It may not seem like it to those just traveling though, but Paradise is not only rebuilding, it's replanting. Homeowners, as well as people who have not yet broken ground, are tending their properties and making beautiful what was destroyed by the Camp Fire. Landscaping and gardens are taking over. More people appear to be gardeners than not, and what is growing is as varied as the people who look after their gardens and landscapes.

What are people planting, and why those particular plants? How does the landscaping fit into their lifestyle? Or, in the case of some, how and why are they beautifying their little piece of the planet as they wait to be able to rebuild?  As a recently returned resident myself, I decided to investigate by visiting some of my neighbors.

Allison's property sits on the corner of Neal Road and is seasonally decorated throughout the year. Allison rents in Chico but is on her lot frequently, checking her drip system, pruning, weed eating, or hanging ornaments and lights from the shrubs that are thriving near the curve of her driveway. She told me she is planting corn along the back fence line, as well as beans, which will replace the sunflowers of last summer. She's hoping the sunflower volunteers will intermingle with the vegetables. When asked why she spends so much time and energy going beyond the typical maintenance required for an empty lot, she chuckles and confides it may sound “woo-woo” (with air quotes) but her property “was defenseless.” She says “I want it to know that it is still loved, someone cares about it, so we keep it clean and decorated…others will notice it is being cared for…it makes me feel good knowing I am doing my part keeping my little corner of the Ridge looking the best it can in the state it is in.” She wants her neighbors who've returned to know that the neighborhood is respected and cared about. Her way of showing this is by taking care of her property. She is grateful for the chance to give something to the area she calls home, even as she struggles with the challenges of planning for a rebuild.

Driving through town, it is apparent that many gardeners continued to buy plants and garden while living in rentals. Plants are an investment, and it can be difficult to justify buying flowers and shrubs to plant in a garden that is only temporary and not one's own. This may be especially true when there are so many essential items that need to be purchased. But the need to garden is also healing. As more people move into their new homes, container plantings brought from their interim housing are lining driveways and walkways, gracing front entries and steps. The plantings vary from small trees to fairy gardens, redwoods to roses, but these “gardens on the go” are evident everywhere.  

After the Camp Fire, Jan and her husband purchased a number of acres several miles from their original property. Their house is built, and they are now planting their vegetable garden and filling their front garden with drought tolerant and native plants. “I love the lupines,” Jan says as she bends down to pull a weed between a cluster of lupines. She points to where she plans to plant lavenders, and explains the Manroot, or Wild Cucumber (Marah Macrocarpa), spreading across a tree stump. The Manroot is tuberous and its root can be the size and shape of a sleeping man, hence the name. The spiky fruit is bitter and toxic.

The garden on Jan's new property will be very different from the one she left behind on her former property in Paradise. This year she has an amazing crop of petunias on the old lot. Before the fire, she says “The trees always shaded the back garden. It was hard to get a lot of bloom.” Some people might wonder why Jan spends so much time watering and mowing a lawn on an empty piece of property, but like so many who are now replanting the ridge, she finds gardening healing. “It's also the right thing to do,” she says. “I'm part of this community, and I want to be part of its rebirth. These plants are that rebirth.”

The Lambs recount what it was like returning to their property for the first time in December 2018. “It was like walking into a black and white war movie. Emphasis on the black!” The work they had done over the past twenty years on their one-and-a-half acres was gone. Feeling deeply attached to their land, they began the work of restoring water lines, grooming the property, and attending to the remaining shrubs, olives, lemons, and apple trees. The landscaping was developed from birthday and anniversary gifts over the years, and they still feel the loss of those gifted plants. Yet, replacing the landscaping brings enjoyment along with the hope of a new garden. They shop local nurseries, DeJaVu and Nobles, as well as share cuttings and bulbs with friends. “The Gingko tree across the street from our temporary home was almost completely destroyed but we've taken starters so it can live on,” they say. A recent birthday graced this family, and seven rose bushes were planted in recognition of the seven decades lived, a living affirmation of hope and belief in the future.

Irises are blooming on vacant lots, and the Lambs make sure they get water. Paradise is slowly rebuilding the many houses lost to the fire, they tell me, and they see a renewal of landscaping as residents spend time designing a new Paradise. The sound of sprinklers in the early morning is a delight to their ears, and the scent of Jasmine blooming is sweeter knowing that the plant struggled to heal itself after being badly scorched.

