Our first stop is owned by a newly minted Master Gardener who informed us that, “The gardens are a work in progress." The house has been in his family since 1986 and because it was a second home, his parents decided to keep the landscaping low maintenance. He admitted to having no interest in gardening until the pandemic lockdown happened which allowed him and his wife to spend more time in the St. Helena home. For this gardener, the Master Gardener program provided a wealth of information. For instance, it expanded his understanding of the importance of the soil microbiome, as well as piquing his interest in planting more pollinator-friendly plants. So far this year he has planted 750 plants, 86 of which are roses. Here's an image of a grouping with visiting MGs in the background.

Someone asked how he mapped out the gardens and he said the mapping happened in his mind while he was sitting under the fig tree by the pool and staring at the landscape. He planted in groups of 5 of the same species.  There was no irrigation, so he installed what he describes as rudimentary and currently has 5 zones. It runs for one hour twice a week.  Next year he hopes to have a more sophisticated irrigation system laid out with hydrozones. 

He likes to use the mango mulch from Grab & Go in Sonoma. Bottom line, he is still experimenting with his garden. This is a beautiful property with stunning views. 

Our next stop was a more established garden, started 40 years ago. There are vegetables in the garden, but this long-time Master Gardener's main passion is cut flowers. She has started over 40 varieties from seed. She demonstrated pinching them, a technique that she and other flower growers use to produce greater yields and a longer harvest window. Pinching is a method where, when the plants are young (about 8-12” high), you go down 2 or 3 sets of leaves from the top and cut the stem at that apical growth. The shoots will grow off to the sides to delay the plants first blossoms. This can be done with almost any branching flower, such as dahlias, zinnias, cosmos, marigolds, as long as they have more than one shoot. Many sunflowers and stock are examples of a plant that you can't do this with. She suggests doing only some of the plants within a grouping so the garden will flower intermittently. Bouquets of flowers are taken to the St. Helena Food Pantry to be given out with food. She likes to buy her seeds from Floret Farms in Washington state, and she encouraged us all to check out their website and videos. 

We got to view a recently planted an orchard with their favorite fruit trees. Sadly, beyond the rows of flowers, one can see remnants of fire on the hillside. 

There is a sunflower house that she planted for her grandchildren. Since one of her neighbors had no garden space, the owners allowed her to plant it on their property. 

 

 

 

 

These jeans were given to the Master Gardener by the artist, who creates them by using fiberglass resin to stiffen them. Next to the jeans is a bronze sculpture of a dog with angel wings, a memorial to Poppy, a long-lost dog still guarding the garden.

Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143.  Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions. Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.