Ongoing research

There are lots of reasons to include native plants in your garden. But do you know when the native plant movement began in California and why the use of native plants is so important? Theodore Payne (1872-1963) is generally considered the father of the native plant movement in California. Mr.

Watching the transformation of my front landscape over the past six months has been nothing short of exhilarating. Despite the challenges of an exceptionally hot summer, the plants have thrived, slowly acclimating to their new environment.

In this issue: - UC Dairy Conference - HPAI updates - Navel diseases in calves - BRD considerations...

An effective UC Master Gardener volunteer should see themselves first as a gardener, then a student, as well as a teacher, a storyteller, and finally, a defender of our shared California waterways and clean air.

In the Summer 2024 edition of this blog, I highlighted the eliasome, a fleshy appendage on some seeds that allows ants to transport them into their nests to feed their young. The seeds are then taken to the ants' compost pile where they often germinate in the rich environment.

Over the years, my wife and I have converted our home's yard from 1100 ft2 of lawn to a native, edible, and herbal wonderland. We continue to add unique and fragrant herbs that enhance the overall beauty and bounty of our garden.

It's time to gear up for shorter days, longer nights and pumpkin-spice everything! Cranking up the oven is finally sounding like a good idea. Fall lends itself to comforting heartier dishes that are inspired by fall produce, like apples, sweet potatoes, squash, and root vegetables.

In my previous Master Gardener Blog, I took a wonderful walk in the woods. There I described the beauty, wonder and very practical creation of urban forests in Surrey, British Columbia and other Canadian cities.

Gardeners live by the seasons, yet modern calendars, set into squares within a month, are not oriented to natural cycles. When writing a book about gardening with children, I created a calendar, with the help of my artist daughter Alexandra Hammond, which reflects the seasons in our valley.

We recently compiled the last year's activities in the Ventura and Santa Barbara offices of UC ANR, check it out: https://ucanr.edu/sites/ucceventura/files/402039.pdf https://cesantabarbara.ucanr.