Some Paradise residents incorporate garden items that made it through the fire into their landscapes. One neighbor found the garden angel that sat in front of her home intact. She has moved it into a beautiful rock garden she maintains while waiting for her home to be rebuilt. Gates, obviously burned but still beautiful, are being reused as entries to vegetable or front gardens. Statues and bird baths sit amid new plantings. Kent and Michelle are residents who didn't have a tree left standing on their property; they made lemonade out of lemons, or, more aptly, art from dead trees.  They hired a woodworker to rework the Ponderosa Pine that had gallantly guarded their front walk, welcoming all to their home. In its place now stands a bear created from that pine, holding a sign that simply reads “home.”

For those of us who have come home, we are thrilled to be here. We landscape, we garden, we share plants and advice for their care because we are a community that is not only rebuilding, but replanting. A woman I spoke with wisely said, “We are rebuilding not only our houses but our community of generous and kind people who are populating a place we call home…Paradise.”  Taking a drive to see these new landscapes and gardens just reaffirms the power of digging in the dirt.

The Master Gardeners 2021 Spring Workshop Series continues in June with “The Wild and Wonderful World of Honeybees” on Wednesday, June 16.  Register for this free workshop, on our workshop webpage.  If you missed any of our earlier workshops this season, they are available for viewing on our YouTube channel. Options include: Native Gardens; Invasive Plants; Plant Problems and Diagnoses; and Companion Planting.  Also available for viewing are several workshops from last year: Tree Selection; Plant Viruses; and a three-parter on Gardening From the Ground Up. 

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.

April's Wildtending Walk at Verbena Fields marked the third of this year-long monthly series. Each month, we discover changes that have taken place and learn the stages of a plant's growth (e.g. leaf, bloom, seed). One goal is to develop an intuitive sense of when and how to gather seeds of different species, with a broader goal of helping people develop an understanding of local ecology from a native peoples' perspective in which humans are not separate from nature, but an equal participant and keystone species that interacts with and influences plant evolution and propagation. Some of the plants focused on during this walk are also keystone species: important components in the lore, culture practices and survival of the Mechoopda people who inhabited this land for thousands of years prior to occupation by Europeans.

The April 27 walk was led by Ali Meders-Knight, Mechoopda Tribal member and Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) specialist, Raphael DiGenova, and Janeva Sorenson (Camp Fire Restoration Project). It occurred at a propitious time: April's full moon had occurred the previous night. Meders-Knight observed that after the first full moon in April is a pivotal time to collect seeds for replanting as they are then at their most potent. And on this day we would be collecting seeds, using beautiful cloth collection bags sewn by Eneri of Irresistible Stitches.

As fluffy cottonwood seeds floated in the air, the group headed towards the channel and stopped at a cottonwood. These trees are a primarily riparian species that can also handle drought. Meders-Knight noted that their seeds float along hoping for a flood year. Each tree puts out many thousands of seeds and gambles that a few will land in enough moisture to enable them to take root and grow to maturity. Humans can help by collecting the cottony seed pods and dropping them into welcoming habitat.

The cottonwood's medicinal properties include interacting with fungus and as an antiseptic. In addition, buds can be soaked in oil to make a pleasantly-scented tincture to ease muscle pain. The inner bark, buds, and catkins are edible. Mechoopda people found cottonwood ideal for a fire-starting plank – the tree is a softer hardwood that is easy to drill into to make sawdust. (Cedar makes the best fire planks but does not grow in the valley.)

Down the trail, DiGenova bends to touch the developing flower bud of a Grindelia camporum (Valley Gum plant), having grown from basal rosette to a spiky orb now glistening with medicinal sap. This native species is related to grindelias used as medicine in Europe over one thousand years ago. Grindelias have “multidiverse” medicinal uses: for respiratory problems, for skin lesions such as bed sores, and as a tea with steroidal and anti-inflammatory properties. Grindelia is also used to treat poison oak rashes, indigestion, and even severe nausea. Asthma attacks can be relieved by sucking on a flower bud.    

An enormous yerba santa perched along a high spot above the channel was planted seven years ago as a tiny start. by Meders-Knight.  Since then she has used this specimen to show kids how to sample plants, and it has responded to the honor of being a teaching plant by growing into a huge shrub, right now in its flowering stage. European honeybees and several types of native bees are mobbing this bush. It blooms at a good time of year to nurture these pollinators. It's not quite ready to give up its seed– perhaps next month. Yerba santa seeds will not sprout without having been exposed to fire.

Meders-Knight calls the yerba santa a “backwards chewing gum” plant as the leaves initially taste unpleasant and sweeten up with chewing (whereas chewing gum starts out sweet and ends up icky). Yerba santa leaves are helpful for dehydration and can also act as a stimulant. As she plucks these leaves and drops them in her water bottle, Meders-Knight emphasizes the importance of staying mindful and being thankful while gathering. She gathers for medicinal and educational purposes, and honors and respects what the plant offers. Traditionally, jewelry might be offered in thanks, and she demonstrates how strands of hair can be wound on the plant in return for sharing its leaves and seeds.

Yerba santa absorbs, even thrives on, carbon monoxide, and it likes to grow on roadsides. This plant can be smoked: pick and dry leaves, then crumble, roll, and smoke them to help clear your lungs. Meders-Knight noted that smoked with cannabis it can soothe lungs that have been scarred from wildfire smoke, like those of firefighters. She cautions to gather from plants growing in interior areas, away from constant car exhaust. One can also make a cough syrup from yerba santa. Breathing in steam from boiling this plant or steeping it to make tea can also soothe lungs.

Mugwort that has seeded itself in the channel is up next: a vivid dream medicine, this is a keystone species for the Mechoopda people. Simply breathe in its smell before sleep and place some near your bed for dream purposes. This plant is not edible, but a derivative of mugwort is a cure for malaria.

DiGenova finds the fruit of a pipevine, which is exciting as there is a very short window of time to gather seeds of this plant, and the seed pods are camouflaged within the foliage. Each pod can carry fifty or more seeds. Since seeds fall straight down it is hard for this plant to spread itself to other parts of the park. They'd like to seed many more of these in order to beef up the pipevine swallowtail butterfly population. Look for an area at the bottom of the seed pod that is just barely open: this means that the seeds are ripe to pick but seeds have not yet dropped. Scatter them at the base of other trees, as pipevines need a support structure to grow on, or along the willow walls woven along the sides of the channel.  

Verbena Fields is home to a bush that grows abundantly in our valley: the elderberry, a keystone Mechoopda species with high intrinsic value. Straight narrow twigs from this bush are made into clapper sticks which the Mechoopda use for percussion during ceremonies and songs. Elderberry twigs also make excellent drill sticks to use with the cottonwood plank. Native stories recount firebirds playing with and stealing the people's drill sticks.

The elderberry bloom this year was huge, perhaps prompted by our scant rainfall. Their berries are very popular with birds, who repay in kind by spreading the seeds in their droppings. Propagation also occurs through root sprouts.

The elderberry has many medicinal and nutritional uses. The berries and flowers of elderberry are packed with antioxidants and vitamins. It can be used to reduce inflammation, lessen stress, and to relieve cold and flu symptoms. Use care when working with this plant: prior to blooming, the green berries have high amygdalin concentrations. Amygdalin is a cyanogenic glycoside which can result in cyanide poisoning. Stems and leaves also contain this toxic compound.  For this reason, remove any stems from flowers when making elderflower tea and never make tea from elderberry leaves. The ripe fruit, however, contains no poisons and has anti-viral properties.

Plants with powerful medicinal properties can often carry harmful components. Meders-Knight recommends “After the First Full Moon in April, A Sourcebook of Herbal Medicine by A California Indian Elder,” by Bev Ortiz and Josephine Grant Peters. This book is highly instructive in how, when, and why to gather and offers careful instructions for preparation of plants for medicinal uses.

The group circles back to revisit the redbud.  Its flowering stage is complete and its branches sport many green and pliable seedpods, along with some that have dried. The redbud is also a Mechoopda keystone species, as leaves, seeds, and flowers are all nutritious and delicious. Pods are best eaten when still young.

The walk ends with the collection of California poppy seeds.  It is just a tad bit early in their season, so DiGenova teaches how to identify the seed pods that are closest to ripe. The long slender pod develops dark vertical stripes when close to optimum ripeness, and one good clue is if most of the flowers on any given plant are spent. Test with a slight twist and tug at the base of the pod: the ripest ones will detach easily. When completely dry, pods pop open and seeds are ejected forcefully into the areas surrounding these beautiful, hardy plants. An annual, poppies rely on seeding to propagate. The group spreads out over the field, dropping pods into the collection bags to return to DiGenova for planting later; we are encouraged to pocket some to watch them pop open (and perhaps sow) at home.

One of the fascinating things about the folks who are leading these walks is their ability to seamlessly marry ancient technologies with those of the digital age. DiGenova is continuously seeding different natives all over the park, in part to disrupt the growth of invasive species such as star thistle and mustard. As this has been a super dry water year, the seedlings could stand some supplemental water. DiGenova handed out a QR code that links to a map of these plantings, so that you can bring them some water when you visit Verbena Fields in between the Wildtending Walks. The code is also available on the back of the Information Sign at the south side of the park.

