Summer 2024

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by Lori Palmquist What if I told you that mulch could cut your water use by at least a third, provide abundant soil biodiversity, making your landscape thrive like you could never imagine, AND contribute to the reversal of climate change?

by Robin Mitchell In most of California, because of its Mediterranean climate, the state receives rain in the late fall, winter, and spring, with generally no rain falling in the summer. This means that most California native plants have adapted to being dormant in the summer.

by Robin Mitchell The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) has two recent resources that can help with identifying and understanding California native plants. The first is an updated and redesigned Calscape web platform. The second is a new Wildflowers of California book.

by Cynthia Engers Many of us enjoy the look of plantings we may have seen on vacation and might like to grow some similar plants in our own gardens. Of course, we dont live in the tropics or Hawaii, so it goes without saying that we cant really duplicate a tropical garden in Contra Costa County.

by Hedwig Van Den Broeck In this article, wed like to address the amazing color changes in outdoor growing succulents that produce more beautiful and vibrant colors when exposed to stressful conditions.

by David George All plants require four essential elements: sun, water, air, and fertile soil with space to grow. Container plants are no exception. Because they are not grown in native soil though, container plants have special soil needs.

by Lorraine Frey Vermiculture, also known as worm composting or vermicomposting, is the practice of raising worms to convert organic waste into nutrient-rich compost for plants. It's a sustainable gardening technique that can reduce waste and improve soil health.

by David George and Pam Austin Did you know that the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County has an active support program for school gardens in the county? Does your public or private school have an existing vegetable or flower garden that needs sprucing up?

by Hedwig Van Den Broeck As we continue our series on "Home Landscaping for Fire Safety", we will now delve deeper into the topic of developing fire-resistant landscaping in Fire Zone 0. Zone ZERO means Zero combustibles. Defensible Space Zone 0 refers to the immediate area (05 ft.