Click "Read More" below for the story. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/californias-drive-to-save-water-is-killing-trees-hurting-utilities-and-raising-taxes/2016/02/27/1bd88a50-d71d-11e5-b195-2e29a4e13425_story.html
For a reasonably good explanation, click the "Read More" button below, then click here. Short answer - don't panic (yet).
Flax (Phormium tenax) is a very popular landscape plant right now - ranging in size from 7' to 12", it's strong vertical lines add great form and structure to the landscape. Unfortunately, most landscapers don't know how to care for it. The method is so simple - yet seemingly so elusive, based on how almost all Flax I see in San Francisco has been ruined through improper care. The first photo below shows Flax that has been properly cared for: faded leaves are removed from the base of the plant, and the tips are NEVER cut. The second photo shows the way untrained laborers cut the leaves from the top, which disfigures the plant for months, until the damage can grow out with new leaves. The
First time I lived through a major sporting event in a major American city was the 1984 LA Olympics. The hype was extraordinary, and the expectations were (understandably) that the city was going to get overwhelmed with all the visitors. People listed their homes for rent for outrageous amounts, hotels raised their rates through the roof, and everybody braced for the thundering hoards and the massive amounts of money flowing into the city. Turned out to be just the opposite. There was, for the first time in modern history, no rush hour traffic for 2 weeks. You could go to just about any olympic event you wanted, restaurants had empty tables, and hotel rooms were even available. For me, it