Tag Archive for ‘Jennifer Jewell’
Darkness & Light: March in the Garden & North State Calendar of Gardening Events
“There is a certain slant of light/ on winter afternoons/ that oppresses…” wrote the poet Emily Dickinson. But Emily, an avid gardener herself, knew just as surely that this same slant of light – made slightly higher and longer with the lengthening days as we cross the threshold into spring – will lift us. The [...]
Scents & Sensibilities: Fragrance in the Winter Garden
Ahhh fragrance….all I can say is “thank you” to the universe of sweet scents. With all these plants in bloom again, seemed an apt time to revisit this piece. Enjoy. My Daphne odora began its seasonal bloom this past week –delicate, pink-edged, four-petaled florets opening one at a time among larger clusters. I was working [...]
Paen to My Chickens in Spring
Every year Shrove Tuesday arrives – the day before Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent, the Catholic/Anglican/Episcopal 40-day season of thoughtful repentance and fasting before Easter – and I think to myself: “it’s pancakes for dinner tonight.” Photo: Two of my hens on pest control duty in the garden. Shrove (derived from shrive to [...]
Seeds of things to Come: 4th Annual Seed Swap co-hosted by GRUB Education Program & Chico Permaculture Guild
On Saturday February 23rd from 2 pm – 6pm at the GRUB cooperative at 1525 Dayton Road in Chico, the GRUB Education Program and Chico Permaculture Guild host their 4th Annual Spring Seed Swap. On Wednesday February 13th from 3pm – 5pm, at the Chico Peace and Justice Center 526 Broadway, Chico, California 95928 the [...]
Snow Days – Winter Blooming Snowdrops and Snowflakes
Snow days can offer some of the most stunning peaceful views you will ever see in your garden – but snow and its accompanying frost and ice is difficult to predict and impossible to control. To re-work an old saying – the snow is always whiter and lighter on the other side of the proverbial [...]
Happy Birthday, 5 Years Old & Calendar of North State Gardening Events
On January 26th, 2008, Northstate Public Radio aired its first segment of In a North State Garden, a locally-conceived and produced, 4-minute, often interview-based program celebrating home gardening in the North State Region; a region 10 counties strong, just about the size of the state of Ohio and home to more diverse plant life, habitat [...]
Where the Winter Ferns Grow
Winter can mean rain or snow, wind or stillness, sun or darkness. But in the valley and foothill portions of our region – winter also means ferns. From the first late fall rains through to the heat of summer gardens and native areas enjoy the lush green reawakening of many of the California natives ferns [...]
Cutting Back: Winter Pruning For Health, Light, Air & Vigor
The first few months of the new year is the season for cutting back – in our lives and in our gardens. Throughout the region nurseries and gardening groups offer pruning demonstrations and workshops for deciduous trees (particularly fruit trees) roses, grape vines and more. This weekend Pam Geisel – Director of the University of [...]
A Long Winter’s Nap: January & The North State Calendar of Gardening Events
In this last bit of 2012, I am ruminating on two quotes that struck me recently from a TED talk given by Dr. Brené Brown on the Power of Vulnerability. The whole talk was fascinating, but the two quotes that have stuck in my middle-aged brain are these: “Comparison kills creativity”, and “Hope is a [...]
Winter Gifts: The Wonderful World of Wild Mushrooms
With the onset of winter rains come the winter gifts of mushrooms. I have found them fascinating since first moving to Northern California and being amazed at the incredible quantity and diversity of these mysterious organisms. With a mushroom fairs and forays ( THE FRIENDS OF THE CHICO STATE HERBARIUM are hosting a foray on [...]