I have a BA in Environmental Biology from the University of Colorado in Boulder and a PhD in Biomedical Science from the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington. I had a career in biological and medical research prior to starting my own writing business about 20 years ago.
I’m an active environmentalist, and an avid gardener. I’m passionate about my photography and love to cook what I grow. You can read about my battles with and for Mother Nature as I restore our local coastal wetlands with the Orange County Conservation Corps (my part-time day job) and attempt to grow some of our own food in our tiny and shady urban/suburban yard.
I live in Orange County, California with my husband Vic Leipzig (shown here with our twin granddaughters). We write a weekly column on the environment that appears in the Huntington Beach Independent. You can read it online by going to www.HBIndependent.com and looking under Opinion, and then Natural Perspectives.
Hi, Lou,
I am so happy daffodils are poisonous because I can count on them NOT being eaten by the deer that forage in my neighborhood. Interesting post. Thanks. Pamela
Hi Pamela, thanks for stopping by. Yes, daffodils in your English garden in Pennsylvania should be safe from deer. We have deer in Orange County, CA (mountain lions too), but they don’t come this far into the urban areas. Deer are one thing I don’t have to worry about.
Hi Lou, I also live in OC, specifically Irvine but I was doing an internet search to find out if there is a local place that leases an allotment of land to grown your own vegetables. Your site came up on the search but do you know of any?
Hi Amy, I’ll send you an email to make sure you get my reply. There are a number of community gardens in OC, including one at the UCI campus.
Hi Lou, I live in HB and I’ve been inspired to start my own vegetable garden. thank you for posting pictures and the blog.
Hi Brenda C. That’s wonderful? Let me know how your garden does. It’s so much fun to grow some of your own produce.
You posted on my blog that you went to Howe. I live in Irvington. Small world…. If you want to email me privately, I can catch you up on the neighborhood. I don’t want to give out too much information in a public forum.
Yep, Katie, small world. I sent you an email.
Hi Lou,
I am really interested in starting to grow my own vegetables and fruit, but I live in an apartment with no where to grow. I stumbled on your wonderful and informative website, I live in Orange County as well and was hoping you could recommend a local place that leases an allotment of land to grown your own. I saw that another person posted the same question and thought perhaps you could point me in the right directions.
Hi LisaT. There are several community gardens in Orange County. Do a google search on community gardens and Orange County or the town you live in plus towns nearby. I know that there are gardens in Irvine, and I think Costa Mesa and San Clemente, but I think that they are limited to residents of those towns. Most have waiting lists. Huntington Beach STILL doesn’t have its community garden, but they’re getting close. Good luck.
I’d like to use one of your photos for my website. What do I need to do to get rights to use an image? Please email me info. Thank you!
Beautiful photos!
Christina at CreativeFreedom, I’d want to see your blog first. You didn’t include a link.
Lou- I happily stumbled upon your web site because I was interested in speaking to your husband about participating in a lecture series- lots of people were raving about the oil spill talk he did recently. As a fellow naturalist I found your blog to be interesting and inspiring. Thanks for putting it out there. Perhaps you might recommend a better way to contact Vic?
Hi Kelli. Thanks for the compliment on Vic’s oil spill talk. I really enjoyed it too. I’m sending his email address to your email inbox.
Oh boy! TWIN grandaughters! You’re really blessed! Gotta love those grandbabies. I teach mine about vegetable gardening and I love doing it. That’s my legacy. To have them know how to grow their own food organically, and want to do it. I want them to know where their food comes from. My oldest is six and he loves to garden. He’s been helping me since he was three. The neat thing is that he remembers what I tell him about different areas of planting and harvesting. It’s a great opportunity and method of sharing with them.
Have a great vegetable gardening day!
Veggie PAK
Veggiepak, how neat that you’re able to share your love of gardening with your grandchildren. Mine love to pick things in the garden and feed the chickens. They’re fascinated by the worms in the compost too.
Hi Lou,
I also live in Huntington Beach and I’m a new home owner. In the last year I bought about 25 trees in the last year. I have many of the same trees as you but I was very confused about one. The improved Babcock peach. What makes this variety improved? I cant find any information on it. I had some of the peaches from it last year and it was wonderful. Let me know if you have any insight.
Also any tips on gardening in HB? I had a lot of powdery mildew last year but Im hopeful this year.
Oh and what varieties fruit tree and bushes do you have? How have they done in HB?
Dennis, I have no idea why the improved label is on the Babcock peach. It might be improved yield or improved disease resistance. The fruit trees that I have are dwarf navel orange, dwarf Valencia orange, dwarf Bearrs lime, dwarf Meyer lemon, dwarf Eureka lemon, dwarf Granny Smith apple, semi-dwarf Fuji apple, standard Gala apple (no apples from it yet), Santa Rosa plum, Katy apricot, Improved Babcock peach, dwarf Goldmine peach, Florida Prince peach (great variety, very productive), August Pride peach (not many peaches from it yet), Panamint nectarine (great variety), Snow Queen nectarine (not much fruit yet), and a Fuyu persimmon that I haven’t planted yet. I also have blueberry bushes, but I can’t remember the variety, Red Flame grapes (no grapes yet), thornless blackberries (not very productive), and several varieties of strawberries. I think that about covers it.
