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

Leaflet Archive

HELP DESK

Gingko tree, a broad-leaved conifer

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Pruning your conifers

January 20, 2024

Generally speaking, Conifers are trees and shrubs with needles that set seeds in cones. Yews, junipers, and ginkgos produce cones, too, but they're fleshy and appear berry-like. Ginkgos are broad-leaved conifers. Part of their charm is that conifers are pretty low-maintenance plants.Most conifers…

orange hibiscus flower

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

The mysteries of plant sex

January 13, 2024

Sex in the garden is more straightforward for the birds and the bees than it is for the plants. Reproductive processes vary among flowering plants; for many, there is more than one option. When choosing plants for your garden, knowing more about their sexual attributes can help you make better…

injured coyote being treated at a veterinarian

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Wildlife… what they need to eat

January 6, 2024

Have you ever thought about what animals in the wild need to survive? Like us, they need a balanced diet, which they get over the course of the year: lots of berries in the summer, fresh green growth in the spring, animals for meat, etc.Different animals need different foods: carnivores eat mostly meat,…

silhouette of a valley oak on a foggy hillside

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Mediterranean oak borer

December 30, 2023

Recently, a wave of exotic pests and pathogens have poured into California. Some have the potential to be as destructive as the famous 20th-century tree plagues like Dutch elm disease and sudden oak death. One pest, the Mediterranean oak borer (MOB), an ambrosia beetle, is close to Marin.Ambrosia…

Oak trees in winter

UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Perhaps it’s time to plant an oak tree

January 28, 2022

“Oaks are key to the character and legacy of California — its visual beauty, the vigor of its rivers and streams, the clarity of its air, the richness of its wildlife.” — “Secrets of the Oak Woodlands” by Kate MarianchildStress is in ample supply these days, whether it’s aggravation from the news or…