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Welcome to the Center for Landscape and Urban Horticulture (CLUH), an information resource of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UC Cooperative Extension). The CLUH supports UC Cooperative Extension educational and applied research programs serving California's environmental horticulture industry. This site features science-based information on:

Please review our Mission Statement.

For the latest science-based information on landscape water needs, please visit our pages under Landscape Water Conservation and Irrigation Management.

Information is contributed by University of California Cooperative Extension scientists. All content is reviewed by these or other experts to assure it is authoritative and science-based. Featured are summaries of technical topics, fact sheets, newsletters, reports, commentary, and web links.

THE 9%: Landscape irrigation accounts for just 9% of water use in California, yet landscapes are under relentless attack as California confronts ongoing drought. The facts presented here show how these attacks are misguided and that there are ways to conserve water without degrading landscape plantings.

Does the landscape you manage have a water budget or water conservation goal that seems impossible to meet? Read about Five Simple Steps for Conserving Landscape Water.

For Home Gardening information and resources, please visit the University of California Garden Web.

UPCOMING EVENTS

What's new in Landscape and Urban Hort?

Got Moles?

A mole burrowing in soil. Photo credit: Pexels

A line of pushed up grass. A volcano sized mound. Yep, it's probably a mole! While you may never actually see the mole itself, the signs of their presence are pretty clear. Moles are small burrowing mammals (not rodents) that live almost entirely...

Spotted Lanternfly: The Need to Remain Vigilant (Part 1)

Figure 2. Spotted lanternfly egg masses discovered on metal beams of an art structure. Photo credit: Sonoma County Dept of Agriculture/W&M

On March 27th, 2024, a flatbed truck carrying a metal art structure originating in New York and headed to Petaluma, California was stopped at the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Agricultural Inspection Station in Truckee, California...

New Look for UC IPM Web Pages

Figure 2. New design of UC IPM’s home page.

Change is in the air. Weather, daylight savings, politics, holiday decorations, and yes, websites. You may have noticed the UC Statewide IPM Program's website is undergoing some style changes. Just this week, the home page changed from the style we've...

Invasive Pest Spotlight: Mediterranean Fruit Fly

Mediterranean fruit fly adult. Photo by Jack Kelly Clark.

The invasive pest spotlight focuses on emerging or potential invasive pests in California. In this issue we are covering the Mediterranean fruit fly. Mediterranean Fruit Fly Facts The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata, commonly called...

Neonicotinoid Pesticides Off the Shelf in January 2025

Soil drench pesticide products containing imidacloprid will no longer be allowed for use by consumers. Photo by Larry L. Strand.

The common insecticide imidacloprid, and the related active ingredients acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, and thiamethoxam, belong to the pesticide group neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids have been linked to the decline in honey bee and other...