Napa Master Gardener Column

By Carol Glaser, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.When our first fall rains arrive, we gardeners breathe a sigh of relief. We need this moisture, and so does the soil after the long, hot dry spell of summer. Our fall and winter rain is precious, but home builders and engineers have worked hard to move our…

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  We recently had our first rain of the fall season, followed by a cold morning.  Sure enough, when I walked outside later that day, all my soft-stemmed herbs were dead.  Fare thee well, basil, thyme and stevia.  Even the sage looked…

By David Shubin, UC Master Gardener of Napa County and ISA Certified Arborist.  You can expect mushrooms to appear after rain in Napa Valley.  Many gardeners find mushrooms and think “rotting decay.” However, mushrooms are a sign of life.  They’re the fruiting bodies of fungi, the quiet…

By Cynthia Kerson, UC Master Gardener of Napa CountySeveral Napa County Master Gardeners recently traversed a long drive of sycamore and olive trees to visit the Trefethen Family Vineyards gardens in Napa with the winery’s landscape manager, Vanessa Giampaoli, a Master Gardener trained in the Class of 2023…

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa CountyOne of my favorite plants in my garden is nicotiana (Nicotiana sylvestris), also known as flowering tobacco. The plants need almost no care and bloom most of the spring, summer and autumn. The flowers are fading just now in October.Nicotiana also does double…