Napa Master Gardener Column

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County When Hernando Cortes brought his army to Mexico in 1552, he was looking for more than Montezuma's gold. The most durable treasure carried back to Europe by the conquistadores was plants.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County By now, most of us are familiar with the concept of climate change, but it can be hard to get accurate information about what is really happening, especially at the local level.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County February is Black History Month, and I realized that I knew virtually nothing about the contributions of Black people to how we garden.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County One of the challenges many gardeners face is how to make shady spots look good. Fortunately, many beautiful, flowering native plants thrive in shade. When you are planning your shade garden, analyze what kind of shade you're dealing with.

by Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County I remember when my parents would go for a drive and the front of the car would be covered with dead bugs that had been hovering in the road. That doesn't happen any longer. The dense populations of bugs have disappeared.