Stop to Smell the Flowers

With all the fires, evacuations and general chaos consuming our smoke-choked communities over the past few days, consider finding a place to take stock of the beauty of nature over the upcoming Labor Day Weekend.

Descanso Gardens in La Cañada-Flintridge is doing its part by opening up the annual Labor Day picnic and party, Boddy's Big Backyard, for free on Monday, Sept. 7.

"We invite people who have been stuck inside or those who have been evacuated a chance to once again enjoy the outdoors," says David Brown, executive director at Descanso Gardens.

The event is named in honor of E. Manchester Boddy (pictured), who hosted several events at the gardens in the 1930s and ’40s. In addition to the flowers and trees and wonderful strolls the gardens provide, visitors will find a Model A car show, live Latin jazz and grassy spots for picnics (purchase food at Patina Catering or pack your own tasty basket).

So bring some sandwiches and refresh your soul by reminding yourself that the blooms – and the beauty of nature – will always rise from the ashes.

Growing a Grocery

I'm trying to clean up the dietary act, and I've found a few simple ways to do it. One, try to squeeze into a dress I wore to a friend's wedding just two short years ago. Two, watch Super-Size Me or other documentary detailing what's really in some of our processed foods and the corporate nature that drives our food chain. Third, have one really great homegrown tomato.

I have friends who have carved out little patches of yard, battling gophers and earwigs for a shot at their own bell peppers and beans. Heck, even the First Family has dug in, so to speak. And what a blessing it is that we live in a place with a seemingly endless growing season. While I'm a bit short on time and energy for my own Green Acres, I am surrogate mom to one precious tomato plant, heaping the kind of attention and maternal energy on it that my children have yet to see directed their way.

Another way to learn about or live vicariously through the gardens of others is to check out Nature's Table, the new permanent edible garden at Descanso in La Cañada-Flintridge. Here you'll find a garden variety of fruit trees, vegetables, herbs and edible flowers. One area is referred to as the "pie garden," seeded with pumpkins, rhubarb (does anybody really eat that?), blueberries and other future fruity fillings. The harvests will be donated to a local food bank.

The garden design was the project of the Cal Poly Pomona's Landscape Architecture Design Studio, where students hope to inspire all of us to grow something healthy.