- Author: Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
The Coulter's Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri), a California/Baja native plant, is a paradox. It is described as both “difficult to grow” and “invasive.” How can that be?
Years ago, I decided the poppy was the plant for me because of the second attribute. I bought a one-gallon pot at the California Native Plant Society sale, took it home, planted it, and it promptly died. How deflating! What did I do wrong?
The Matilija poppy thrives in full sun and needs very little water. As a California native, it is drought tolerant. I had planted mine in partial shade and didn't give it enough water. Even plants that thrive in dry landscapes need water until they are established. Live and learn.
Why is the Matilija poppy considered invasive? It's because this plant sends out rhizomes that spread underground. If you don't want it to take over your yard, cut back any sprouts that appear. If you want to propagate it, dig up the sprouts and plant them, or give them to friends. The small sprouts have the best chance of success.
Supposedly, you can also take cuttings from the thickest part of the stem and propagate those, but the chances of success are lower than when you carefully transplant the small volunteers. It's best to plant these sprouts in the fall.
You can grow the Matilija poppy from seed, but it's a challenge. The seeds will not sprout if you simply drop them on the ground. People who successfully grow Matilija poppies from seed follow a complicated, almost occult, ritual that involves burning pine needles over a heap of seeds to simulate the fire- and smoke-damaged landscape where the poppies are often found. That method seems risky in our climate, so I recommend buying the plant from a native plant nursery or growing it from sprouted rhizomes.
When you get your plant, don't disturb the roots. Cut out the bottom of the pot, put the pot in the planting hole—with sandy, well-drained soil—and then cut the side of the pot and slide it off. Give the plant water regularly until it is established. After that, don't water.
The UC Master Gardeners of Mariposa have a series on YouTube called “Propagating California Native Plants.” The first video in the series is on the Matilija poppy. Master Gardener Helen Willoughy-Peck walks the viewer through the process of “smoking” the seeds (which she shakes from an adorable dried seed pod). It looks like something I could do without burning off my eyebrows, but she then shows an easier way—with a bottle of Liquid Smoke! You want the genuine article that only contain water and smoke. Just sprinkle it on the seeds, which should be on top of a soil-filled pot, cover the seeds with shredded paper and a saucer and put the pot in the garden to overwinter. Plant the seeds in the spring.
I was reminded of this plant when I visited the Saintsbury winery garden in Carneros a few months ago. They have Matilija poppies planted next to an office (with western exposure) and along a fence with roses. The poppies get plenty of sun and seem quite happy.
This shrub can grow to more than eight feet tall and just as wide. It has blue-gray leaves and flowers that are six to eight inches across—the largest blooms of any California native. The petals look like white silk crepe and are arranged around a fluffy yellow center, giving the appearance of a sunny-side-up egg. A large shrub covered with these blooms in early summer is a showstopper in any garden.
At Saintsbury the Matilija poppies share space with other natives and English roses, and it is a felicitous arrangement because the poppy dries out after blooming and is undistinguished looking. It is a deciduous plant. UC Master Gardener Wes Janssen recommends cutting it back to six inches in late fall. Chop up the pruned stems and leaves and use as mulch around the base.
The Matilija poppy attracts butterflies and bees and has a pleasant scent. If you want it for a flower arrangement, cut it in the bud stage, as the cut flower is short-lived.
This flower has an interesting history. Its name comes from a Chumash indigenous leader, Chief Matilija. The Chumash once lived in the area that stretches from Morro Bay to Malibu, concentrated near what is now Santa Barbara. But the botanical name is Romneya coulteri, so who were Romney and Coulter?
Dr. Thomas Coulter was an Irish botanist who traveled to Mexico in the 1830s. He must have been an adventurous person. After failing at running a mine and then experiencing a political coup, Coulter found the spectacular poppy that had been used medicinally by the native people for centuries (for stomach and gum ailments). Supposedly a grove of poppies guards the grave of the chief's daughter, in the hills above Matilija Canyon, near Ojai. Coulter latinized the name of his good friend, the Irish astronomer Dr. Thomas Romney Robinson, for the poppy's botanical name.