Hi Lou,
I’m a student at the university of miami and I’m doing a business project. I am writing a business plan for a hypothetical company called Urban Garden, which is a landscape design and installation company that uses fruit bearing trees and vegetables and herbs, so that Southern Californian homeowners can have access to fresh produce. I feel that if this became a trend it would improve both the homeowner’s health and the environment; people will be more likely to eat fruit if it is growing right in their backyard, and it won’t require so much gasoline and create so much pollution to truck fruit from one side of the country to a supermarket on the other side.
So my question to you is, as a gardner and a resident of Southern California, do you think people would utilize such a business, and what do you think about the idea? Do you know anyone else I could talk to who might have an interesting opinion? Thanks!
JBoss, I’m sure that there are people who would use such a business, but not me. I do it myself. I’m sure that Southern California has people who would like to get in on growing their own fruits and vegetables in their yard, but don’t know how. I’ve heard that some people hire a business to plant and tend vegetables like hiring a gardener. Whether there are enough people interested to make such a business profitable is another question. Farmers markets are very popular here.
Hi Lou
I came across your blog at http://greenlifeinsocal.wordpress.com/2010/03/. Very interesting subjects! I need to cultivate tiny flowers, and one of them was pictured under the title “These tiny pink flowers were the size of a fingernail”. Do you have a name or ID for this little pink plant? Thank you so much. George at angheloiu@pol.net
Hi George. The tiny purple flowers in the photo are Purple Mat, a desert belly flower. They’re not likely to grow outside the desert.
Hi Lou!
I live in Long Beach, around 8th st. It is pretty close to the coast, we hear the ships sounding their horns on foggy mornings! But I’ve got this great square foot garden, plus lots of containers. My problem are too many worms!! I’ve got three big plastic bins, my worms keep multiplying! They are the red wigglers, I love them, but I feel worried because I’m beginning to get too many!!
Katiekats
Katiekats, what an interesting problem. Too many worms. You need chickens. My hens love excess worms from my compost bins.
Hi Dr. Murray,
Great blog with beautiful pictures. I would love to get in touch with you about the possibility of using one of your photos (grouse lek) for a chapter I’m collaborating on in a book called “Evolving the Mechanisms of Decision Making.” (I’m doing a section on the application of foraging theory to mate choice). If at all possible, please email me! Thank you!
Sure, Karli. I’ll send you an email. Lou
Dear Dr. Murray,
I ran across your blog while I was looking for pictures of southern California plants. What a great resource you’ve created here! And your photos are just wonderful. Would it be possible to use one of your photos of lavender in a collage for a promotional email I’m sending out? It’s a for-profit enterprise (I work for an furniture and accessories wholesaler in Santa Monica), so of course I understand if it’s not okay. Could you please email me ASAP? Thank you so much!
Hi Dr. Murray,
As the two previous posts mentioned, you have fantastic pictures. I am a documentary filmmaker making a film about a 95-year-old man. His favorite memory about his mother is her homemade apple pie. I was wondering if I could use your fantastic picture of apple pie. It has an authentic and homemade look. I would credit you in the film (and provide you with a copy!) Please let me know. Thanks!
Sure, Becca. I sent you an email.
Lou,
Hi! I am teaching a group of home schooled kids. We are studying Anglo-axon history & I would like them to actually willow and hull and grind barley. Do you sell stalks of barley or do you know anyone in Orange County who does?
Thanks,
Martha Desmond
Sorry Martha, I have never grown barley and didn’t plant any this year either.
Lou,
Are you still working with the Bolsa Chica wetlands? My son has a report he has to give on wetlands, and I was wondering if they still offer tours there?
Yes, there are tours there at least twice a month. Check the websites of the Amigos de Bolsa Chica and the Bolsa Chica Land Trust. They give tours on different Saturdays, and focus on different things. Also have your son visit their websites to get info, as well as the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. If the tours don’t work for him, visit the interpretive center run by the Conservancy at Warner Ave and PCH. the interpretive exhibits inside will give him all the info he needs. I wrote the text for the exhibits.
Hi Lou,
Would love to send you information on the 23rd annual Southern California Spring Garden Show – where can I send you a press packet and invitation? I’ve tried forwarding information via The HB Independent/Times Community Newspapers and not sure if the materials are making it to you.
Hi Lou,
I found your blog in my search to find out if any coastal SoCal residents had success with growing granny smith apples. I am in Long Beach and I grow Anna and Dorset Golden, but I am looking for a tart apple that will thrive with our limited winter chill hours. I was happy to find your older post that tagged granny smith and how much production it got. Do you usually have good harvests? Thanks!
Lianne, my Granny Smith is usually quite productive for a semi-dwarf tree. The apples are full size and quite tart, perfect for pies.