Gardening

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Got gardening questions? Find out about the variety of ways to contact us and get answers.

Have a sick plant, an ailing tree, mysterious spots on leaves? Chat with a Santa Clara County UC Master Gardener via Zoom to diagnose your plant problems. You can also listen and learn while other people ask their questions. Priority will be given to questions emailed in advance.

Ornamental plants add beauty to our yards. Below is a collection of our monthly tips that relate to ornamental plants.

Lovage, Levisticum officinale, originates from the Eastern Mediterranean. It is typically grown for its leaves, stems, roots, and seeds. The leaves have a flavor similar to celery, only stronger. They are commonly used to flavor salads, soups, and stews. Lovage is considered to be an herb, but the stems can…

Chives, Allium schoenoprasum, or "onion chives", are a herb belonging to the same family as garlic, scallions, and onions. They are grown for their edible leaves and flowers. The flowers are attractive to pollinators and are frequently visited by many types of bees. Grown in clumps, their slender leaves rise…

Our four-acre parcel is located within Santa Clara County's 287-acre Martial Cottle Park, which showcases the agricultural heritage of Santa Clara Valley. Our gardens demonstrate many aspects of home gardening in this region, including native plants, vegetables, fruit trees, and more.

Spring Garden Fair ornamentals decriptions. The flowers and other ornamental plants we offer at the Spring Garden Fair have been trialed in our research gardens to select varieties that perform particularly well in our climate, with an eye toward those that are beautiful and long-lasting in flower…

July gardening tips for Santa Clara County, categorized by To-Dos, What to Plant, or Pests and Diseases. Tips are available for each month, as well as tips that are applicable for every month.

Fava beans (Vicia faba), sometimes called broad beans, grow well as a cool season crop in Santa Clara County. (Most other beans require warm weather.) Favas are also often grown as a cover crop because of their ability to add nitrogen to the soil.