Under the Solano Sun

Blog by Michelle DavisHolidays are upcoming, and so are the foods we associate with them. One that I love to eat during the holidays and year-round is Ipomoea batatas, or sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes may well have been the earliest food crop. Archaeological evidence dates it as far back as 2500 BCE in Peru…

For years I thought this tree at our seasonal pond, was a Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolia). Finally, I decided to look more closely into its identity. A Brazilian pepper is, of course, one of the topmost invasive species, mostly where there is plenty of water, like Florida and Texas.

I have been on fire mitigation detail all summer long around my place. Those of you who know my place know that my house along with the 2 other houses on the property are surrounded by trees.

In June, 2024, I wrote a blog about a magnificent old Prickly Pear Opuntia basilaris cactus garden located in the Pea Adobe Regional Park, just west of Vacaville, CA https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=60014.

As gardeners, we know that we have failures and sadly wind up sometimes killing a plant we love. Such was the case with my Begonia rex. It lived for several years outdoors in a spot that had indirect light. At first, it thrived, but then it began to deteriorate.