UC Master Gardeners- Diggin' it in SLO

Soil Workshop By Linda Lewis Griffith UCCE Master Gardener Soil is vital to the success of any garden. So it's worthwhile to understand the key factors that impact its productivity: Texture is the relative proportions of sand, silt and clay particles in any soil.

Black Sage By Jutta Thoerner UCCE Master Gardener Salvia melliferra Planting zone: 7-10 Size: 3 to 4 feet tall, 3 to 6 feet wide. Bloom:Light blue to white flowers in March to June. Exposure:Full sun, tolerates some shade.

California fremontia By Jackie Woods UCCE Master Gardener Planting areas: does well in dry, well-drained sandy soils as well as chalky, nutritionally poor soil. Size: can grow as tall as 20 feet and as wide as 20 feet under ideal conditions. Bloom season: late spring to summer.

Norman Knows... Horntailed Wasps In keeping with wood damaging insects, we turn to an unusual group of insects - the wood wasps, also known as horntails. These primitive wasps actually bore in and feed on wood. They are large, almost two inches in length, with a long ovipositor on the female.

Norman Knows... Western Drywood Termites Probably the biggest termite pest in this area is the Western Drywood Termite. No doubt, many of us have seen the homes and buildings covered with large tarps, or perhaps had your own home covered for fumigation.