Napa Master Gardener Column

When my husband and I first started gardening at our new Napa home, we made many errors. One of the big mistakes was planting invasive plants. We really wanted bamboo, but we did know it had a reputation for taking over gardens.

Shakespeare may have believed that a rose by any name would smell as sweet, but a well-considered plant nameor an ineptly chosen labelcan significantly enhance or tarnish its subject forever.

Saturday, May 18, is the date for this year's Climate-Friendly Garden Tour, a partnership between Napa County Resource Conservation District, City of Napa Water Division, and the University of California Master Gardeners of Napa County.

Have you ever wondered how you can learn about plant care, water conservation, botany, tree pruning, soil amendments, lawn alternatives, pollinators, pest management and more while making friends and being part of a mission driven team? Become a Napa County Master Gardener, and you'll see.

As the lead of the Low-Maintenance, Low-Water Garden at the Las Flores Learning Garden at Napa's Las Flores Community Center, my job is to keep the plants heathy and appealing. This includes seasonal pruning and, at this time of year, weeding, weeding and weeding.