There are three ways you can get involved and learn more about this special place, native species, and the Mechoopda culture: 1) Join the Wildtending Walks the last Tuesday of the month. There is a suggested $5 donation to support the facilitators; 2) Meet up with the volunteer crew at Verbena Fields every Friday between 10 and 1 to pull invasives, water seedlings, and more; and 3) Become certified in native plants through Meders-Knight's TEK training workshops.

The Master Gardeners 2021 Spring Workshop Series continues in June with “The Wild and Wonderful World of Honeybees” on Wednesday, June 16.  Register for this free workshop on our website.

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.

As we enter another summer of drought, conserving water is essential.  Luckily, there are a number of ways you can significantly reduce water use in your vegetable garden.

Before planting a single seed, a good first step in vegetable gardening is to amend the soil with compost.  Compost adds organic material to the soil, improving the soil's water environment.  Organic matter improves the water-holding ability of sandy soils and loosens clay soils, promoting better water absorption.  And as organic substances break down, nutrients are released into the soil.

Mulch, mulch, mulch!  Mulching is probably the single most important thing a gardener can do to reduce water consumption in a vegetable garden, or the home landscape in general.  Mulching reduces evaporation from the soil by up to 35% and can significantly cut irrigation needs.  Mulches also smother weeds, which compete with vegetables for water.

Mulching with black plastic sheeting is the most effective way to conserve soil moisture, but it also raises soil temperatures, so its use should be limited to heat-loving vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, squash and melons.  Plan to lay down black plastic early in the season, so that by the time extreme summer temperatures arrive, plants will have matured and their leaves will shade the plastic. 

Grass clippings make excellent mulch because they release nitrogen into the soil as they break down.  To avoid matting, clippings should applied in thin layers between one-quarter and one-half an inch deep and be allowed to dry out between layers.  Do not use grass clippings from lawns that have been treated with herbicides.  Other organic mulches include wood shavings, compost, bark, straw, or alfalfa.  Organic mulches should be one to three inches thick in vegetable gardens; the larger the mulch particles, the thicker the mulch needs to be.  Also, thicker layers of shavings, straw, or bark may lead to a carbon-nitrogen imbalance in the soil.  A layer of newspaper two sheets thick can be placed under organic mulches to enhance their effectiveness.  (Do not use glossy printed material for this purpose, as the ink may be toxic to plants.)

When deciding which vegetables to plant, be aware that the amount of water needed by different crops varies.  Corn and most beans require the greatest water use of commonly-planted garden vegetables.  Vegetables that are more drought tolerant include chard, black-eyed peas (cowpeas), heat-tolerant tomatoes (including many cherry varieties), some varieties of okra, mustard greens, eggplant, jalapeno and poblano peppers, Black Knight zucchini, and New Zealand and Malabar spinach.  Shallow-rooted crops, including potatoes, onions (and most other bulb, root or tuber crops), celery, and plants in the cabbage family, require more frequent irrigation.  For this reason, mulch is especially beneficial for shallow-rooted crops.  Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, melons and asparagus are more deep-rooted and can tolerate longer periods without irrigation.  Beans, carrots, peppers, summer squash and cucumbers are intermediate in root depth.  Additionally, low-growing plants and plants with smaller leaves tend to lose less water through their leaves than taller, leafier varieties.  Bush beans, for example, use less water than pole beans.  Also, miniature varieties of vegetables, such as mini bell peppers and eggplants, need less water for fruit development than standard varieties. 

In addition to planting less thirsty varieties, garden design can improve water efficiency.  Rather than using traditional rows, plant vegetables in blocks.  This creates shade and reduces evaporation.  Group plants with similar water needs together (this technique is called hydrozoning).  Zucchinis, cucumbers and squash, for example, require similar water applications.  They can be planted in the same bed; or planted in different locations, but served by the same valve or drip line.  If the garden is in a windy, breezy location, a windbreak will also reduce evaporation.

How a garden is irrigated can affect how much water it uses. Water early in the morning, so that water has a better chance to soak into the soil before it evaporates.  A drip system (under mulch) is an efficient way to deliver water to crops with minimal evaporation loss.  To avoid overwatering, monitor soil moisture.  Generally, if garden soil has dried out to a depth of two to four inches, it's time to water.  Including a timer as part of an irrigation system will reduce waste due to human error.  Overhead sprinklers and hose-end sprayers are inefficient, result in high evaporation losses and are more likely to trigger diseases such as mildew.  Also, the amount of water needed by plants varies over their life cycle.  As a rule of thumb, water is most critical for plants during the first few weeks of development, immediately following transplanting, and during flowering and fruit production.  Target the timing and amount of water with these plant needs in mind.  It is also important to check and maintain your irrigation system frequently to keep it performing at top efficiency.