The Matilija poppy was a strong contender to be the state flower of California. The California poppy (Eschscholzia californica) won. It is just as invasive but easier to cultivate. However, there are many, many Matilija poppies in Napa Valley, enlivening the cultivated and wild landscape. Our Mediterranean climate and soil are perfect for them. They are also deer resistant.
I think I will give the Matilija poppy another try in my yard next year. That's the best thing about gardening—there's always next year.
Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a “Water-Wise Plant Show” on Wednesday, October 16, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Pelusi Building, 2296 Streblow Drive in Napa. Local landscape designers will demonstrate that drought-tolerance is anything but boring. Register here.
Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “Fall Garden Clean-up” on Saturday, October 26, at Las Flores Learning Garden, 4300 Linda Vista Avenue, Napa. Learn how we put the various garden plots to bed for the winter. There will be hands-on activities so you can learn how to implement these techniques in your own garden. Register here.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.
- Author: Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
During the summer of 2023, I did a lot of traveling, and my garden didn't get the oversight it needed. I say “oversight” because my yard has a mind of its own.
Just before I took off, I looked around the place and noticed a flash of red stems near the back. “The amaranth has come back! Won't the birds be happy!” I thought and then rushed to the airport.
When I returned a month later, what had appeared as amaranth to my nearsighted eyes revealed itself to be highly poisonous pokeweed, now 12 feet tall.
I have written in the past about poisonous plants in my yard—calla lilies, foxgloves, and my favorite, brugmansia (which is hallucinogenic as well as highly toxic). While acknowledging that these plants are dangerous, I have always added the lighthearted comment that the plants taste so terrible that no rational person--or dog, or cat—would ingest them.
Lately I have been rethinking that assertion. Dogs, cats, and babies, plus adults wanting to experience a state of altered consciousness, are not overburdened with common sense. Oh, and there is another reason. I will be a grandmother any day now.
I called up Silverado Veterinary Hospital and asked the receptionist if anyone had ever brought in a pet that had been poisoned by a landscape plant. She answered that they did get the occasional cat that had eaten a lily.
Calla lilies—or any lily and most bulbs—can cause acute gastric distress and organ damage. What's tempting about a lily? Cats might like the taste of the pollen or be attracted to the flower's fragrance. The vets at Silverado can save a cat that has eaten a poisonous plant, but I began to rethink my cavalier attitude. (Note: Dogs don't seem to be attracted to lilies, but cats really like them.)
Most plants that are toxic to pets are also toxic to humans, but symptoms are worse in dogs, cats, and young children because of their smaller size. Most of these plants cause vomiting and diarrhea, resulting in dehydration, which is much more dangerous for small creatures.
There are many toxic plants, but these are the most common: aloe, anemones, chrysanthemums, crocus, cyclamen, daffodils, daisies, hyacinths, jade plants, lilies, lilies of the valley, rhododendrons and tulips. Sago plants are probably the most dangerous. Just one or two seeds can poison you.
Plants that are toxic but rarely ingested by pets are brugmansia, castor bean (source of ricin), daphne, foxglove, jimson weed, nicotiana, pokeweed and yew. You can see the fine line between a helpful pharmaceutical and a risky substance in this list. Yew is used in chemotherapy to cure cancer, and foxglove is a source of digitalis, a heart medicine.
That pokeweed in my back yard is going to have to come out. The birds love it, and I doubt that my dog or the visiting cats will eat it. However, the berries are shiny and black, borne on cherry-red stems with green leaves, making the plant eye-catching. I can imagine a child wanting to eat the berries, especially because they have a syrupy scent. Pokeweed berries are very toxic.
