Jeanette Marantos started writing for the Los Angeles Times in 1999, doing Money Makeovers until 2002. She returned to write for The Times’ Homicide Report in 2015 and the Saturday garden section in 2016, a yin and yang that kept her perspective in balance. In early 2020, she moved full time into Features, with a focus on all things flora. In June of 2023 she also began writing the monthly L.A. Times Plants newsletter, which includes a calendar of upcoming plant-related events. She is a SoCal native who spent more than 20 years in Central Washington as a daily reporter, columnist, freelancer and mom before returning to the land of eucalyptus and sage. Her present goal is to transform her yard into an oasis of native plants, fruit trees and veggies. Please email calendar submissions or plant-related story ideas to jeanette.marantos@latimes.com for consideration.
Latest From This Author
Scale a skyscraper! Jump into slime! Read to a dog! The city is filled with memorable activities to fit every age, interest and attention span.
The Los Angeles Flower District hosts more than 70 vendors in downtown L.A., where DIYers with a plan can go wild on blooms for relatively little cash.
These exercise-based social clubs cater to every interest and skill level — from stairclimbing to slow walking — and almost all them are free.
Our highly curated lists of gift ideas are perfect for Angelenos with specific identities: L.A. devotees, hikers and walkers, gardeners, food lovers, book fans, those wanting special self-care experiences and more.
Many cutesy, ‘have-to-have’ garden gifts serve little real purpose. Here are gifts curated by real gardeners that plant lovers will truly appreciate.
Seeds for wildflowers and sweet peas produce delicate bursts of spring color. Here’s how to plant them now in SoCal, plus November plant events.
The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing over the 101 Freeway will be completed in 2026. “Engineered” soil will cover the crossing, and native shrubs and wildflowers will be planted.
L.A.’s P-22 is one of the most famous felines in the world. Should he get a star like Lassie, Big Bird and Batman?
Within three hours of L.A., there are locales to satisfy every type of autumn yearning, whether it’s for the desert, beach or mountains.
Angel Black always wanted a food garden, but she was never successful — until Farmscape helped convert the lawn in her family’s Culver City backyard into a mini-farm.