Water can be “harvested” from inside the house for use in the garden.  For example, save your cooking water, or capture water flowing from sinks and showers before the water is hot.  Wastewater from an aquarium can be reused and it will also provide a variety of nutrients for garden plants.  Finally, gardens can be irrigated with graywater (drain water from sinks, showers and tubs).  Before undertaking this step, check with your local public health department.  The Butte County Public Health website, for example, contains a great deal of information about the use of graywater, including a link to the San Francisco Graywater Design Manual.

For more information, see “Water Conservation Suggestions for Your Home Vegetable Garden." UCCE Master Gardeners of Trinity County.

The Master Gardeners Spring 2021 Workshop Series is underway.  It is not too late to sign up for our workshop on Honeybees, and an upcoming 4-part series on Firewise Landscaping. Check our website to read about these free workshops and register for them. 

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.

At this time of the year, aphids can be a serious problem in the garden.  But salvation can arrive in the form of ladybugs. Ladybugs are actually beetles, not bugs.  And while they are sometimes called ladybirds or ladybeetles, of course they are not all female. They belong to the class Insecta and are members of the Coccinellidae family of beetles (Coccinellidae means “small red sphere” in Latin).

Ladybugs have oval-shaped bodies and appear in various colors, including red, yellow, gray, black, brown and even pink.  They may or may not have spots or stripes.  Ladybugs are beneficial insects that play a major role in keeping down populations of insects that feed on plants.  Perhaps most importantly, ladybugs are predators with an insatiable appetite for aphids. A ladybug can eat up to 5,000 aphids over its lifetime.  They can also help to rid your garden of other soft-bodied insects such as mites, mealybugs and leafhoppers, along with insect eggs and even ants. 

Of the 5,000 ladybug species found worldwide, 450 are native to North America, with 175 of those species found here in California. Adults mate in early spring (when temperatures reach above 65⁰F) and again in June if the aphid population is abundant. When aphid populations decline, ladybugs migrate to higher elevations.

Ladybugs undergo a complete metamorphosis during their life cycle, moving through four stages: Eggs à Larvae à Pupae à Adult.  The first 3 stages of life occur quickly, over one to two months. A single ladybug can lay up to 300 eggs.  After a female lays her eggs, they hatch in two to 10 days.  The eggs are yellow, oblong, and laid in clusters in an aphid colony so the larvae will have a food source as they emerge from their eggs. The larvae look like tiny alligators and are about one-quarter of an inch long and blackish with orange stripes.  Larvae eat and grow for another 21-30 days before entering the pupal stage, which lasts seven to 15 days.  Once it emerges from the pupal stage an adult ladybug will live for approximately one year. 

Adult ladybugs are four to seven millimeters long (around one-quarter of an inch). The ladybug anatomy consists of a head, two antenna, two eyes, a pronotum covering the thorax, an elytra (the hard shell that covers their wings), six jointed legs, abdomen and wings (these are so thin you can actually see through them). Interestingly, ladybugs beat their wings 85 times per second in order to fly.  When threatened a ladybug can draw its heads into its pronotum, like a turtle does, to protect itself.  

Ladybugs hibernate in the winter months and will not fly when temperatures fall below 55⁰F. They feed on pollen and nectar and live on stored fat through the winter. Ladybugs are not preyed upon by birds or other vertebrates because they exude a very distasteful fluid from joints in their legs; their distinctive colors are a reminder to would-be predators they taste “bad.”  When threatened, ladybugs will play dead. 

How can you attract ladybugs to your garden?  Wait for spring and check that you have a ready supply of aphids available. If there is no food, ladybugs will not come.  For successful handling and release of ladybugs purchased at retail stores, keep them refrigerated until time for release.  They may be dehydrated when purchased, so mist them with water from a squirt bottle before putting them in the refrigerator. Do not release them into your garden during the daytime or they will fly away immediately.  Instead, release them at dusk or early morning. Before releasing, spray a fine mist of water on plants that have aphids on them and place the ladybugs at the base of the plants.  Do not release ladybugs on plants that have been sprayed with insecticides as the chemical residues may kill them.  Be prepared for ladybugs to fly away in a few days as they typically don't lay eggs on the plants they have been released on.

When you see ladybugs, remember that they are considered lucky in many cultures, for various reasons.  Enjoy them in your garden until they fly away, fly away home.

The Master Gardeners Spring 2021 Workshop Series has begun.  Topics include:  Native Gardens, Invasive Plants, Honeybees, and a 4-part series on Firewise Landscaping. Visit our website to read about these upcoming free workshops and to register for them.

UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area, visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu (preferred) or call (530) 538-7201.