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… Continue Reading

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Winter Birds: The Birds of Bidwell Park (and in your home garden)

With winter upon us, many of our favorite birds return for the season. Bird feeders come out of summer dormancy and are cleaned and filled for a new season. With leaves off of many trees, and the distractions in the… Continue Reading

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Good Hips: Rose Hips in the North State Garden

This article originally appeared in the Butte Rose Society’s October 2011 Newsletter. Love roses? The North State is home to several wonderful rose societies, including Shasta Rose Society, Butte Rose Society, the Sacramento Rose Society. Our regions outstanding demonstration rose… Continue Reading

The Permablitz Potential: Permanent Culture for Everyone

On Saturday November 10th from 10 am – 4 pm, the Chico Permaculture Guild will host a “permablitz” event – a hands on learning day in which you will learn how to design and install a rooftop rainwater harvesting system… Continue Reading

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Parable of the Mushroom, November in the Garden & Calendar of North State Gardening Events

Where is it? I’ve been looking for more than a month – given the diminishing hours of daylight, the cooling temperatures, the increasing humidity – it should be there! It was here last year at this same time, I reason.… Continue Reading

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The NEd Talks

You have, I am sure, heard of the now-renowned TED talks: “TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design.” They are quite… Continue Reading

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Wind, Water, Wildlife and Silence: The Soundscape of the North State Garden

shhhhhh…. listen….. what do you hear?….. Wind, water, wildlife and silence – what is the soundscape of the North State Garden? During Northstate Public Radio’s Fall 2012 Membership Drive, regular weekend programming of In a North State Garden is replaced… Continue Reading

“The Chemistry of Plants: Perfumes, Pigments, and Poisons” by Dr. Maragreta Séquin

The words “Organic Chemistry” strike fear and loathing into the heart of many a young learner – scientist or not. Dr. Margareta Séquin, known more familiarly as Gréti, is here to help diminish this response. And as the smiling, warm-voiced… Continue Reading

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Autumnal October – A Season of Politics and Plenty & the Calendar of North State Gardening Events

In the tumult that is day-to-day life and the endless to-do list from home and work, I consider my garden a refuge. It is the place to which I retreat to hear myself, to think more clearly, to smell the… Continue Reading

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To Garden in the West: The New Sunset Western Garden Book

I was in my late twenties when I made the move from east-central Vermont to Seattle, Washington in the summer of 1995. My mother traveled with me prior to the real move to help me look for houses, and our… Continue Reading