Jeanette Marantos started writing for the Los Angeles Times in 1999, doing Money Makeovers until 2002. She returned to write for The Times’ Homicide Report in 2015 and the Saturday garden section in 2016, a yin and yang that kept her perspective in balance. In early 2020, she moved full time into Features, with a focus on all things flora. She is a SoCal native who spent more than 20 years in Central Washington as a daily reporter, columnist, freelancer and mom before returning to the land of eucalyptus and sage. Her present goal is to transform her yard into an oasis of native plants, fruit trees and veggies.
Latest From This Author
Theodore Payne Foundation’s Wild Flower Hotline returns on March 8, but will we have a superbloom in 2024? The early signs are hopeful.
March 5, 2024
It’s time to plan your spring veggie garden, but before you start planting, get your raised beds and containers ready for a new season — and check out plant events for March.
March 1, 2024
Artificial turf is so bad — it harms soil, breeds bacteria and sheds microplastics — that some naturalists would prefer water-guzzling grass. So what to do now?
Feb. 1, 2024
Tearing out your lawn but still want a swath of green? Try planting water-saving (and labor-reducing!) California native grasses instead.
Jan. 30, 2024
Disneyland is offering $50 tickets for children ages 3-9, but what do you do with 3-year-olds when they’re too small or timid to go on the rides?
Jan. 16, 2024
Master gardeners and plant experts share easy tips to collect as much rainwater as possible, from digging trenches to using garbage cans.
Jan. 1, 2024
At 34, Matt Smith is a widower and amateur botanist whose grief and passion are fueling a quest some might call quixotic — to photograph every plant native to Los Angeles County.
Dec. 27, 2023
Non-native plants from Mediterranean climates like Australia are getting love from even wholesale California native plant growers for drought-tolerant landscapes in SoCal.
Dec. 1, 2023
Sparkly lights are part of most holiday memories, and Southern California certainly delivers with both free and paid holiday light shows closing out 2023.
Nov. 28, 2023
One of the best ways to learn more about plants is to volunteer at Los Angeles area nurseries, botanic gardens, nature groups and plant advocacy organizations.
Nov. 27, 2023