Dwarf conifers: small stature, big impact

When you think of conifers – trees and shrubs that produce cones -- you probably picture a towering redwood tree or Monterey cypress sweeping over a blustery cliff.

Oh, Deer! How to grow a lovely garden despite uninvited guests

Even if you have an unfenced yard and deer in your neighborhood, you can still grow a lovely garden.

Pomegranates: easy, delicious, and drought-tolerant Punica granatum

Pomegranates are easy to grow, tasty to eat, and autumn foliage turns a lovely shade of yellow. What’s not to love?

Gardener's checklist for fall

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.

Epilobium, California fuchsia

California fuchsia features scarlet-orange trumpet-like flowers that explode into bloom on upright stems in late summer and fall...

Enjoy veggies from your garden all year long!

With summer gardens winding down and our summer vegetables fading, now is an ideal time to think about the cool season edible garden. But why stop there?

How to prune hydrangeas

Pruning hydrangeas can be a bit tricky. The key is knowing which type you have...

Native California bulbs for your garden

Fall is upon us, which means it’s almost time to plant spring-blooming bulbs. How about native California bulbs?

Houseplants looking sick? It might be mealybugs.

Mealybugs are very small, oval, whitish insects that cover houseplants with a cottony, powdery, or waxy material, often along the veins of leaves or where leafstalks join stems...

Shimmering pink muhly grass lights up the fall garden

Muhlenbergia capillaris, aka pink muhly grass, is a clump-forming perennial grass that puts on a show in the fall...

Gardener's checklist for summer

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.

How to grow and care for grasses

Whether you want to create a naturalistic meadow, showcase a dramatic backlit border, or line a path, ornamental grasses are up for the job...

Tomato hornworm

Damage by hornworm larvae is usually most common in midsummer, but there may also be a small population peak of larvae in the late summer...

Figuring out plant problems

Plants need the right combination of nutrients to live, grow, and reproduce. Too little or too much of one or more nutrients can cause problems for plants...

Houseplants bring nature indoors

If you revel in the array of tones and textures in our garden, you can bring that feeling indoors with a few well-placed houseplants...

Clematis

Searching for a long living, abundant blooming vine to cover an arbor, weave its tendrils through your climbing rose, or scamper across a sunny fence?

Gardener's checklist for spring

It's a busy time in the garden. There are weeds to be pulled, edible crops to be sown, and pests to manage. Don't forget to nurture your soil with a layer of compost and mulch. Here's a full list of springtime chores...

Easy spring bloomers for your garden

Marin is awash with flowers in spring -- from native wildflowers on our hills and in our gardens to early-blooming bulbs to perennials that bloom all the way into summer...

Wanted: comfy home for baby raccoons

Spring is in the air – daffodils, freesias, camelias, magnolias, and more are putting on quite a show. And our local wildlife is birthing babies...

How to care for soil

We take soil for granted, rarely paying attention to it and giving little, if any, credit for its generous gifts. Soil is a foundation for our livelihoods...

Kangaroo paws

Gardener's checklist for winter

Here's a a month-by-month to-do list to keep your garden in tip top shape in the winter.

Sowing seeds for fun, flavor, and a successful harvest

For veggie gardeners, winter is a good time to prepare for the spring garden. That often means starting seeds...

Tips for dealing with mice

As winter approaches, mice are looking to get out of the cold, seeking shelter, and building nests in our houses, garages, sheds, and other buildings...

Daphne: the queen of winter fragrance

Daphne is a beautiful evergreen shrub for dappled light situations. Although it can be a tad temperamental to grow, it’s worth the effort to enjoy its dreamy fragrance that wafts delightfully through the winter garden...

Winter wonderful hellebores!

Searching for a little color in your winter garden? How about a perennial that is easy to care for, frost hardy, and deer resistant?

Water in winter: what to do about it, how to think about it

A key goal of growing an Earth-friendly garden in our summer-dry climate is to use as little supplemental water as possible. This is usually achieved by...