Ongoing research

Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Winter 2010Winter is my favorite season of the year. To me, it’s not barren and cold. It’s filled with expectancy and hope. Tree branches are bare of leaves but the buds are fat with life. The hills are green with winter…

Lynn Lorenson, UC Master Gardener of Nevada CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Summer 2007The rains have come and gone. Dry, still air hangs over the landscape. The woods seem empty. The insects and birds that were abundant a month ago have vanished.The long, rainless summer and fall of California’s…

Laurie McGonagill, UC Master Gardener of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Winter 2020The saying that pruning is an art as well as a science is especially true when applied to California native plants. The natural form of shrubs and trees, subshrubs, and herbaceous perennials really shines when…

Great opportunity to see more than 20 different cover crops in the field and learn about how to use cover crops to improve your soil health, improve yields, and improve water quality.  Please register by following the QR code in the attached flyer. Lunch ProvidedThursday December 11th, 20259am - 12 pm…

Resources for selecting native plants in Placer County:Calscape: Restore Nature One Garden at a Time. California Native Plant Society. n.d.https://calscape.org Recommended Plants for Pollinators & Beneficial Insects: California Sierra Foothills Region. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate…

Article and Photographs by Marianne L. Calhoun, UC Master Gardener of Placer CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Fall 2021 Are you considering adding ground covers to fill spaces between shrubs or along pathways? Fall is the perfect time to add plants due to cooler temperatures with anticipated winter…

Oaks & Other Native TreesLiving Among the Oaks, A Management Guide for Landowners  https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/21538.pdfOak ID: https://oaks.cnr.berkeley.edu/oak-tree-species-id-ecology/ Landscaping Under Native Oaks of the Central Valley https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucmgplacer/files…

Dorothy Volker, UC Master Gardener of Nevada CountyFrom The Curious Gardener, Fall 2011You’ve heard it before and you’ll hear it again...”The right plant in the right place” is always something to keep in mind, and now there is more help available to be sure we are all doing just that.There are plants…