The Real Dirt

Flowers blooming

The Real Dirt blog covers regional gardening issues from soil health to planting for pollinators; from fire resistant landscaping to attracting wildlife. Read all about it!

Primary Image
Elderberry flowers. Mike Flanner

Elderberry

July 5, 2024
Gardeners looking for a drought-tolerant and highly disease-resistant native shrub might consider adding the blue elderberry (Sambucus cerulean also known as Sambucus Mexicana) to their landscape.
View Article
Primary Image
Redbud in bloom in the spring, Jeanette Alosi

Local Trees: Consider the Redbud

June 21, 2024
Redbuds in bloom are a most welcome harbinger of spring. Their dense clusters of magenta flowers bloom early, providing splashes of color against a winter landscape of browns and grays.
View Article
Primary Image
'Stellar Pink' dogwood. Jeanette Alosi

Local Trees: The Enchanting Dogwood

June 14, 2024
Ideally, you'd be reading this in very early spring, when the dogwood bloom is beginning to work its elegant magic in the older neighborhoods fanning out from Lower Bidwell Park and downtown Chico.
View Article