Napa Master Gardener Column

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County The ficus plants that many people grow indoors are actually tropical trees. They are a different species from Ficus carica, the edible fig. The ficus we eat is from temperate areas of the world and does well outdoors in Napa Valley.

By Yvonne Rasmussen, UC Master Gardener of Napa County What flowers in the dead of winter in Napa County? With few pollinators active then, it's not a great time to have flowers that need pollination. Also, the weather is dicey. It could be cold or icy or raining and blowing.

We have some catching up to do with our articles--our computer system has been having hiccups! This is the first of several that have already been published in the Napa Valley Register.

by Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County One of my favorite drought-tolerant plants is the smoke bush (Cotinus coggygria). This wonderful bush is sometimes called smoketree. It is native to southern Europe and temperate parts of Asia.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County If you live in an older home, you likely inherited some amount of old landscaping.