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Altadena CA News

Aug 22, 2019

Let a hundred flowers bloom in honor of Zeke the Sheik - The Pasadena Star-News

Mostly newspaper reporters. And some judges, on down the line. That’s ‘cause Zeke, aka Tim Dundon of Altadena, was the proprietor of a famous heap of organic matter hard by Mountain View Cemetery that was 30 feet high and covered almost all of a 50-foot by 217-foot lot near his garden. Cemeteries throw off a lot of grass clippings, and Zeke’s chickens, ducks, turkeys and geese deposited what he liked to call a lot of doo-doo. Still, even for a prolific gardener like Zeke — tomatoes and whatnot, boring squash, but also plenty of weed, back when that was under Prohibition — there was more compost than a person knew what to do with. I mean, you can only fertilize so many zucchini. If the pile weren’t there, or were smaller, he could have grown a bushel and a peck more veg. But, as our Janette Williams noted in these pages nine years ago, Zeke saw the compost itself as his life’s work. When after much legal wrangling it was bulldozed on April 20, 2005 when the property was put on the market by the cemetery — the owner of the lot on which Zeke squatted — it was a traumatic experience Dundon told Janette he never gotten over. Janette, our beloved late longtime reporter ...

Mar 16, 2017

A guide to our favorite spring garden tours in SoCal

April 23: The Creative Arts Group's 23rd "Art of the Garden" tour will highlight five private gardens in Pasadena, Altadena and Sierra Madre. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. $30 in advance; $35 day of tour at 108 N. Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre. (626) 355-8360: www.creativeartsgroup.orgApril 29-30: Tour homes and gardens in a variety of architectural styles at the Floral Park Home and Garden Tour north of Santa Ana. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Advance tickets, $30; same day, $35. Classic cars and antiques vendors will be located on North Park Drive. floralparkhometour.comApril 30: South Pasadena Beautiful hosts a self-guided tour of six sustainable gardens in South Pasadena. 1 to 4 p.m. A plant swap will be held at 565 Camino Verde. Free. No tickets or registration required. southpasbeautiful.orgApril 30: Explore six private gardens in Pasadena, open to the public for self-guided tours to benefit the Garden Conservancy. Maps and discounted tickets will be available at the La Casita del Arroyo Garden, 177 South Arroyo Boulevard, Pasadena from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; gardens are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $7 per garden (children under 12 free), no reservations required, rain or shine. (888) 842-2442; gardenconservancy.org/open-daysMay 5: The Laguna Beach Garden Club hosts a self-guided walking tour of private gardens on and around Brooks Street in the city’s Village neighborhood. The tour includes free refreshments, exhibits, a keepsake brochure, shuttle bus service, a plant sale and a raffle of prizes donated by local artists and businesses. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. $45 to $50. lagunabeachgardenclub.orgMay 6: The self-guided Leimert Park Garden Tour will feature eleven private gardens. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $15, and children under 13 free. Tickets can be purchased the day of the event at the Garden Tour Hub, located at Community Build’s courtyard in Leimert Park Village, 4305 Degnan Blvd. A map will be provided at the Hub, which will also offer food, live music, and a variety of vendors and exhibitors. a href="http://www.leimertparkgardentour.com/" target="_b... (Los Angeles Times)

Dec 2, 2016

A Flower Paradise in the Desert: Gubler's Orchids has called ...

He lived the American dream. In 1954, after having saved $300, he started his own business selling orchids out of a station wagon in Altadena, Calif.” Later on, Hans Gubler named Cattleya orchid hybrids after each of his three children: Lc. Christopher Gubler, C. Karin Ann Gubler, and Pot. Heidi Gubler. Over the years, Gubler Orchids grew into one of the largest orchid growers in the nation. The crucial moment for the company’s expansion came with the move to the high desert, where the family built advanced solar greenhouses. “We came here for clean air, pure water, sunshine and four growing seasons,” Gubler Brodeur said. “We ship our orchids throughout the world and everywhere nationwide, even to Alaska.” Today, the company is led by Chris Gubler, who managed to double it in size and increase sales 10 times over since taking the reins. But not everything has been rosy for the Gubler family in the high desert: They suffered a big blow during the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that hit Landers on June 28, 1992. “I was in shock. Everything our family had worked for had been ruined,” Chris Gubler said. However, this horror story has a happy ending. “It turns out that the earthquake was a rebirth for Gubler Orchids, as we made huge capital improvements to nursery,” he said. Gubler Orchids also owns and operates another nursery nearby in Lucerne Valley, but it is closed to the public. Between the two nurseries, the Gublers own approximately 155,000 square feet of producing greenhouses. The family also owns a couple of orchids that are beyond 60 years old! The future of the company seems secure, with the fourth generation of Gublers stepping in: Chris’ daughter, Kelsey, just joined the company after graduating from Cal Poly. Gubler Orchids is located at 2200 Belfield Blvd. in Landers. Its showroom, growing grounds and greenhouses are open from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 760-364-2282, or visit www.gublers.com. (Coachella Valley Independent)

Apr 22, 2016

'Beloved' La Verne preschool teacher remembered at tree planting

Lorraine Daly said: “She was all they said. She was just beautiful.” McClintock was born June 6, 1949, in Altadena. She moved to La Verne in May 1976. Cancer claimed her life on Oct. 17, 2015, at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. She is survived by her husband Steve of La Verne; son Michael of Pomona; daughter Jamie Sherwood of Rancho Cucamonga; grandson Kyle Sherwood; mother Lorraine Daly of Rancho Cucamonga; sister Jo Ann Campbell of Rancho Cucamonga; and brothers Bart Daly of Monrovia and Dan Daly of Susanville. Like the Daily Bulletin on Facebook. (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin)