The Savvy Sage

two purple sage flowers with a green background of foliage

A Master Gardeners blog to: Educate, Inspire, and Ignite Knowledge.

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Spanish lavender 'Javelin Forte Deep Purple'

Growing Lavender

May 30, 2025
Article by Joy Humphrey -  Before I developed an interest in gardening, I thought there was only one type of lavender—just, you know, lavender—and that it made a really nice scent for hand lotion. After I became a gardener, I discovered there is a whole world of lavender out there in numerous…
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Lady beetle nursery

Dirty Stories

May 30, 2025
 Article by Cheri Meyers - As a recent graduate of the UC Master Gardener Program of Yolo County, this is my first attempt to share my gardening experiences in the Yolo Gardener Newsletter and Savvy Sage Blog. I hope you find it worth the read.It’s a lovely but warm spring day here in West…
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Photo of the elegant UCD Arboretum waterway.

A Spring Walk in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden

May 30, 2025
  Article by Lorie Hammond - A friend and I walk the UC Davis Arboretum every week. Each time she comments: “How can it be so different?” And every time, we are amazed. There is never a bad time to see this ever-changing collection of plant communities. Always beautiful. Always different. But…
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Flame skimmer dragonfly on plant stem

The Nature Cure

May 20, 2025
Article and photos (adapted) by Tanya Kucak, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County Spending time in gardens and parks can not only make you healthier and happier, it can also make you more resilient and “a better member of civilization,” Florence Williams said in a keynote talk at the 2023 Wild Wonder…
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