The Coastal Gardener

If you want to feed the birds, start by feeding the caterpillars! Most songbirds will not thrive or choose to nest in habitats devoid of caterpillars. The plants best suited to support a diversity of caterpillars are native plants, but not just any natives.

Heleborus hybridus is a group of evergreen, late-winter or early-spring flowering perennials in the buttercup family (Ranunculaceae). Helleborus (hellebore) is a small genus of about 20 species of herbaceous perennials native to Europe and Asia.

The Humboldt Master Gardener/Del Norte Help Desk is staffed by volunteers trained by the University of California to answer gardeners' questions using information based on scientific research. Thank you to Annie Sicotte, Humboldt Master Gardener, for researching this question.

Flowers and veggies lingered in my garden this year, encouraged by the mild autumn weather. Then came the holidays, followed by rain. So much for Fall garden tasks and cleanup chores.

Winter is here. Put your garden to bed for winter and prepare your garden for the dropping temperatures and wet season. Here are tips from the University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners. General Tasks Compost: Turn compost and keep it as moist as a wrung-out sponge.