. Anyhow, great blog!

Would you be interested in exchanging links or maybe
guest authoring a blog article or vice-versa?

My website covers a lot of the same topics as yours and I believe we could
greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to send me an email.

I look forward to hearing from you! Great blog by the way!

Here are some comments:

Myrtles front and courtyard:
They were decorative shrubbery when CRSP first bought the building in 1996. I recommend we trim them way back and/or eventually replace them with food
bearing trees. Same for pittosporum.

Quince:
The idea of it is great. But in all of its life, I’ve never known anyone to use the quince. If there is no interest in the poor thing, let’s give it to someone who can care for and appreciate it.

Mexican sage:
So beautiful near our entrance. I’d like to see it trimmed, but not removed.

Peach and/or any other tree whose branches extend over fence:
When we did initial plantings of many of our fruit trees, including the fruit trees in the public parkways, the idea was to share their food with the public. City regulation says that any edible food growing from private property onto the public right of way is legal for anyone to pick. I like that. And I like that we have the opportunity to engage with the public when we’re out and about and observe them picking a fruit or two. We have learned many interesting things from people walking by and stopping to pick a fruit or a green. So I would not want to protect our edibles from the public, but rather encourage more engagement with them. Of course, when people are abusive, there are NVC ways to deal with that. In years past, I have also learned that signage is helpful, e.g., in 2 or 3 languages, “Please get permission to pick fruit. Thank you.”

Pomegranate:
I feel badly that we didn’t prune the pomegranate before it started to turn green a week or two ago. My understanding of them is that they should only have a few main trunk branches, not dozens. Here’s an informative website on pomegranates:
http://www.sdedible.org/pomegranate-trees.html

Almond:
Would be great to learn if its salvageable and could be a good bearer. I’ve never actually gotten an almond from it, but Lara says she has.

Olive:
I believe it is a non-bearing olive. Someday, maybe olive trees that bear olives???

North side 117 Bimini:
The pit fruits there are fantastic. Be great to give them more attention.

Seems like the pathway along the entire north building could use a lot of special attention. Currently it’s also a safety hazard, imo.

Oaks:
They are a protected species in LA. So sad to hear about the dead one. Oak roots can be protected from spreading too close to foundation with a root protector. Or we could redevelop the foundation if needed (in the distant future).

Courtyard:
Systematic and appropriate watering. Some things may get too much water, and others not enough. Mary Maverick, one of our early founders and garden expert used to try to train our trees and plants to be more drought tolerant.

Aphids: are pretty easy to control if we are mindful of them. Same with white fly, thrips, and scale. Among our garden group, we should probably have a designated pest control sub-group. Here’s a helpful website:
http://www.countryfarm-lifestyles.com/natural-pesticides.html

Plum:
Note just in northeast courtyard, but the two in front of the Bimini Terrace. At one time all three gave delicious and plentiful harvest. But none has been bearing fruit for several years now. Same with one we had in the lower courtyard. Plum trees may only have a life span of between 10 and 20 years, depending on variety, and I’m not sure which kind we have, so they may have come to the end of their fruit bearing lives. We planted that northeast corner tree probably about 1999, and the ones in front of the Bimini Terrace about the same time, give or take a year or two.