I also won't replace the daphne that froze last winter, nor will I plant any more foxgloves. Some people fence off their risky plants, but I suspect my grandchild will be the sort of person who will think a fence is to be climbed over, so I will have a plant giveaway instead. I will be thrilled to rip out the anemone, which hasn't done well here since the summers have become so hot.
Fertilizers can be dangerous, too. When I planted my tiger lilies, my new poodle puppy was anxious to help. She really liked to eat the bone meal that went into the planting hole with the bulbs. I stopped that behavior by covering the tiger lily bed with mulch and, on top of that, wire mesh. While bone meal isn't poisonous, it will clump into a ball in the pet's stomach. The resulting blockage is expensive to remedy.
The UC Davis Veterinary School has a Toxic Plant Garden that is well worth a visit. All the plants are clearly labeled. It is a surprise to see so many common landscaping shrubs, such as oleander, in this collection.
You may ask, “What can I plant without killing small animals and children?” You can plant fruit, vegetables, herbs, wildflowers, California natives and roses, just for a start. So, no need to feel deprived. I have noticed lately a horticultural fad of growing a goth-style garden filled with plants in the poisonous nightshade family. It's an amusing conceit, but a poisoned child or pet is no joke.
Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “Soils, Compost and Mulch” on Wednesday, October 9, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Pelusi Building, 2296 Streblow Drive in Napa. Pat Costello, the City's water resources analyst, will summarize the eight principles of water-wise landscaping. Master Gardeners will examine local soil types and demonstrate how to improve your soil with aeration, amendments, and mulch. Register here.
Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a “Water-Wise Plant Show” on Wednesday, October 16, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Pelusi Building, 2296 Streblow Drive in Napa. Local landscape designers will demonstrate that drought-tolerant is anything but boring. Register here.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.
- Author: John Durham, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
I've been eager to satisfy my appetite for English gardens since visiting the Cotswolds region earlier this year. Fortunately, one doesn't need to travel to the U.K. to experience such a place. We have a great example in Northern California.
It has been more years than I can remember since my first visit to Filoli, the former Bourn-Roth estate in Woodside. So in some ways it felt like being there for the first time.
William Bourn was the prosperous owner of a gold mine who, with his wife Agnes, built Filoli as a self-sufficient country estate. Designed by Willis Polk, the famous San Francisco architect, the mansion took three years to build and was completed in 1917. Twenty years later, after both of the Bourns were deceased, William and Lurline Matson Roth purchased the property. Lurline Roth was the heir to the Mattson shipping fortune and the one who donated the entire 650-acre estate, in 1975, to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Today it is open for public tours and nature hikes and draws 400,000 visitors a year.
Entering through the original carved oak door that the former owners brought from their home in San Francisco, I encountered the beautiful garden “rooms” area. Indeed, there are many gatesand paths interspersed in the 16 acres of formal gardens. They add to the whimsy and appeal of Filoli.
Visiting in early September, I found roses, dahlias and begonias in abundance and full bloom. Unfortunately, the hydrangeas were past their prime, but they were gigantic. According to Flowers magazine, Filoli is home to one million daffodils, which must put on quite a show in spring. Being a rose fan, I was thrilled to see so many still in bloom, among them ‘Lady of Megginch,' ‘Lady of Shalott' and ‘Secret.'
Adjacent to the Rose Garden and after the Knot Garden is a marvelous collection of dahlias (my second favorite flower). They were so beautifully colored and striking. Among the standouts: ‘Heather Marie,' ‘Clyde's Choice,' ‘Pearson's Colleen,' ‘Show ‘N' Tell' (perhaps my favorite) and ‘Crichton Honey.'
Further down, in the so-called Panel Garden, there were large beds of a knee-high plant with lovely coral-colored blooms. A label identified the plant as ‘Gaza' but I'm still unsure what it was.
Just beyond this garden, I took the pathway steps leading up to the High Place. From this vantage point, you can look back to the yew allée and enjoy the view. Walking back down the yew allée, I was surprised by the expansive pool pavilion area. Adding to the charm of the walk were small pots of Echeveria ‘Purple Pearl' and small ceramic and stone ornamental sculptures.
