• Rosalind Creasy - Edible Landscaping

    Gardening can be easy, healthy, inexpensive, and best of all, in can be done just about anywhere. As far back as 1970, Rosalind Creasy was a pioneer in the field of Edible Landscaping.Her work has since revolutionized the way that many of us think about gardening. Cooking from the garden, eating organic, and eating fresh are all possible and not as hard as you might think.

    In this website, you can see some of Rosalind's best tips on making the most of your home garden, along with various recipes and advice.

    Rosalind's new book, Edible Landscaping, was published in November of 2010 and is now in its third printing.

Spring Speaking Schedule

Monday, March 5, 2012

Hello, everyone! Spring time is around the corner and Ros has several speaking engagements lined up. Below you’ll find currently scheduled talks. Be sure to check back in the coming weeks by clicking on “Schedule” link in the menu bar for new dates.

 

Lecture Schedule Spring 2012

March 15

Moraga Garden Club, Holy Trinity Cultural Center ,1700 School Street, Moraga, California Lecture: Edible Landscaping – 10:30 am

Contact: Hollace Gertmenian (925)376-5130

March 17 and 18

San Diego Botanical Garden – Herb Festival, Spring Plant Sale, Tomatomania – Lecture: Edible Landscaping – 1:00 pm

Contact at www.sdbgarden.org/herbfest.htm

April 15

Colonial Williamsburg’s 66th Annual Symposium, Williamsburg, Virginia – Lectures: The New American Garden and Growing an Heirloom Garden: Vegetables and Flowers – 8:30 am to 9:20 am and 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm

Contact at www.history.org/conted

May 2

The Bel Air Garden Club, Bel Air, California – Lecture: Edible Landscaping -11:00 am

Contact: Phoebe Vaccaro (310)476-2031

May 4 and 5

Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanical Garden, Los Angeles, California – Gala Fundraiser 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm – Garden chats: Confusion in the Edible Garden – What most Gardeners want to know – 11:00 am

Contact at www.arboretum.org

May 10

CIL’s 8th Annual Authors Night – Center for Independent Living, Berkeley – Book Signing –

Contact at www.cilberkeley.org

Posted in Travels

by Jean Ann Van Krevelen

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New Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Monday, February 13, 2012

I’m excited that the new USDA Zone Map is out and we can all go to it online and check it out. The map, which helps gardeners decide which plants can survive the winter in their garden, has not been updated in over 20 years and some of the zones have now changed. (The online map contains both the old version and the new so you can compare them and see if yours has changed.)

The new information is more precise, because of more detailed weather data collected in the last few decades, and also because the winters have been slightly warmer during that time. Just remember though, that the information given for plants in catalogs is based on the old zone designation and it will take years for the new information to trickle down throughout the books and catalogs.

 

Photo credit for map: http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/

Posted in Gardening Tips

by Rosalind Creasy

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Eco-News: Cool Roofs and Shiny Plants

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Well we are finally back in business! It seemed to take months to fix the virus that had infiltrated our website. In the meantime, Ros had a barrage of email questions about a wide variety of topics. Here’s a recent one about the reflective properties of white and its impact on the earth.

-Jean Ann

Hi Rosalind,

For awhile now I’ve been fascinated with the notion of “cool roofs”. I’ve read (though this has been disputed) that much like glaciers it could reflect sunlight back into space and lowering the impact of sunrays. I also read this crazy article about Peruvians painting rocks. Now maybe my idea has already been tested and shot down. I have no idea. I’m a huge fan of yours so I thought I would start my research with you.

My idea is this, given that the US has vast acres of pastures for cattle and corn, is there a white plant that could take their place? Maybe food for live stock? What are the white plants and grains available to us? I know people may not be interested converting their lawns but I do wonder if some would. There are also acres of landfill that could grow something white. Again maybe this is all crazy but I have to look into it.

Any information would be greatly appreciated, again I’m a huge fan of all of your wonderful work!

Thanks,
J.

Ros responds:

Hi J.,

It great to think outside of the box but I think there is a problem with your premise. Plants need chlorophyll in their leaves to convert sunlight into to energy and thus live, and of course, chlorophyll is green. “White” plants are few and far between, mostly limited to desert areas. They are white because white absorbs less heat as you stated. If memory serves me, I believe these plants are also not efficient at converting sunlight to energy. Inefficient conversion is not a problem in desert areas because of the intense and constant sunlight. I can think of no white food or grain plants and I’m guessing that white versions wouldn’t be productive in areas with frequent clouds or cooler weather. However, some folks interested in this subject have suggested we breed more reflective shiny-leaved plants. What do you think of that idea?

Thanks for making me think and why don’t you ask a few other folks and see what they say. Let me know if you make much progress in your research, it’s certainly an interesting premise.

Best, Ros Creasy

Picture via http://www.energysavers.gov

Posted in Reader Questions

by Jean Ann Van Krevelen

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