Ongoing research

(This contest was featured Jan. 3 on Good Day, Sacramento. See it here.) Game over. The second annual Robbin Thorp Memorial First-Bumble Bee-of-the-Year Contest is over. On two separate expeditions, but at exactly 2:30 p.m., Saturday, Jan.

If you're like me, you'll be serving up soup all winter long. These comforting soups are perfect for those long, chilly nights spent at home.

While researching the horticultural term Fasciation for our winter blog, Master Gardener Cheryl Carmichael came across the following article on the same subject posted to the Wisconsin Master Gardener website by Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin Madison in March 2011.

SHRUB: Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus) is a small shrub in my garden, several of which I can enjoy from my office window as I write this. They currently have the white berries that give way to its name.

Before the recent pandemic began, one of our Herb Study meetings gave us an opportunity to create Pomanders to hang in our homes during the Christmas Season. We had so much fun and put 100's of cloves in quite a few oranges.

Question: What are some winter garden chores that we can do in the shop? Winters are not very severe here which makes for year-round gardening. We don't need to worry about snow, sleet, and frozen pipes.

California's seemingly endless drought has not been kind to local gardeners. As if water restrictions and golden lawns weren't bad enough, many gardeners had to bid a fond farewell to a favorite tree or two that just didn't get enough water.

January, February, and March Just four chores per month, one per week, to consider this wintery season. Hopefully, there are enough pleasant winter days to get them accomplished. January Ideas ONE Plant a bare root rose or fruit tree if there is room in the landscape.

For Janet Setser being the Garden Coordinator for the University of the Pacific's Robb Garden isn't just a job, it is a way of life.

You've probably heard the alarming statistics on the decline of songbird populations. A study reported in Science magazine in 2019 gave the sobering news that nearly 3 billion birds (or 30% of the population) have been lost in the United States over the past 50 years.