My neighborhood is the kind of place where you can put almost anything out on the sidewalk with a FREE label attached, and it will be gonea cast-iron frying pan, bicycle parts, a sofa, books, a box of Meyer lemons.
A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to plant a lawn alternative in an unlandscaped part of our Napa property, an area covering about 1,100 square feet.
One of the joys of being a Master Gardener is working with a team to produce an educational event for home gardeners. To that end, Master Gardeners are growing gourds, pumpkins and Indian corn for our Fall Faire on Saturday, September 30. Find a link with more information at the end of this column.
I have two plants in my garden that are magnets for pollinators and butterflies. Both plants put on quite a flower show and are drought tolerant. Given our ongoing issues with water, this latter feature should be priority for all of us.
Most likely, you have been to a garden center and made impulse purchases of plants that struck you as particularly attractive. I've done so myself. Even if you read the label carefully, that plant may lose its luster after a few weeks or decline it's ready for the compost bin.