By Cynthia Brian “Gardens are not made by sitting in the shade.” Rudyard Kipling Gardens may not be cultivated while we are sitting in the shade, but on a hot summer day, there is nothing better than sipping an ice-cold lemonade while resting in one of my shadowy gardens. This year the world has been experiencing the hottest weather on record. In the United Kingdom, July temperatures were as high as 25 degrees Fahrenheit more than normal. According to data from the U.S. Ocea

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1610/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Humming-along.html By Cynthia Brian “Like the hummingbird sipping nectar from every flower, I fly joyfully through my days, seeing beauty in everything.”– Amethyst Wyldfyre After tucking a hibiscus plucked from my mother’s garden behind my ear, I was immediately the object of desire for a hungry hummer. The iridescent red crown identified the hovering nectar hunter as a male Ann

Water is the driving force of all nature.” – Leonardo Da Vinci Welcome to Summer! It’s going to be a hot one. If the newest studies reviewing tree rings are correct, we are currently in the worst drought since 800 A.D. The first three months of this year registered the least rain and snow on record. While we plunge into pools to cool off, our gardens will struggle to survive. Conserving water is top of mind as our climate becomes warmer. It’s time for all of us to plan to gro

Summer is here and with it water restrictions. What can you grow in a drought and how do you do it so that plants survive? Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian offers concrete suggestions for saving water and your landscape. Most of us are acquainted with everyday aches and pains. Some of us, after an injury, after surgery, after COVID, or even without an event, know a different kind of pain — one that lingers and doesn’t respond to medications. Cynthia Brian interviews Dr. Saloni

Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian By Cynthia Brian “We Californians are constantly accused of not having seasons, but we do. We have fire, flood, mud, and drought.” Phyllis Diller It’s that time of the year again. School is out. The weather is warming. The drought continues. We fear fires. Flood and mud are distant memories. Because of water restrictions, many homeowners are seeking alternatives to thirsty vegetation that demand a constant drink. Enter succul

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1607/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Coming-up-roses.html https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2022/05/26/roses-for-all/ Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian Coming up Roses By Cynthia Brian “Won’t you come into my garden? I would like my roses to see you.” Richard Sheridan Ask any gardener who grows a multitude of roses what they think of the species, and you’ll probably get an answer that sounds seriously s

By Cynthia Brian “I’m grateful for the opportunity to live on this beautiful and astonishing Planet Earth. In the morning, I woke up with a sense of gratitude.” –Earl Nightingale In California, May reigns as one of the most colorful months of the year. Mother Nature has fully awakened from lingering winter doldrums to burst into bloom. The radiant combination of lush green lawns against cheerful vignettes of glowing, flowing flowers, trees, and shrubs is mesmerizing. Beauty,

https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2022/04/28/april-showers-bring-may-flowers/ By Cynthia Brian “April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.” William Shakespeare If experiencing rain in a dry season doesn’t put a spring in our step, what will? After months of no precipitation, finally, in April we experienced a few showers. A critical ingredient of California’s water supply, the Sierra snowpack is less than 40% from its peak. The drought will be with us this summer and fall b

By Cynthia Brian “I love to prune my roses. That’s the one thing I really feel I do pretty well!” Julie Andrews My roses are still blooming, and the bushes are filled with leaves. Yet, it is February and time to do the heavy pruning. My grapevines are already pruned, but I’ve been waiting for my roses to remember it is winter before I cut them back. Towards the middle to end of January used to be the optimum weeks to prune roses. Last year, I didn’t prune until late February

presspass: https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2022/01/19/housemates-with-houseplants/ Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian By Cynthia Brian “Having plants in your house is a natural way to continuously clear yourself!” Doreen Virtue Forty-five! That’s the number of houseplants that filled my tiny dorm room on the 7th floor of Hedrick’s Hall during my freshman year at U.C.L.A. Every shelf, box, windowsill, wall hook, desk, and floor space were filled with a container s

