Fresno Gardening Green

Native to Texas and the Southeast, Turk's cap (Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii) gets its common name from the tightly twisted flowers that never fully open and resemble a Turkish turban or fez.

Preparations for severe weather and damage control in home gardens and orchards have become a major focus for Master Gardeners during the last 10 years.

UC Master Gardener Richard Gillispie has two words of advice for Fresno County gardeners: plant lavender. That's what he did in a big way when the COVID-19 pandemic thwarted plans to travel in his brand new fifth-wheel RV during retirement.

As nights slowly get longer (by 2 minutes every 24 hours) and night time temperatures slowly begin to drop from the 70s into the high 60s, the plants that survived July's scorching temperatures slowly begin to come out of the state of semi-dormancy that is caused by high temperatures.

Ever see a white, cottony looking, waxy mess on the trunk of your grapevines? And other locations? No, it's not candle wax. This sticky, cottony mess is the secretion of a waxy material by vine mealybugs.