Gardening

Add delicious herbs to your El Dorado salad... -ahem, garden “Nothing at the table is quite as evocative of summer as fresh Basil – its pungent leaves wafting up off vine-ripe tomatoes layered with mozzarella, the pungent anise-garlic scent of pesto on fresh pasta, its licorice-like flavor punching up…

A true treasure of the Americas, hummingbirds are a diverse family of more than 340 species, only 17 of which are found north of Mexico. They are also keystone mutualists, nectar feeders that have coevolved with the indigenous plants they pollinate. For example, in the woody grasslands of Patagonia at the…

I’ve always loved that time in early spring when our hillsides are painted with great drifts of blue, lavender, and white Ceanothus, otherwise known as California Lilac. After many years of admiring them from afar, I plan to add some to my garden. In the meantime, here’s a bit of what I’ve learned so far…

Summer is in full force and while it's been quite hot in many parts of California, it's been very cool in others. That's why UC IPM's Seasonal Landscape IPM Checklist is a useful tool to help you figure out what to do in your region each month! Here are some general tips for keeping your landscape…

One cheery bloomer in the Tahoe Basin can be seen in bloom from late June until frost is the easy to grow Gaillardia. Native to the North American continent, this delicate flower is tougher than it looks. This short lived perennial reliably self sows, requires little water and attracts pollinators, but not…

The Summer Canopy: Mastering the Art of Deciduous Fruit Tree Pruningby Delise Weir, UCMG  While winter is traditionally known as the season for major orchard maintenance, summer is when the real magic happens. Trimming your deciduous fruit trees in the warmer months is the secret to…

Barn Owls seem to be the go-to owl when it comes to biological control of rodent pests, dominating the literature on owls and IPM. According to several studies, pocket gophers, mice, and voles constitute most of the Barn Owl diet.

Research Brief • June 2026 • Download PDF (262 KB)CalFresh Healthy Living (CFHL), California’s SNAP-Ed program, promotes healthy lifestyles through nutrition and physical activity interventions delivered in low-income communities across California. This program has been administered by four state…