Gardening

This summer, you may have noticed what looks like a large dandelion plant covered in blisters growing in your lawn or landscape. It's known as bristly oxtongue, and if you examine or touch it you'll see and feel why.

Saturday, August 18 is National Honey Bee Day! Many people are concerned about the health of honey bees, and rightly so, as there has been a decline in their populations during the last decade.

I recently attended a Santa Ana River Orange County Weed Management Area (SAROCWMA) meeting and there was an opportunity for participants to update the group about new invasive plants as well as give an update on management of these and others.

Summer is all about being outdoors and enjoying camping, swimming, playing, and other activities with family and friends. But it's a real drag when pests such as ants, yellowjackets, or mosquitoes ruin the fun.

This week much of California is under a heat advisory or excessive heat warning, with high temperatures estimated to range from 90 to 108 degrees. Many home gardeners are wondering how they can help their plants, trees, or shrubs survive the intense summer heat.

While working outside, gardeners and farmers may discover pest problems they need to answer quickly. To meet this need, the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources has recently published the Vegetable Pest Identification for Gardens and Small Farms card set.

Keep your lawn healthy during summer and throughout the year by learning more about proper mowing, watering, pest control, and maintenance. To do this, refer to the UC Guide to Healthy Lawns, an online publication specifically about lawn care.

Before hiking, backpacking, or camping, people are warned to avoid poison oak.

It is important for food-safety reasons to manage rats in school and community gardens. Rats and other wildlife can carry a number of diseases that can be deposited in the form of urine and feces on fruit, vegetables, and in the soil.

What are those curious, colorful, odd-looking growths you've seen growing on oak trees? Ever wonder what those little seeds are that jump around on the ground underneath oak trees in July or August?