Canning Workshop

By Sarah Arana  UCCE Master Food Preserver

My grandmother used to can everything but I never paid attention. Now I want to can some of the produce from my garden. Where do I start?   Jane S., Paso Robles, CA

Gardens overflowing with tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers can seem overwhelming!  Backyard orchards brimming with juicy peaches, fragrant citrus, and deep purple plums...

California Monkey Flower

By Leonard Cicerello   UCCE Master Gardener

California Monkey Flowers 

Mimulus aurantiacus (Diplacus aurantiacus)

Growing areas:  California Sunset zones 7-9 and 14-24

Size of plant:  Up to 4 ½ feet tall and wide

Bloom description and season:  Funnel-shaped, two-lipped flowers said to resemble a...

Painted Lady Butterflies

By Norman Smith  UCCE Master Gardener

Look up in the sky - it's a bird, it's a plane, no it's millions of Painted Lady Butterflies.  The abundant rains this year are going to have an effect on a lot of different insects.  One of those is the Painted Lady Butterfly.  If you have had a chance to look up in the sky or at the environment around you, you may have noticed a lot of butterflies flying through the area or visiting flowers...

Peruvian Lily

By Polly Nelson UCCE Master Gardener

Peruvian Lily

Alstroemeria 

Liliaceae

Planting Zone: Sunset 5-9, 14-24, H1; USDA 7-11

Size: Two varieties, one with leafy stems 2-3 feet, another (dwarf) with mounding, shorter leafy stems up to one foot.

Bloom season:...