Ahhh, what the Sufi poet Rumi called “Smiling Spring” is upon us – in all her mystery. Like falling in love, spring makes us gardeners both ecstatic and yet restless/agitated. Some of the year’s sweetest and yet most ephemeral blossoms… Continue Reading
There’s a lot to love about the garden in winter. But I do miss some things from the summer garden. For instance, I miss my bats. Of course, they are not technically “my” bats, but rather a small colony that… Continue Reading
I am going on several winter weeks without rain (or snow) on my garden. I am enjoying the sun, but I am very aware of the lack of needed water as well. If you are a gardener (or living creature… Continue Reading
“I like to think they are shy,” David Walther tells me, speaking of his beloved hellebores. David is co-owner of Spring Fever Nursery in Yankee Hill with his wife Cathy. “Many varieties of hellebores have flowers that face downward because, as winter bloomers, they are trying to protect their pollen from wind and rain and snow until pollination takes place. But the difference … Continue Reading
Winter is upon us judging by the mood of the sky, the date on the calendar and the look of the landscape. While many garden tasks slow down for these winter months, others pick up, including the hard job of… Continue Reading
Bridgette Brick-Wells, founder of the Healthy Lunch & Lifestyles Project working in Shasta, Tehama and Butte Counties; Gina Sims, Garden Coordinator at Chico Country Day Charter School and also working with the Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion at CSU,… Continue Reading
Mike Thiede gets excited about plants. “You will never guess what I just found?” he said in all excitement the last time I met with him – and he did not wait for me to answer or guess, but continued… Continue Reading
It’s August. It’s hot and dry in interior northern California and in most cases, our gardens are looking a little…worn, a little worse for the wear of our long, hot, dry summers. Every gardener I know, prefaces a high or… Continue Reading
The time has come again to plant for fall and winter vegetables. I love this time of year! George Winter of Wyntour Gardens and Red Bluff Garden Center gave us this advice last year: Planting a vegetable garden just seems… Continue Reading
“I think I might like the yellow tuberous ones the best – they are common but so consistent and cheerful,” Sally Greenwood, Head Grower at Chico Propagators tells me as we scan the multitude of begonias growing in her care… Continue Reading
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