Articles by Robert Smaus

Find a place in the shade, pour yourself a tall iced tea and take July off. Read more

June may be famous for its gloom, but gray skies let gardeners plant the last of the summer crops and flowers. Read more

It’s time to pay attention to watering and other warm-season jobs as spring starts its slide into summer. Read more

It’s finally warm enough for those April gardening opportunities, including planting tomatoes in most parts of the Southland, or petunias, or citrus and other warmth-loving plants. Read more

Gardeners get a choice in December. Read more

Days are getting short and nights cool, but keep on planting, because it’s still the best season for just about anything, except subtropicals such as bougainvillea, hibiscus and citrus. Read more

On some days in September you can smell fall in the cool, dry morning air, but don’t be fooled. Read more

I never thought it would happen, but here we were, driving away from our house and garden for the last time, leaving our beloved California, moving to a new state. Read more

YES, it’s hot outside, but believe it or not there are things to do in the August garden, other than water. Read more