Cynthia Brian

“Nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own.” Charles Dickens It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Every December I utter these same words and each Christmas seems to come earlier than the previous year. Where do the seconds, minutes, hours, days, years go? When I was a child doing my best to be nice instead of naughty, Christmas took forever to arrive. Today, Rudolph and his sleigh are on fast forward. We have officially entered the season of winter.

By Cynthia Brian “Down came the rain and washed the spider out!” Toddler song Halleluiah! It is raining…and raining, and raining. It was indeed a blessed Thanksgiving weekend as the heavens finally opened and life-giving tears spilled from the sky. Our grounds have been so parched that even the amended clay soil is as hard as cement. The start of the rainy season means it is time to get garden work completed. On the first day of rain, I donned my rain gear to fertilize the la

Only those who go where few have gone can see what few have seen. ~ Buddha Did you know that poinsettias grow into trees? Or that mother’s tongue, also known as snake plant, is an excellent fence barrier? Without a thought from whence a plant derives, most of us buy our indoor plants at nurseries, grocery stores, and big-box centers. Our holiday décor includes colorful tropical specimens that thrive inside. On a quest to discover the flora and fauna that bring joy to our worl

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.” Marcus Cicero With all of the disasters and tragedies of this year, logic seems to have disappeared. The senseless shootings of innocent people and the devastating California fires have rendered so many of us feeling helpless and hopeless. But in times of turbulence, besides the consolation of close relationships with family and friends, I advise my clients to turn to two things––gardens and books. The smoke