As advocate for climate-appropriate plants, she helped establish botanical treasures across the city, including Balboa Park By Helen Purcell Montag (This article originally appeared in the Nov 9, 2024 issue of the San Diego Union Tribune) A bronze statue at Balboa Park’s west entrance honors Kate O. Sessions (1857-1940), a pioneering figure in San Diego’s […]
With a focus on conservation, zoo’s vast plant collections featuring rare and unusual specimens are a whole other animal BY HELEN PURCELL MONTAG (This article originally appeared in the May 13, 2023 edition of the San Diego Union-Tribune) Waiting to greet you at the San Diego Zoo’s entrance plaza in Balboa Park is a 27-foot […]
BY SHARON REEVE When you picture a succulent garden, you might be like me and see in your mind’s eye many colorful tiny plants in a precious arrangement, but have you ever thought of succulents as shrubs in a low-maintenance and drought-tolerant garden? Many succulents have a neat and tidy domed habit that suits a low-water […]
BY HELEN PURCELL MONTAG (This article originally appeared in the September 10, 2022 issue of the San Diego Union-Tribune) No doubt about it: Gardening can promote a sustainable, healthy and active lifestyle. You’ll enjoy the outdoors as you get your hands in the soil planting seeds, vegetables, fruits or flowers. You’ll reap benefits from all […]
BY HELEN MONTAG (This article first appeared in the San Diego Union-Tribune June 2020) In Southern California, there are two small remnants of “relic pine forests” that precede the most recent glacial period. Trees in these forests were well established on our southern coast long before offshore islands separated from the mainland. They are the Torrey […]
