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UC Marin Master Gardener Articles in the Marin Independent Journal

UC Marin Master Gardeners have contributed to the Marin Independent Journal's "Ask a Master Gardener" column every Saturday since 1999. We have a team of dedicated writers who have covered nearly every aspect of gardening for Marin County over the years. View articles through March of 2025 below.

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Staked container plants preparing for frost or inclement weather

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Winterizing your Marin County garden: protecting plants from cold and wet conditions

December 28, 2024

As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to dip, it's time for gardeners in Marin County to prepare for winter. Proper winterization of your garden protects your plants from cold and wet conditions and sets the stage for a thriving garden in the spring. With a few essential steps, you can…

variegated leaves on a Pelargonium Mrs. Pollack

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Variegation can add variety to your garden

December 21, 2024

Have you ever noticed how many poinsettia varieties there are, some with pale edges or white, yellow, or pink streaks? Those colorful patches are what we call variegation. There are a variety of plants that can be found variegated, and for many Marin gardeners, they add a touch of unique beauty to the…

Foxglove (Digitalis) plants in bloom

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

What do plants do?

December 14, 2024

“The plant is blind, but it knows enough to keep pushing upwards towards the light, and it will continue to do this in the face of endless discouragements.” – George Orwell.Sometimes, it feels like the world is spinning a little too fast – and a little off-kilter. I often feel this way while reading the news…

the 'Sally Holmes' rose, a disease-resistant variety of rose

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Keep diseases out of the garden

December 7, 2024

With the cool, wet weather comes the bane of gardeners – plant diseases. Diseases are generally bad news, whether it’s blackspot on your roses, rust on your rhododendrons, downy mildew on your broccoli, or peach leaf curl on your nectarine and peach trees.A plant disease is defined as a malfunction in…

The Pacific Rhododendron, Rhododendron macrophyllum sharing its large clusters of blooms

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Marin's rhododendrons less traveled, and why they may make all the difference

November 30, 2024

Robert Frost's famous poem "The Road Not Taken" seems to anticipate the dilemma many Marin gardeners face when looking for that perfect ornamental plant. We may have long admired a beautiful rhododendron growing nearby, and we may happen to have the perfect site to plant our own. Searching online and…

An adult and a nymph (bottom) marmorated stink bug on a leaf of tree-of-heaven

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Two pests and a tree

November 23, 2024

This is not a riddle about which comes first, the chicken or the egg. Rather, it’s a tale about collecting trees, bringing them to non-native habitats, and a very interconnected world in which hitchhiker bugs invade and seriously threaten native landscapes and agricultural crops. The tree is tree-of…

California wild grape vines supported by a wooden arbor at the entrance to a garden

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Embracing native edibles in your garden: hazelnuts, grapes, and huckleberries

November 16, 2024

Native edibles such as Western beaked hazelnuts, California wild grapes, and Evergreen huckleberries make great garden additions. Not only are they easy to grow, but they also offer nutritional value and stunning aesthetics.Long valued by indigenous communities, many native edibles lost their…

pesticide-free garden sign

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Wildscape or landscape

November 9, 2024

Rewilding is everywhere right now, from beavers and weeds at the Chelsea Flower Show to a national campaign in Great Britain to let nature in and re-wild the country. Ecologists originally used the word rewilding to describe the concept of returning large tracts of farmland to nature, but the essence…

Hachiya persimmons shine like ornaments in the late fall

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Plant a persimmon or pomegranate, perfect for Marin

November 2, 2024

You've decided to add a fruit tree to your garden. What kind should you select, when and where should you plant it, and how do you prune it? Consider a persimmon or a pomegranate; they are perfect for Marin!Except for citrus, fruit trees require "chilling hours," a specific number of cumulative hours of…

bee pollinating a daisy

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Plants to avoid

October 26, 2024

Most plants are a joy to grow, but some plants – like some people – create problems. They don’t mean to, of course. It’s just their nature. Here are the plants (and people) to avoid. Invasive plants: too much of a (bad) thing Ever had horrendous houseguests? They might bust into your cupboards, leave…