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Bulbs!!!
I always love the bulb catalogs that drop through my mail slot at the end of every summer. I once overbought and then procrastinated on planting them. This was when I lived in Humboldt County. One...
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The Benefits of Raised Beds
Sometimes I think I should write a book called Gardening for Geezers. For those of us of a certain age, the idea of creeping about on all fours, even equipped with kneepads, is not a felicitous...
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Not all succulents are cacti!
When I was still living at home with my parents, I remember my mother loving the succulent known as hens and chicks (Sempervivum spp.). They were often planted along highways. To be honest, I was not...
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Gently Educating the Reluctant Composter
A few weeks ago, some friends were over for dinner, and I was throwing food scraps into my miniature compost bin that fits under my kitchen sink (free from the City of Napa). One gentleman told me he...
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Winter is not the off season: Time for Bare-root trees
If you're a gardener in Napa Valley, you know that winter is not the off season it is elsewhere. In our climate, we can always plant something. When I walk into a nursery at this time of year, I feel...
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Introducing the Earthworm
More than twenty thousand years ago, a major ice age spread across the northern latitudes of North America, Europe, and Asia and all the earthworms died. For millennia, these regions had no earthworms....
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January is prime time for ONIONS
During the dark and cold days of January, is there any reason to work in the garden? Add wet soil that should not be disturbed, and you have a trifecta of obstacles for planting. However, this month...
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Citrus: A Great Addition to Napa Valley Gardens
Due to my great-great-grandfather's success at planting citrus groves in the 1870s, I was told at an early age that orange juice flowed through my veins. Those historic California orange and lemon...
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Planning for 2024
The harvest of last year's summer and fall crops has ended. I harvested my veggies, elderberries, pineapple guavas and pomegranates. I cleaned up the garden and put away my tools. It was time to let my...
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Dreaming of Future Projects
As you look out at your very soggy garden on these winter days, it is normal to dream of future projects. Perhaps you want to revive that old, raised bed with the low soil level. Or you would like to...
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The family Lepidoptera
I recently saw an image on a Facebook page devoted to owls that generated a lot of discussion. Some people thought the creature in the image was a butterfly; others were sure it was a moth. I decided...
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Moving from English-style landscaping to water-wise gardening
I enjoy wandering Napa's neighborhoods, admiring the front yards, and noting the changes in landscape gardening styles. There has been quite a metamorphosis over the decades. Many people have moved...
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Now’s the Time for cool season vegetables
Have you heard the term “shoulder season”? Sometimes it refers to in-between times at resorts when neither winter sports nor summer activities are available. Recently I've been...
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Who’s that Lady?*
On a jog up Napa's Dry Creek Road recently, I saw a magnificent sight: thousands of ladybugs clumped together on fences (even barbed wire) and on old, mossy tree stumps. The most unusual ladybug...
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Wonders of the Wild Mushroom
The UC Master Gardener's February meeting was enlivened by Gordon A. Walker, Ph.D., otherwise known as the “fungus guy.” Walker has a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology...
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Give Your Vines a Hair Cut
Grapevines in Napa Valley are breaking their dormancy after enjoying their winter nap. If you haven't done so already, get out your pruning shears, sharpen them, and make sure they are functioning...
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Sharpening your tools and old bones for gardening
Gardening provides lots of benefits to the gardener: great exercise, fresh air, and the personal satisfaction of beautifying the landscape. For me, gardening has been a lifelong hobby, but as I age, my...
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HERE COMES THE TOMATO SALE!!!
Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 13, the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County annual tomato sale. The popular sale is as much a sign of spring as the first robin is. Seedlings will be available...
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Inspired by new cultures, plants, and ecosystems
In the gardener's view of the world, vacationers can be divided into two categories: those who sit around the pool and those who scurry around taking copious pictures of unfamiliar plants. As a Master...
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Planting in spring, the season of rebirth
I find great pleasure in planting and growing perennials. In contrast to annuals, perennials are the vines, bushes, trees, and other plants that come back year after year. Planting in spring, the...
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