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1523/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-A-green-themed-New-Year.html By Cynthia Brian “In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.” – William Blake The rainy days and nights have been a welcome respite to our dry, drought-driven California. What a delight to witness hills of green and listen to the rushing waters in our creeks. In the past few weeks, seeds and weeds have germinated providing a lush look to

Press Pass: https://blog.voiceamerica.com/2021/12/22/a-berry-merry-bird-christmas/ Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian By Cynthia Brian *To me, the garden is a doorway to other worlds; one of them, of course, is the world of birds. The garden is their dinner table, bursting with bugs and worms and succulent berries.” Anne Raver Birdy, it’s cold outside. Deciduous trees are barren of leaves, autumn perennials have finished their blooming cycle, and few flowers ad

“Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away; Lengthen night and shorten day! Every leaf speaks bliss to me Fluttering from the autumn tree.” Emily Brontë Without a doubt, autumn is a beautiful time of the year with cooler weather and spectacular, ever-changing foliage. What I can’t get used to is the early setting sun and the dark skies at 5 p.m. as we enter December. My circadian rhythm is out of sync. My preference is to work in the garden as late as possible every day and in t

Filled with amazing stories, step-by-step exercises, and thought-provoking discussions, Lynn McKenzie’s book, Bark, Neigh, Meow shows how animal companions help you transform your life and fulfill your purpose. You'll find greater passion, elevate your spirit, deepen your connection to the unseen realm, and much more. This heartwarming collection of Lynn's personal and client stories, reveals the power of animals to become your partners, teachers, guides, healers, and catalys

“May your thoughts be as glad as the shamrocks May your heart be as light as a song. May each day bring you bright Happy hours that stay with you all the year long.” Irish blessing. My first introduction to the Emerald Isles arrived when I was seven. First grade was the beginning of my education since pre-school and kindergarten did not exist in our neck of the woods. A new school had been constructed with young teachers dressed from head to toe in black with white collars wh

“The heart is like a garden. What seeds will you plant there?” Buddha The first vista I witness every morning as I traipse downstairs in my pink fluffy slippers to grab a cup of java invigorates my day. Outside my stairwell window, a tall crimson camellia tree sways in the breeze flanked by a shimmering evergreen flowering pear. Rounding the corner, I look to my right. Through the hand-made stained-glass arch, winter and spring co-mingle. The bright cerise flowers of the peac

https://www.lamorindaweekly.com/archive/issue1426/Digging-Deep-with-Goddess-Gardener-Cynthia-Brian-Let-the-sun-shine-in.html Digging Deep with Cynthia Brian, the Goddess Gardener By Cynthia Brian “When the moon is in the Seventh House And Jupiter aligns with Mars Then peace will guide the planets And love will steer the stars. This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.” Lyrics to Age of Aquarius by The 5th Dimension Astrologers don’t agree that it is the dawning of the Ag

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.” ~ George Moore Like most of us who have been sheltering at home for the past eleven months, traveling to foreign lands has not been part of my normal activities. At first, I was immensely disappointed to cancel my 2020 exotic trips, especially the one that would have reunited me with my European pen pal with whom I’ve been corresponding regularly since I was nine years old. That’s a long ti

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi I popped the crunchy pods of my just-picked sugar snap peas into my mouth as I uttered a prayer of gratitude for the food I grow to nourish my family and the gardens I cultivate to nourish my soul. The past few weeks have brought the fragility of life into focus amidst the mounting death toll from the pandemic and the anxiety aroused by the political rampages. We need to return to our

Digging Deep with Goddess Gardener, Cynthia Brian Garden Trends for 2021 By Cynthia Brian “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right!” Oprah Winfrey HELLOOOOOOO 2021! We have been holding our collective breaths for the past ten months desperately anticipating a new beginning with a new year. Are you feeling a renewed enthusiasm for living? Are you ready to dig in? Every year the Garden Media Group releases information on what trends are formulating for th