations with Russia and China. And there are the perennial issues of hunger and disease in Africa, drugs in Latin America and the nuclear threat worldwide. How can one person manage it all?