mg-logo
UC Marin Master Gardeners

IJ Archive

Help Desk | Events Calendar | Español | Garden Walks | Marin IJ Archive | Leaflet | Edible Demo Garden | Falkirk Garden | Harvey's Garden | Youth Programs | School & Community Gardens | Speakers Bureau | Master Gardener Program 

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. Search our archives below by category of interest, or use the search box to locate stories by year, month or specific subject.

 

BACK TO ASK US

Leaflet Archive
HELP DESK
Rosa californica ‘Plena’
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Native alternatives to common garden plants

November 3, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
We’ve all heard that native plants are the best for supporting local wildlife. But what about those non-native garden classics, like lilacs and irises? Well, you’re in luck: for every non-native plant, you’re sure to find one among California’s approximately 8,000 native plant species that has similar traits…
View Article
fava blooms
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Chop drop and roll: natural ways to increase nitrogen in your garden

October 27, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Here’s a riddle for you: What is the most abundant element in our atmosphere and critical to plant growth, but often lacking in our soil? The answer: nitrogen.You may have heard that nitrogen is a powerhouse element in gardening. It’s a key component of chlorophyll, the pigment that keeps plants green…
View Article
Narrow leaf milkweed, asclepias fascicularis
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Phenology: Reading nature’s seasonal calendar

October 20, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Phenology is the study of seasonal changes in plants and animals from year to year—such as when flowers bloom, birds nest, or insects emerge. Derived from the Greek word phaino, meaning “to show” or “to appear,” phenology helps us observe and understand how the natural world responds to climate…
View Article
clarkia
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Year-round native plant color

October 13, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Native plants are often known for grand springtime displays followed by dismal summer and fall foliage. But that isn’t true for all native plants. A little research, careful planning, and conscientious planting can have your garden blooming with colorful, flowering, summer dry, winter wet native plants…
View Article
potting set up
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Propagation by cutting

October 6, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Vegetative reproduction from stems, roots and leaves is common to all plants and results in an identical plant from which the cutting came; it’s a clone. As gardeners, we propagate cuttings for many reasons including it may be easier and quicker than growing a new plant from seed, the parent plant may…
View Article
succulents in a pot
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Pot it up!

September 29, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 My garden is not very big, but I am an avid planter.  How do I expand my gardening horizon?  Pots!  Pots let me plant in places where I can’t plant in the ground and provide visual interest to the garden. With a few containers, you can garden literally anywhere.  …
View Article
jumping spider
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Spiders are good for garden pest control

September 23, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Spiders get a bad rap. Many people go to great lengths to avoid or get rid of them. Is it their other-worldly appearance? A concern about being bitten by a poisonous type or simply the idea of “creepy, crawling” things? Whatever the reason, before eliminating them, it’s good to know who…
View Article
Saffron
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Saffron made simple: grow the world's priciest spice at home

September 15, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Saffron is one of the most expensive spices in the world—but did you know you can grow it right in your own backyard? With a little effort and patience, Marin home gardeners can cultivate Crocus sativus, the plant that produces saffron, even in containers or raised beds. This fall-blooming flower…
View Article
Dill (Anethum graveolens)
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Invite the good guys into your garden

September 8, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Insects – they’re everywhere! With nearly a million named species, they make up about 90% of all species of animals on the planet and more than half of all living things on Earth. Yet it is estimated that only about one to three percent are truly harmful. Most insects go about their daily business…
View Article