Ongoing research

 Fall is the best time to plant most California natives. Cooler weather and rain get them off to a good start by helping them grow deep roots – perfect for seeds or transplants. Many nurseries and native plant groups have fall plant sales. In our introductory California native gardening web page, you’ll…

 "Have you ever wondered what pollinators are visiting your garden or what that black-and-yellow striped bug was? In California, we have an incredible diversity of insects, which may be more difficult to tell apart than you realize. At this interactive event, you will learn how to identify bees and…

Blog by Brenda AltmanTrees are pruned for many reasons. Sometimes they are pruned to remove crowding or competing branches, which open up the canopy; other times they are pruned for safety reasons, a branch may be too low, or they might be trimmed for ornamental or aesthetic reasons. I cannot figure out why…

By Cindy Watter, UC Master Gardener of Napa County.  We recently had our first rain of the fall season, followed by a cold morning.  Sure enough, when I walked outside later that day, all my soft-stemmed herbs were dead.  Fare thee well, basil, thyme and stevia.  Even the sage looked…

I have been been granted the opportunity to convince a pretty high level group to continue funding for research work that I am leading on the cold conditioning of strawberry.  The time slot to do so however is ten minutes.  The subject of cold conditioning in strawberry is a complex one, and one…