mg-logo
UC Marin Master Gardeners

Leaflet

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

 

The Leaflet

Articles available here have been published in the Leaflet e-newsletter. Leaflet subscribers receive emails with seasonal advice, gardening tips and fact-based information on how to deal with pest and garden problems. To do a search of past Leaflet articles, use the search widget at the top of the web page.

Subscribe to the Leaflet here!

>BACK TO ASK US

Marin IJ "Ask a Master Gardener" Column Archive

Spring 2026

View All Sites
spring blooms
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Gardener's checklist for spring

April 14, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
MARCH  Maintenance and preventionChop up cover crop foliage into small pieces if you grew a cover crop. Turn under or add the clippings to your compost pile.Replace path mulches that have been washed away by heavy rains.Apply two to four inches of mulch where existing mulch is thin…
View Article
Malus ‘Purple Prince’ crabapple
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

The Mighty Crabapple

February 10, 2026
By Bonnie A Nielsen
Few trees offer as much varied beauty as crabapples! These lovely trees are excellent additions to any landscape, offering year-round beauty as well as wildlife support. As a bonus, their fruit has culinary uses. Crabapples are relatives of the rose family and are native to North America, Europe, and Asia…
View Article
peach dahlia flower
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Dreaming of Dahlias

February 10, 2026
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Looking for an easy-to-grow perennial that blooms summer through fall? How about one with flowers available in a rainbow of colors and that range from 2-inch pompoms to dinner-plate size? Dazzling dahlias at your service! These bushy plants are excellent choices in many landscape settings. Dainty white…
View Article
View All Content

Winter 2025-26

View All Sites
daffodils
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Brighten up your winter landscape

December 16, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
Are you looking out your window at a dull gray day -- and garden? Wondering when the roses will start blooming again? Welcome the winter showstoppers of our Mediterranean climate! We are so fortunate to live in an area with a myriad of options for colorful foliage, berries, blooms, fragrance, and habitat for…
View Article
Viburnum tinus seed pods or fruits
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Viburnum tinus: a hard-working, versatile, evergreen shrub

December 16, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
Viburnum tinus is a broadleaf evergreen woody shrub that grows 6-12 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide. It is deer, drought, and salt tolerant. Showy, fragrant flowers bloom from November to spring, much to the delight of butterflies, birds, and bees. The flowers appear in clusters, the deep pink buds and…
View Article
A harvest of crisp, bright green lettuce is satisfying anytime of the year
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Growing Lettuce Year-Round

December 3, 2025
By Allie Williams
Growing Lettuce Year-RoundLettuce is generally considered to be a cool-season annual, but with a little advanced planning and some judicious plant selection, Marin gardeners can enjoy home-grown lettuce throughout the year. Our temperate climate makes it possible to modify the growing conditions for lettuce…
View Article
View All Content

Fall 2025

View All Sites
manzanita flowers
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Manzanitas take a bow in winter and early spring

October 13, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
Like people, some plants demand center stage. California poppies and lupine are springtime darlings, followed by fragrant sage in summer and crimson maples in fall. But what about the supporting players who work hard but never seem to get the limelight? Cue the manzanitas. Manzanitas, aka Arctostaphylos…
View Article
Crocus vernus ‘Pickwick’
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Focus on Crocus

October 20, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Blooming in shades of purple, white, yellow, pale pink, and anywhere in between, crocus are cheerful additions to any garden. While many species bloom in early spring, some, such as saffron crocus (Crocus sativus), bloom in autumn. These different species need different care, but there’s sure to be at…
View Article
hose watering
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Gardener's checklist for fall

September 3, 2024
It's a dry year, no doubt about it, but there are still apples to harvest, bulbs and cover crops to plant, and tools to clean. Here's a a month-by-month to-do list to keep your garden in tip top shape in the fall.
View Article
View All Content

Summer 2025

View All Sites
Coast goldenrod
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Goldenrod (Solidago): a beam of sunshine for the summer-fall garden

June 9, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
Goldenrod (Solidago) is a striking California native perennial that’s easy to grow in sunny gardens. A member of the Asteraceae (sunflower) family, it is recognizable by its masses of bright yellow flowers that bloom profusely in late summer and fall. The cheery blooms are a delight in the garden as many…
View Article
Acer circinatum
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Vine maple

August 11, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
Vine mapleAcer circinatum Vine maple is a California native deciduous tree or shrub that typically grows 10 to 20 feet tall. In sunny settings it grows bushy and upright, but in shadier locales it spreads and sprawls closer to the ground. Vine maples grow moderately slowly. They prefer moist, shady…
View Article
bird at birdbath
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Gardener's checklist for summer

June 20, 2024
More heat, less water. This year it's more important than ever to keep a layer of mulch in the garden, pluck water-hogging weeds, and thin fruit on fruit trees. Keep up with garden chores for your best summer garden ever.
View Article
View All Content

Spring 2025

View All Sites
Westringia
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

A Westringia for every garden

April 14, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Looking for an attractive plant that uses little water, is pest and deer-resistant, looks good year-round, and can serve a variety of garden purposes? Westringia may be just the plant for you. This easy-care evergreen shrub has gray-green to green or variegated foliage. Westringia is native to…
View Article
Penstemon
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Penstemon: too good to be true?

April 14, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
 Foothill penstemon is a true blue California native that blooms profusely yet needs little water. It also attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds – but deer stay away. This beautiful perennial has close relatives available in many colors: white, yellow, pink, purple, and red. Penstemon is the…
View Article
spring blooms
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Gardener's checklist for spring

April 14, 2025
By Bonnie A Nielsen
MARCH  Maintenance and preventionChop up cover crop foliage into small pieces if you grew a cover crop. Turn under or add the clippings to your compost pile.Replace path mulches that have been washed away by heavy rains.Apply two to four inches of mulch where existing mulch is thin…
View Article
View All Content

Winter 2024-25

View All Sites
Abutilon ‘Halo’ blooms year-round in Marin. Photo: Marie Narlock
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Abutilon

December 17, 2024
Abutilon is a beautiful shrub with maple-like leaves and flowers that resemble papery lanterns. Common names include Chinese bellflower, flowering maple, and Chinese lanterns...
View Article
Photo: Elias Rovielo, Flickr
UC Marin Master Gardeners: Article

Aeonium

January 30, 2025
Aeonium are small to mid-sized succulents native to northern Africa and nearby islands...
View Article
View All Content