Plant Selection

Lawn Alternatives There is much discussion these days on eliminating grass lawns, and unless your lawn gets a lot of use for playing by kids and pets, it is something to consider. Grass lawns are heavy consumers of water and fertilizer and often require pesticides and fungicides to keep them…

In California, besieged by the twin threats of drought and wildfire, the choice to grow native versus non-native plants is attracting more attention than ever before. What exactly are the merits of native compared to non-native plants, and how do gardeners make the best choice about what to grow in a home…

Spring is in full swing, and there’s lots to see at the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden: buds, blooms, flowering shrubs, developing fruits, summer vegetable plants! Plus, wildlife: bees, birds, and butterflies. Here there is something for everyone to discover, enjoy, and perhaps try in their own yard…

If you are looking for an interesting evergreen that can serve as a hedge or small tree, why not consider planting one or more Feijoa? Commonly known as Pineapple Guava, Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana O. Berg.) is an evergreen subtropical shrub or small tree that produces an aromatic edible fruit with a somewhat…

When you add new flowering plants to your garden this year, be sure to keep pollinators in mind. Planting for pollinators is a colorful way to attract bees, butterflies, birds, and insects to your garden while increasing the productivity of many edible plants. 

Vegetables and herbs are relatively easy to understand, but flowers and foliage and shade versus sun — it can seem overwhelming!  Let’s start from the beginning.  What does full sun really mean?  A plant requiring full sun needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day in order to thrive.  If a plant…

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by the selection of plants at the nursery? Or bought a plant that looked great at the nursery, but did poorly (or died) in your yard? Spring is here and it’s tempting to rush out and buy new plants for the garden.  But don’t be too hasty!  Choosing the right plant for a…

Laurie Meyerpeter, UC Master Gardener of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Winter 2010Winter is my favorite season of the year. To me, it’s not barren and cold. It’s filled with expectancy and hope. Tree branches are bare of leaves but the buds are fat with life. The hills are green with winter…

Article and photos By Carol Koenig, UC Master Gardener of Placer County From The Curious Gardener, Summer 2022 Drought tolerant plants have been an important part of landscaping for hundreds of years. Some of the earliest examples could be found in fifth and sixth century Persian gardens as well as…

By Elaine Applebaum, UC Master Gardeners of Placer County Q: Catalogs and some nurseries list “zones” in their description of plants. What are they talking about?A:  Athletes strive to be “in the zone” and Caltrans asks us to “Slow for the Cone Zone,” but gardeners need to know their USDA or…