By ROBERT SMAUS March 30, 2000 12 AM PT Share via Close extra sharing options Email Facebook X LinkedIn Threads Reddit WhatsApp Copy Link URL Copied! Print Times Garden Editor Robert Smaus is on assignment. More to Read The L.A. Times welcomes its class of 2026 summer interns May 26, 2026 Stop and smell the native plants at the L.A. Times Plants booth at Festival of Books April 1, 2026 Jeanette Marantos, L.A. Times plants reporter, dies at 70 Feb. 9, 2026
