So, here you are, a newly eclosed Western tiger swallowtail, Papilio rutulus, eager to sip some nectar from a Mexican sunflower, Tithonia rotundifola, in a Vacaville garden.

It's a warm, windless day, and you're anxious to score, score, score.

You touch down on a Tithonia, but something whizzes by your tails.

Whoa! What was that? 

You're startled, alarmed, and irritated. It's a territorial male long-horned bee, probably a Melissodes agilis. He aims to dislodge you from your blossom in his attempt to save the nectar for his would-be girlfriends.

You teeter, then totter, then take off. You touch down on another Tithonia.

Hey! Bee brain! Quit targeting me? Go away! 

You head for another blossom, determined to grab a least "a little" nectar.

Stop it! Leave me alone! Go take a vacation!

But the bee isn't about to take a vacation. And he won't allow your "staycation."

Spoiler alert: The butterfly admits defeat and departs the flower garden, exasperated but with tails intact. The bee emerges victorious, its real estate intact.

Score: Bee, 3, Butterfly, 0. 

The turf battle is over for today. Tomorrow? That's another day and another battle. 

Maintaining a garden irrigation system is essential for keeping your plants healthy and your garden flourishing. One common issue that gardeners may encounter is a leak or damage to PVC pipes in the irrigation system. Repairing these PVC pipes is crucial to ensure the efficient operation of the irrigation system and a successful garden.

Recently, our learning garden suffered a major break in the irrigation system. It was hard to determine where the leak was because the entire area had flooded before we knew there was a problem.

After turning off the system and waiting a day for the flood to subside, we were able to identify the area in need of repair. Then, we drained the irrigation system by opening the ends of our driplines.

Of course, this is where I enlisted the assistance of my Master Gardener Support Team (MGST), AKA my husband, Mike. When I use the word ‘we' in the rest of this text, you can be sure a lot of the ‘we' was ‘him'!

As with any leak, the hard part is usually not in the repair, it is in the digging of layers of mud and gravel to get to the leaking pipes. We dug until I thought we would reach China before we located the pipe.

The problem was two-fold: while some pipes had cracked, others no longer adhered to the ones next to them. This can be caused when one uses the incorrect glue for the job. We have had much success using the two-part glue system; one colored purple (primer) the second colored blue (glue). The glue that had been used was mostly clear (Failed PVC with an off-brand glue).

We then assessed the supply needs and went home to gather the necessary tools and equipment. We forgot the mallet. When we returned, we cut out the damaged section using a hacksaw, carefully removing the damaged sections of the PVC pipe.

After sanding the spots to be ‘welded,' we applied PVC primer to the ends of the existing pipe and the replacement pieces, then added glue to the same pieces, quickly joining them together. We held the pieces in place for a few seconds to allow the cement to set and create a strong bond. When the cement had cured (we waited 30 minutes or so to ensure the glue would hold}, we turned the water supply back on, checking for any leaks or issues with the repaired section. It held!

Once we celebrated our success, Mike built a box around the pipes and a lid to sit on top. This saves us from another day of digging when the pipes need assistance in the future.

photos by Nanelle Jones-Sullivan

By now you have heard of purple tomatoes, and you've probably heard of heart-shaped tomatoes, but have you heard of the Dwarf Purple Heart tomato?

For those who haven't heard, The Dwarf Tomato Project  “grew out of a comment made in a Tomato Forum at Gardenweb when Craig LeHoullier lamented the fact that the dwarf category in tomatoes was very restricted, and suggested it would be good to cross dwarfs with heirlooms to remedy this situation”.

I love that both the plants, with their rugose leaves, and the tomatoes, with their variety of shapes and colors, are attractive and easy to manage in my garden. 

Dwarf Purple Heart is a cross between ‘Dwarf Wild Fred' and ‘Brad's Black Heart', both known for their flavor. Heart-  shaped tomatoes are known for their large size and meaty texture. This tomato variety is good in both raw and cooked preparations. 

https://www.dwarftomatoproject.net

Guess who's coming to dinner? All sorts of insects and other critters want to share in the bounty of your garden! University of California Master Gardeners will share the techniques of Integrated Pest Management to keep pests at bay with the least toxic methods to control pests in your garden.

Click the image to learn more and visit our Classes and Events Calendar page.