By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County

About 25 years ago, my next-door neighbor brought home a half-dead tangle of a plant that she called a passionflower (Passiflora). She planted it in a large trough and set to work spraying it lavishly with Miracle-Gro.

It must have been a case of the right plant in the right place because it soon tumbled over the fence and took over my yard. For the last quarter-century birds have scattered the passion fruit seeds, vines the size of boa constrictors have twined up my walnut tree, and the exuberantly   beautiful blue passionflowers have provided a backdrop for family portraits.

Most importantly, the plant has provided habitat for the gulf fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), an orange butterfly that was introduced to the Bay Area from the South American tropics around 1908 and has now spread as far north as Sacramento.

There's something so cheering about looking out the window at a cloud of orange butterflies fluttering around the blue passionflowers. It is a delightful way to begin the day.

Butterflies are important pollinators, but most people love them because they are so pretty. The fritillary larvae eat the passionflower leaves, and it's fun to watch the caterpillars creeping on the foliage. (Children find this stage especially fascinating.) The Napa climate is generally hospitable to butterflies, and most plants they like do well here. It is not at all difficult to create a butterfly habitat in your yard.

Butterfly bush (Buddleia) blooms in a variety of colors, including purple, rose, yellow and cream. It likes well-drained soil and full sun, although some varieties thrive in partial shade. It is not unusual to see a buddleia covered with butterflies, enjoying its nectar and pollen while slowly waving their wings. Some Buddleias can easily reach 15 feet. They do spread; seeds travel through a neighborhood and sprout. If you are concerned about that, prune them to a height of 10 inches after they flower but before they set seed.

Many California native plants are irresistible to butterflies, and most natives need little water to thrive. The California wild lilac (Ceanothus) can be a shrub or ground cover, with blooms in an assortment of colors, although blue is the most common. They need almost no water in summer, although some fog-belt varieties appreciate a little moisture then.

The flannel bush (Fremontodendron), which sports butter-yellow flowers, is completely drought tolerant. The foliage can irritate skin (the leaves have a felt-like texture on the underside), so wear gloves when working with it and keep the plant away from paths. It is perfect against a stone wall or on a slope, and pollinators love it.

Another garden showstopper is the Matilija poppy (Romneya coulteri). This perennial can grow nine feet tall and makes me think of fried eggs, sunny side up. The flowers have white crepe paper-like petals, with a fluffy yellow center, and greyish green foliage. I had no luck growing them from seed, and no wonder: they propagate by way of rhizomes. Even then, Sunset's Western Garden Book recommends that you burn pine needles on top of a foil-lined flat of sprigs from the spreading roots before planting them.

It's much easier to buy a plant from a nursery that sells natives. However, all the fuss is worth it. Butterflies love Matilija poppy, it is truly spectacular, and it requires next to no care or water once established.

The California marigold (Tagetes lemonii) is another striking native that attracts butterflies. I first noticed this plant growing out of a crack in a Berkeley sidewalk a couple of years ago, and since then I have seen it everywhere. It is a shrub-like perennial, with golden-orange flowers and dark blue-green pointed leaves that smell like a combination of citrus, lavender and mint. It needs low to moderate water and looks wonderful with red poppies and blue salvia.

Mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) is a native shrub that is covered with sweet-smelling white blossoms that butterflies can't resist. It is drought tolerant.

Many flowers that lure butterflies can be planted from seed. Try native milkweeds if you want Monarch butterflies in your yard. The showy milkweed (Asclepius speciosa) and Mexican whorled milkweed (Asclepius fascicularis) like the sun and, again, need little water. The purple coneflower (Echinacea) and sunflower (Helianthus) are also good choices, as are native yarrows (Achillea multifolium californicum and Achillea multifolium rosea).

Cosmos and zinnias are also easy to grow from seed and are good choices for attracting pollinators. Their flowers are of differing heights, so there is lots of movement from the butterflies as they consume nectar.

To create a true habitat, grow these plants in masses, not in isolated clumps. Make sure to have water nearby, as butterflies get thirsty. While I can't guarantee a visit from Lewis Carroll's bread-and-butterfly (last seen in Through the Looking Glass), many other varieties will enjoy your efforts, and you will love watching butterflies drift around your garden.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.

By T. Eric Nightingale, UC Master Gardener of Napa County

When it comes to making decisions about new plants for your garden, consider combinations of the following types: California natives, plants that aid pollinating insects and plants that attract beneficial insects.

Including native plants in our gardens should be standard practice in California. We are lucky enough to have a wider variety of ecosystems, and a more diverse range of native plants, than any other state.

California's beauty is something to be preserved and nurtured, which we can do through gardening with natives. When you add native plants to your garden you help not only yourself (they are attractive and easy to manage), but the entire local ecosystem.