Of course, at the end of the self-tour, we had to go into the garden gift shop. Needless to say, I spent some money and time there and walked out with some souvenirs.
After lunch on the dining room terrace, we visited the historic house. While the “bones” of the rooms have not been altered, the furniture and decorations changed with ownership. Admittedly, I must have either not paid enough attention on my first visit or just focused on certain rooms more than others. I did not recall much from that visit, although I distinctly remember the layout of the Gentlemen's Lounge, particularly the pool table.
This time, the Library made an impression, with all the shelves of books that belonged to the Bourns. The Drawing Room was notable as well. It included the only known photo of Agnes Bourn entertaining and pouring tea. After dinner, the women would withdraw to this room, while the men remained in the dining room. Times have changed, of course. Perhaps that's why we don't see drawing rooms in homes nowadays.
Of course, to serve all these folks, they had an expansive butler's pantry and kitchen. These rooms had serving ware on display and all the original appliances, including the original stoves.
Unfortunately, the Ballroom was being restored and no entry was allowed. The rooms upstairs were also not open to the public. Still, I would recommend spending part of your day visiting this historic house.
There is so much more to see and do at this huge estate. I would highly recommend spending a full two days there if you want to take in the expansive California Trail or Spring Creek Trail.
Fall Faire: Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for an entertaining and educational event on Saturday, September 28, from 1 pm to 4 pm, outdoors at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Enjoy exhibits on composting, monarch butterflies, succulents, water conservation, bees and more. The program includes activities for kids, a scarecrow contest, giveaways and music. Admission is free.
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and Napa Public Library for a free talk on “Thirsty Lawn to Low-Water Succulents and Perennials: A Step-by-Step Guide” on Thursday, October 3, from 7 pm to 8 pm, via Zoom. Don't let analysis paralysis stop you from achieving your new climate-appropriate garden. Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County on a step-by-step journey from weedy, labor-intensive lawn to a garden of succulents and perennials with year-round color. Register here.
Workshop: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for a workshop on “Soils, Compost and Mulch” on Wednesday, October 9, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, at the Pelusi Building, 2296 Streblow Drive in Napa. Pat Costello, the City's water resources analyst, will summarize the eight principles of water-wise landscaping. Master Gardeners will examine local soil types and demonstrate how to improve your soil with aeration, amendments and mulch.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.
- Author: Bob Niklewicz PT, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Okay, be honest. When you have a plant that is not doing well and you look for help from your favorite book, website, or YouTube source, and they start talking about pH, do your eyes roll back?
First, let's define the term. In 1909 Danish biochemists decided to use pH as shorthand for potential hydrogen. They developed a pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, to represent how many hydrogen ions (H+) are present in a sample. According to the scale, distilled water is a 7 (neutral). Anything under seven is considered acidic (sour), while anything above 7 is alkaline (sweet).
These values are not linear but, rather, logarithmic. That means that a sample with a pH of 6 is 10 times more acidic than a sample with a pH of 7.
What does pH have to do with gardening? Everything. A soil's pH affects the ability of plant roots to absorb nutrients and water. Most minerals in the soil must be dissolved to be absorbed by a plant's roots. Soil that is slightly acidic (6.2 to 6.8) or slightly alkaline (7.4 to 7.8) will dissolve minerals the best.
When soil is too acidic (pH below 5.5) new foliage looks yellow, distorted and possibly black around the edges and the plant does not grow. When soil is alkaline (pH above 8), plant leaves may look yellow between the veins or have a bleached or mottled and blotchy look. New growth may have brown or black leaf tips.
If you read that last paragraph again, you'll notice that the symptoms of pH imbalance are roughly the same, whether pH is too high or too low. That's indeed true but once you know the target soil pH for your plant, you can find information on how to adjust it.
