Garden Notes

 Horticulture is rich with language — words that help us describe plants, landscapes, and the natural world with precision and sometimes a bit of poetry. Many horticultural terms have deep historical roots, evolving over centuries alongside our understanding of plants and gardens. Learning these terms…

 Once the winter chores of pruning, cleaning up debris, mulching, and the like have been completed, it’s the perfect time to reevaluate your flower garden. Perennials have been pruned back or gone dormant, fewer plants are blooming, and there are empty spaces that were previously occupied by luxurious…

A thriving garden begins below the surface. In San Joaquin County, most home gardeners contend with challenging soil conditions. Local soils tend to be either poor-draining, dense clay or light, sandy soil that drains rapidly and retains few nutrients. The situation is compounded in newer subdivisions, where…

Sherida Phibbs, UC Master Gardener Recently, my quiet neighborhood became an unintended classroom in what not to do with trees. In a short time, several neighbors made choices that seriously harmed mature trees—whether by topping, removing, or poorly pruning them. Watching these beautiful shade trees…

Constance Starner, UC Master Gardener When you see leaves shriveling and turning black after a freeze, the plant is obviously damaged, but you may wonder exactly how that damage occurs. With a freeze, it’s the ice that forms in the plant cells when temperatures fall to 32°F or less, making water…