CARLSBAD — Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park will host a Xeriscape Workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 21, featuring techniques for landscaping with low-water-use plants from planning to site preparation, plant selection and irrigation.

Green is where we're going. You can see it in the leaves emerging on trees, shrubs and on plants that two weeks ago we thought to be dead from frostbite. You see it on the printed page, be it in a newspaper, magazine or on the Internet. Green is the word for garden growing that is sustainable and natural.

Pam Jackson is passionate about plants and gardening.

Most of our gardens are looking rather unkempt at this time of the year; however, I've had an azalea bloom peaking out, a few roses, lots of shrimp plants and lilies, also lots of weeds, the pesky kind that's hard to get rid of without a good bit of work. I like to wait a day or so after we've had a good rain before trying to dig them out. I've seen lots of pretty pansies blooming in front of ...

A balanced ecosystem with fish and plants will prevent any water feature from becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes. When it's a pond or a fountain, water features in our gardens help us to connect with Nature again. Make sure they do not become mosquito-breeding places!