The key point is that hydrogen drives the process of photosynthesis in the leaves and plant respiration in the roots. Both functions promote plant growth and health. Too much hydrogen or too little can reduce a plant's viability. Just like Goldilocks, you are looking for “just right.”
So don't think of pH as a scary word. Rather, think of it as the Teeter Totter of garden soil. Let's say you test your soil and find that it has a pH of 7.5 but you want it at 6.8. Adding acidic soil amendments, such as pine needles or coffee grounds, or an acid fertilizer, can shift the fulcrum. And a change in pH can be powerful. Just lowering the soil pH to a range of 5.2 to 5.5 can turn a pink hydrangea blue.
But be aware that it can take months for soil amendments to make a difference. If you rotate crops, the pH of the soil you amended last year may not be the best for this year's veggies. Save yourself some grief and experiment on smaller areas, such as planter boxes, rather than trying to adjust pH on a large plot. Test the soil a couple of times a year and make smaller adjustments frequently.
Of course, the best way to get accurate information about your soil's pH is to send samples to a laboratory for testing. For a fee, they will analyze your soil samples, but this can get pricy.
If you are a DYI person, start out with a small defined plot. Wearing gloves, take samples from four to five areas at a depth of four to six inches. Combine the samples in a clean, dry bucket. Remove debris such as sticks, rocks or dead plant parts. Add distilled water until the soil is a thick paste. Then dip your testing device into the bucket and follow the key on the packages to determine the pH of your sample.
Finally, with results in hand, you can amend the soil to achieve the desired pH. Not sure what amendments to use? Ask the staff at your local nursery. Read the labels on amendments for instructions. Study up on the nutritional requirements of your plant to know if you even need to correct the pH. Or contact the Napa County Master Gardener help desk (hours below). When you learn how to test and amend your own soil, you won't think of pH as a frightening term anymore. In fact, when your plants start to look great, you will be pH (pleasantly happy).
Fall Faire: Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for an entertaining and educational event on Saturday, September 28, from 1 pm to 4 pm, outdoors at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Enjoy exhibits on composting, monarch butterflies, succulents, water conservation, bees and more. The program includes activities for kids, a scarecrow contest, giveaways, and music. Admission is free.
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and Napa Public Library for a free talk on “Thirsty Lawn to Low-Water Succulents and Perennials: A Step-by-Step Guide” on Thursday, October 3, from 7 pm to 8 pm, via Zoom. Don't let analysis paralysis stop you from achieving your new climate-appropriate garden. Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County on a step-by-step journey from weedy, labor-intensive lawn to a garden of succulents and perennials with year-round color. Register here.
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is now accepting applications for the Class of 2025. Visit napamg.ucanr.edu to read the informational brochure, then register to attend a mandatory information session for applicants. Application deadline is 5 pm on September 25.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.
- Author: Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County
Most organizations have mission statements, but how often do you see one put into action? The U.C. Master Gardeners' mission is “to extend research-based knowledge on home horticulture, pest management, and sustainable landscape practices to the residents of California and to be guided by our core values and strategic initiatives.”
Now is your chance to see that mission enacted. The U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County is putting on its 4th Annual Fall Faire on Saturday, September 28, from 1 pm to 4 pm, behind the office buildings on 1710 Soscol Avenue in Napa.
Billed as “Where Science Fair Meets Carnival,” the fair will include hands-on demonstrations, workshops, activities for children, lectures and giveaways of books, seeds, bulbs and succulents. Visitors can vote in a scarecrow contest, enjoy live music, eat at a taco truck, and take their picture with an enormous mechanical carnivorous plant. Yes, Audrey the Venus Flytrap is back in all her menacing yet alluring glory.
Best of all, the event is free. In keeping with the UC Master Gardener practice of recycling, please bring your own water bottle (you may refill it at the fair) and your own bags and boxes for carting away any treasures you may find. There will be temptations galore. At the last Fall Faire, I scored several plants and a book on composting, and I learned about a weed puller that works while the human operator is standing, not kneeling. That was a life changer.
