Under the Solano Sun

Blue oak, our most drought-tolerant native oak, grows throughout Solano and Yolo counties. In nature, blue oaks are mostly found on sunny, well-drained soils: “the wettest of the dry places and the driest of the wet places.” Nearby Rockville Hills Regional Park (Fairfield) and Lagoon Valley (Vacaville)…

Have you ever thought about creating your own native habitat garden? Have you heard the term, native habitat garden, and wondered what exactly it was and how you could create one? If so, you have come to the right place!A native habitat garden is a landscaped area that utilizes native plants to create a…

About eight years ago, we planted a 4-way pluot tree.  It is a Zaiger Interspecifics grafted tree from Dave Wilson Nursery.  The 4 different grafts are Dapple Dandy, Flavor Supreme, Flavor King, and Flavor Queen. The tree grew fast, and well, it has always looked healthy, and fruiting started…

 In my Horticultural Therapy class, we develop “tool kits,” including plants we are comfortable using in therapeutic activities. My recent focus has been on activities that are portable and indoors, so I wanted to learn more about “houseplants.” I was surprised to find that houseplants might simply…

When I first got my city-subsidized $10 worm condo some years back (many years back), I got really excited about worm farming. Back then, we just called it worm composting. The only book of “authority” was “Worms Eat My Garbage” by Mary Appelhoff. I learned from the book the term “vermicomposting,” and most…