Birds and other wildlife have evolved in conjunction with certain plants; they require these plants for food and shelter. Many of the popular non-native plants don't fulfill these functions.

Stepping away from the familiar classics can be difficult. Many people's image of the "ideal garden" includes plants brought here from other continents. Hydrangeas come from Asia; lavender is native to Europe. Even the locally popular agapanthus hails from South Africa.

While working in a nursery, I once had a South African customer erupt into laughter. "That is a weed!” he exclaimed, pointing to the agapanthus. “It is despised where I come from." Obviously, there is room for interpretation in what defines an ideal garden.

If you are a novice native-plant gardener, I suggest starting with one of my favorites: monkeyflower. These plants bloom throughout the spring and summer and are fairly low maintenance. The most common bloom colors are yellow, orange and red, but pink and purple can be found as well. Interestingly, there are both drought-tolerant monkeyflowers (Diplacus spp.) and water-loving ones (Mimulus spp). Both types attract pollinators but different ones. Bees seem to prefer monkeyflowers with pink blossoms; hummingbirds prefer red-flowered varieties.

Also consider California gooseberries and currents (Ribes spp.). These fall-blooming shrubs produce unique flowers that hummingbirds frequent and berries that birds enjoy. Gooseberries have thorns while currants do not. The fruit is edible but can often be bitter. The best-tasting varieties are Ribes aureum and Ribes rubrum. Aesthetically speaking, my personal favorite is Ribes speciosum, or fuchsia-flowering gooseberry. The red hanging flowers give the shrub a colorful fringed look, a unique and eye-catching addition to any garden.

One California native that helps both pollinating and beneficial insects is milkweed. Our Napa-native varieties are showy milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) and narrow-leaved milkweed (Asclepias fasciculation). You may know that monarch butterflies only lay their eggs on milkweed. Compounds in the milkweed help to feed and protect the caterpillars after they hatch.

Urban development has destroyed much of the native landscape, causing monarch populations to decline dramatically. Planting milkweed will benefit these beloved insects. What's more, milkweed flowers produce a nutritious nectar that honeybees collect, improving their health and productivity. In addition, many beneficial insects are attracted to Asclepias.

Yes, there are good bugs in your garden. The most recognizable are lady beetles, but lacewings, syrphid flies and parasitic wasps also do good work. And spiders are among the most helpful denizens of your garden. One spider can eat around two thousand insects in a year. Just think about how much free extermination work you are getting from all those arachnids. Next time you see a spider, or any unknown insect for that matter, think before you squish it. It may be a new friend.

If you are looking for more information on native plants, plan to attend the Master Gardener workshop on Sept 23 (details below). You can also find beautiful natives for your garden at the upcoming California Native Plant Society Sale on October 7 and October 8 at Skyline Park in Napa.

Workshop: UC Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a guided walk and talk on “Pollinators, Native Plants and Beneficials” on Saturday, September 23, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Martha Walker Garden at Skyline Park in Napa. Any discussion of pollinators would not be complete without some remarks on the bounty of beneficial insects found in everyone's garden. Come see if you can recognize some pollinators and beneficial insects. Online registration (credit card only); Mail-in form (cash or check only)

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.

By Rob Williams, U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County

With this season's deluge of wet weather, thoughts of a bountiful summer harvest might seem far away.  However, the emergence of some buds in trees and slightly higher day and night temperatures serve as a gentle reminder that spring is imminent.

With this in mind, there are a few things you can do right now to help ensure a successful summer vegetable harvest.  Good preparation, thoughtful cultivar selection and consideration for the overall ecology and health of your garden are the foundations of a productive outcome.

Draw up a simple garden plan to help organize your activities. Decide what you will plant and when so you can maximize space, rotate crops and insure your crops have enough time to complete their growth cycle before the next season. 

Radishes, for example, grow quickly whereas autumn squash might need several warm months. A plan can also guide you in timely ordering of seeds and seed starting.

Consider, too, such things as construction or repair of raised beds and irrigation lines.  Are your irrigation lines still viable after a season of limited or no use? Repairing or replacing them over the next few weeks can help insure your garden is in shape for summer. 

Get weeds out now while they are easy to pull. Consider planting a cool-season cover crop such as fava beans or peas. These quick-growing legumes can displace weeds, add nitrogen to the soil and serve as a component in your crop-rotation scheme. As a bonus, they are edible. After you harvest the pods, chop the greens and use them as mulch to improve soil tilth. Their extensive root systems can help break up compacted or heavy soils so you don't have to till wet soil, which is definitely not a good idea.

What to plant?  With Napa Valley's Mediterranean climate, many summer vegetables feel right at home in pretty much any part of the county. Tomatoes, peppers, squash and corn are favorites in many local gardens. Of course, you should take into account your particular microclimate—any shady or windy areas, for example. 

