Home Landscaping

June bugs are among the most familiar insects of early summer. Although people commonly call them “bugs,” they are actually scarab beetles in the genus Phyllophaga. These beetles are usually brown, oval-shaped, and active at night, often flying clumsily around porch lights. Their larvae, known as white grubs…

           What makes a neighborhood a community? Is it holiday decorations, strollable sidewalks, or HOA-stipulated paint colors? Laughing children, knowing your neighbors and aesthetic beauty are all components of your surrounding neighborhood. But I think front porches create…

Have you ever seen a walking stick insect, maybe in a museum display or at an entomology demonstration? They look just like twigs and are fascinating creatures. This makes them popular as pets in classrooms and homes. However, if pet walking sticks are accidentally or purposefully let out of their cages,…

May is about the time home gardeners can think about planting trees, shrubs, and some perennials: the soil is generally warm enough for roots to get established, and what freezes we get can likely be handled by plants known to thrive in the Tahoe Basin.  Here are things to consider as you select trees,…

Is there such a thing as a deer-proof plant? Perhaps…but there are a variety of reasons deer may choose to ignore or consume specific plant species at a particular time and place.  Certain plants native to California (and elsewhere) have evolved natural defenses against being eaten by browsing…

A weed is a plant growing where you do not want it. This holds very true for Cynodon dactylon, also called devil’s grass, couch grass, and dog’s tooth grass. Negative feelings stem from the aggressive posture of a grass that will take over your yard, your flower beds, and then start to the neighbor’s yard…

It’s finally springtime, and many of us are adding new plants to our gardens. That means it is also a good time to review the principles of creating defensible space around our homes. Fire is a normal part of the natural environment in California, so if you live in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), it’s…

Have you seen white powdery-looking patches appearing on the leaves of your roses or sycamore trees? While home gardeners may be familiar with this sign of the plant disease powdery mildew on their veggies, ornamental plants and landscape trees can also be infected. In addition to those powdery spots, the…

Pollinator Plant List #4     BLUE BOA HUMMINGBIRD MINT Agastache 'Blue Boa' WOOLLYPOD MILKWEED Asclepias eriocarpa ROCK PURSLANE Calandrinia spectabilis BUSH MONKEY FLOWER Diplacus aurantiacus WHITE GAURA Gaura lindheimeri WILD BERGAMOT Monarda fistulosa DESERT GLOBEMALLOW Sphaeralcea ambigua TALL…

Pollinator Plant List #3     NARROWLEAF MILKWEED Asclepias fascicularis SHOWY MILKWEED Asclepias speciosa BLUE STOCKING BEE BALM Monarda didyma 'Blue Stocking' COYOTE MINT Monardella villosa 'Russian River' DESERT PENSTEMON Penstemon superbus (pink form) BROWN EYED SUSAN Rudbeckia triloba…