The Real Dirt

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Local Master Gardeners writing about regional gardening issues—that's what you will find every Friday on the UC Master Gardeners of Butte County's website. We cover everything from soil health to planting for pollinators; from fire resistant landscaping to attracting wildlife. If you want real people addressing real problems, tune in to the Real Dirt Blog every Friday. (The Real Dirt articles are also available to subscribers of the Chico Enterprise Record and the Oroville Mercury-Register.)

Desert marigold thriving in the Wildlife Habitat Garden at the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch. Laura Kling

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Wildlife-Friendly Garden

March 19th, 2025

At this time of year many gardeners reflect upon what worked in the garden over the past year, plan changes to implement in the coming months, and consider new plants to introduce. This Spring, why not begin planning a more wildlife-friendly garden? You can encourage birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs and a…

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Lemon verbena, bee balm and echinacea growing together are a good example of companion planting. Joyce Hill.jpg

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Spring 2025 Upcoming Master Gardener Workshops

March 16th, 2025

By UC Master Gardeners of Butte County The Master Gardeners Spring Workshop Series is in full swing! The series began in February, but worry not -- there are plenty of topics still to be covered from now into June: fifteen workshops to be exact, seven of them on all-new subjects and eight on tried-and…

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Dianthus, the “Divine Flower”

March 12th, 2025

References to the plant genus Dianthus go back as far as the Greek botanist Theophrastus. He named these plants from the Caryophyllaceae family “divine flower” (dios = divine plus anthos = flower).

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Growing Boysenberries in the Chico Area

February 28th, 2025

Boysenberries are a delicious, low-sugar treat, appreciated by pie and jam connoisseurs alike. The Boysen berry is classified as a blackberry along with the Olallie berry and the Marion berry.

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