Mount Sinai

Suburbanites and city dwellers alike turn to gardening as a way to connect to nature. From backyard plots to community gardens, digging in the dirt ties people to the land.

What is the secret to keeping love alive?\n

The rains that drenched Israel during a few intense storms this winter did not end the country’s longstanding water shortage, but they did awaken a remarkable range of wildflowers and plants.\n

The vivid bursts of springtime greens and yellows are not at all like the musty reds and oranges of autumn. Autumn is a season of decline — a time of impending loss, as seeds are hidden and scattered, and leaves fall away. During autumn, the days grow shorter and summer’s abundant power begins to fade to winter’s dormant death.\n

Enter any Trader Joe’s grocery store in Southern California and you are likely to find vibrant sunflowers with golden orange leaves and a dark center among the bouquets and potted plants. What many customers might not realize is that the sunflower being sold is called Jerusalem Gold, which is grown in Santa Barbara from a seed native to Israel.