- (Focus Area) Yard & Garden
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Before digging in to spring planting, pay attention to building the soil, advises an article in the Los Angeles Times by Jeanette Marantos.
Marantos visited the Pasadena backyard garden of Yvonne Savio, the retired coordinator of the UC Master Gardener Program in Los Angeles County. Savio is the creator of the Gardening in LA blog, with new stories appearing "every other week or so."
“The old saying is, ‘Feed the soil, not the plant,'" Savio said. “When you...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A common springtime nuisance, whitefly populations have escalated this year in California Central Coast areas, reported Megan Healy on KSBY Channel 6 in San Luis Obispo.
People are mistaking them for clouds of pollen or ash; some leaves look like they're coated with a thin layer of new-fallen snow.
The reporter spoke to Cathryn Howarth, a UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener in San Luis Obispo County. She said the office has received dozens of calls from residents wondering why the whiteflies are so...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
A 140-year-old Moreton Bay fig tree that shaded a plaza at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument toppled suddenly during a Chinese lantern festival, reported Matthew Ormseth in the Los Angeles Times. The imposing tree was likely a victim of urbanization, according to UC Cooperative Extension horticulture advisor Don Hodel.
The commanding breed of tree with an enveloping canopy was brought to Southern California from Australia in the 1860 and 1870s to provide shade and ornamentation, Hodel said.
"Their grandeur;...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
San Joaquin County UC Cooperative Extension in Stockton maintains pesticide-free roses as one of two trial sites in California for the American Rose Trials for Sustainability, reported Angelina Dequina in the Daily Titan. The other California location is at California State University, Fullerton.
Since 2012, the American Rose Trials for Sustainability has conducted scientific research to determine the best rose cultivation techniques for gardeners in each region of the U.S. The roses in the trial plots are grown with minimal care; the only inputs are water and...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Anne Schellman has been appointed coordinator of the new UC Master Gardener program in Stanislaus County, reported John Holland in the Modesto Bee.
A Modesto native, Schellman learned about plants while working at Scenic Nursery when she was a student Modesto Junior College. She earned a bachelor's degree in horticultural science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a master's degree in community development at UC Davis.
Schellman is not new to UC ANR or to UC Cooperative Extension in Stanislaus County. She worked as a UCCE horticulture program representative and program manager for UCCE...