Local nurseries have a good selection of vegetable seeds and starts, but also consult specialty catalogs for heirloom vegetables and new hybrids that look enticing. Many heirlooms have exceptional disease resistance, flavor and overall hardiness. What's more, you can save their seeds for next year's crop, thus reducing your gardening expenses and increasing the diversity of your harvest. Hybrids have to be started from new seed every year.

Finally, consider the overall ecology of your garden. What can you do to improve it? Adding compost now can help prepare the soil for your transplants. Earthworms and other soil microorganisms will get started on making your soil a better host for the upcoming guests. 

And while your main focus might be vegetables, consider planting other plants as pollinators. Nasturtiums can add color to your garden and serve as a resource for pollinators. And their edible blossoms can add a peppery note to salads. Blooming herbs and sunflowers also attract pollinators, which will increase the bounty of your harvest. Birds appreciate these plantings, too, and help keep pest populations down so you don't have to resort to harmful pesticides.

We avid gardeners look forward to a bountiful summer harvest.  With a bit of planning now, we increase our chances of success. 

Workshop: U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County will host a workshop on “Growing Summer Vegetables” on Saturday, March 11, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., at University of California Cooperative Extension, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Napa. Learn what the garden needs to successfully produce spring and summer vegetables from seeds and seedlings. The workshop will cover soil types and preparation, temperature essentials, watering, fertilizing and harvesting, with a dash of integrated pest management. Online registration (credit card only); Mail-in registration (check only or drop off cash payment).

Garden Forum: Join the U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County at a forum for home gardeners on Sunday, March 12, from 11 am to 1 pm at Yountville Community Center, 6516 Washington Street, Yountville. Bring anyquestions about anything in the home garden. Questions about fertilizing, watering, planting, plant care, diseases and pests, tools and tool care or nursery purchases are welcome. Register with Yountville Parks & Recreation or contact 707-944-8712.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.

Do you know a U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County? You may and not even realize it. We are short, tall, thin and not so thin. We are older, younger, retired and still working. We live in Calistoga, Pope Valley and American Canyon and all points in between. The one thing we have in common is a passion for gardening.

The Master Gardener program began in 1972 in Washington State. Now almost every state has a Master Gardener program. Its purpose is to assist the county farm advisor in answering local home gardeners' questions. The Napa County Master Gardener program graduated its first class in 1995.

Prospective Master Gardeners are interviewed to make sure that they are willing and able to complete the volunteer commitment. Those accepted attend a 10-week training program of weekly classes.

Master Gardeners are not trained to know everything about gardening, but we know where to find information and resources. We guide the public in becoming better gardeners. To that end, we rely on a mountain of research-based information from the University of California. We dispense only research-based information, not the folk wisdom learned at a grandparent's knees.

There are many ways that Master Gardeners can earn their minimum number of volunteer and continuing-education hours. One of the main ways we educate the public is via office hours. This help desk is one of my favorite places to work. We have a small office in the U.C. Cooperative Extension office in Napa with a computer and many reference books. Master Gardeners hold office hours here and answer garden questions from Napa County home gardeners.  

I once fielded a question about how to grow wasabi (horseradish). I searched everywhere for information and finally found on a university website. Master Gardeners sometimes have to be detectives.

We also conduct public workshops throughout the year on seasonal topics. We staff garden- information tables at farmers' markets, garden centers, health fairs and county and city events such as Earth Day. We partner with local waste-management agencies to host backyard-composting classes on both hot composting and vermicomposting (composting with worms). We maintain demonstration gardens to illustrate useful techniques and plantings. We recently completed a drought-tolerant planting in Calistoga and a pollinator- attracting garden at the St. Helena Library.

Our School Garden Task Force helps parents and teachers manage local school gardens. Master Gardeners contribute weekly newspaper articles and operate a speakers' bureau. If you belong to a group that needs a guest speaker on a garden topic, check our website (address below) for the speakers' bureau request form.

Master Gardeners of Napa County will also host two major events this spring. The annual Tomato Sale and Education Day on Saturday, April 8, and the “Discover Garden Magic” garden tour on Sunday, May 21. At the tomato sale, you can purchase a wide variety of tomato seedlings and learn how to take care of them. The garden tour showcases six splendid gardens owned and maintained by Master Gardeners. These gardens will inspire you and provide ideas for your own home garden. Proceeds from these events support our educational efforts in Napa County.

Visit our website (http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa) to find useful information on gardening, submit a garden question to our help desk, request a speaker or learn about upcoming events. A new group of Master Gardener trainees will graduate at the end of March, joining experienced volunteers working in the community on our many educational projects.

Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. U. C. Master Gardeners of Napa County ( http://ucanr.edu/ucmgnapa/) are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions? Find us on Facebook under UC Master Gardeners of Napa County.