You may even have an opportunity to meet a U.C. Master Gardener newspaper columnist at the fair. Several will be there. Bob Niklewicz, who is a physical therapist as well as a Master Gardener columnist, will have a booth to showcase ergonomic tools that make gardening chores easier. He will also give a talk about ways to garden that leave you energized, not exhausted.
In another booth, you can learn how to make tisanes from Barbara Campbell and Diane Weyna. These drinks are made from herbs or other plants infused in hot water, and they can be refreshing, relaxing and delicious.
At the Las Flores Learning Garden booth, learn more about this educational garden and the U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County who spearheaded its installation at the Las Flores Community Center. It is a teaching tool as well as a neighborhood beautification project.
The UCMG compost team will teach you how to improve your soil with compost you can make yourself from garden and yard scraps. Master Gardeners Penny Pawl and Sue Helms can answer your compost questions.
Julie Thompson of Charsaw Farms will tell you all about lavender: how to grow it and what you can do with it.
Pat Hitchcock will show you how to have a year-round vegetable garden and will have activities for children as well as adults.
At the Bee-utiful Bees booth, Ingrid Harder will teach you about bees' importance as pollinators.
One thing I have learned from my years as a Master Gardener: people never tire of succulents. They are fascinating plants and perfect for our climate. Linda Garland and her daughter Tonja Mehelis will give you tips on how to keep your succulents healthy.
The ever-popular scarecrow alley is returning, so you can vote for your favorite. These creations are very clever and mostly made of recycled and found materials. Maybe you will be inspired to make your own for Halloween.
Several community partners are joining the Master Gardeners for the day. The Resource Conservation District's Miguel Garcia will tell fairgoers about why less tilling is better for soil. The Dirt Girls' Carrie Strohl will educate you about monarch butterfly conservation. Carol Boykin of the Napa-Solano Audubon Society will have hummingbird feeders made from water bottles. Brent and Patti Ihli from the Napa Bonsai Club will demonstrate techniques for growing bonsai. Napa Climate NOW! will tell you about the City of Napa leaf blower rebate program. Susan Bontempo of Plant Harmony will answer your questions about efficient water usage and integrated pest management, meaning controlling pests without poison. The Friends of the Napa Library will sponsor a book giveaway, and the California Native Plant Society will have a native plant display as well as information about its fall plant sale. You can also learn about fire-wise landscaping, Napa parks, recycling and more.
There will be many more booths at the Fall Faire, and one of them is bound to answer your most pressing questions about gardening or the environment. This is the time of year when some of us need inspiration, and I know I will get it on Saturday, September 28, at the fair. The most accomplished gardener will learn something new. And a taco from the La Condesa truck can't hurt.
Fall Faire: Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County for an entertaining and educational event on Saturday, September 28, from 1 pm to 4 pm, outdoors at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Enjoy exhibits on composting, monarch butterflies, succulents, water conservation, bees and more. The program includes activities for kids, a scarecrow contest, giveaways, and music. Admission is free.
Library Talk: Join UC Master Gardeners of Napa County and Napa Public Library for a free talk on “Thirsty Lawn to Low-Water Succulents and Perennials: A Step-by-Step Guide” on Thursday, October 3, from 7 pm to 8 pm, via Zoom. Don't let analysis paralysis stop you from achieving your new climate-appropriate garden. Join the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County on a step-by-step journey from weedy, labor-intensive lawn to a garden of succulents and perennials with year-round color. Register here.
Become a Master Gardener Volunteer: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County is now accepting applications for the Class of 2025. Visit napamg.ucanr.edu to read the informational brochure, then register to attend a mandatory information session for applicants. Application deadline is 5 pm on September 25.
Help Desk: The Master Gardener Help Desk is available to answer your garden questions on Mondays and Fridays from 10 am until 1 pm at the University of California Cooperative Extension Office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa. Or send your questions to mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. Include your name, address, phone number and a brief description.