HOrT COCO-UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa

Master Gardeners have many clients whose gardens need work beyond the standard mowing, leaf blowing and hedge trimming, such as a new design, nursing an older garden back to health, improving existing irrigation, or doing heavier chores.

Winter is an ideal time to plant a fruit tree. Although it requires some patience, success is best using bare root trees.

Evenings are growing dark and maybe it's too cold and wet to work in the garden. What better time for tool care? It's also a great time of year to drop some hints to friends and family for those expensive new pruning shears you've been wanting.

Now that the leaves have fallen, or mostly fallen, from your backyard fruit trees, are you wondering whether you should apply dormant sprays? Dormant sprays or delayed dormant sprays are terms used for the application of pesticides when the tree is dormant or just coming into bud swell.

Christmas cactus will be in bloom soon, available at your local nursery and home and garden store, in many stunning colors to brighten our shorter days. Their bloom time can range from November to January, just when we could use that emotional lift the most.