“A little madness in the spring is wholesome even for the King!” I like to think that when Emily Dickinson wrote these words, she included some heady joy in the word madness, and she included us all in the wholesome… Continue Reading
Spring is very nearly officially here in the North State. It is a time of year when our mild climate and amazing soils result in the entire region fairly busting at the seams with new growth and renewed life. Gardeners,… Continue Reading
In this day and age of budget and labor cuts in all areas of society: private, city, state, federal, non-profit and corporate, volunteers are often the stopgap measures between families and organizations grinding to a dismal halt or continuing on.… Continue Reading
I have always enjoyed cemeteries, but especially ones with age and history. Often carefully laid out and tended, cemeteries can include a sense of art, architecture, order and peace. I grew up visiting cemeteries in the North East, where cemeteries… Continue Reading
March in the garden is both maddening and full of spring’s mirth. Even with our terribly low winter precipitation thus far, the garden and countryside are moving along – unfolding in flower, fruit and seed. We’re lucky that our relatively… Continue Reading
Nature is by far the most genius of garden designers, the most creative of floral arrangers. And if there’s one thing Nature loves, it’s color. Bright, mellow, bold, muted, clear: the whole rainbow of color. Most of us do too,… Continue Reading
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 nearby – absently cleaning leaves out of and re-filling a bird bath, plucking weeds mindlessly… Continue Reading
This week In a North State Garden had the pleasure of speaking with Stephanie Elliott, her two year old son, Collin, and Laurie Niles – all participants in Cultivating Community, a Chico-based project working to encourage the learning about and… Continue Reading
Winter seemed to finally arrive toward the end of January this year, bringing needed rain and snow to the North State. While the driving was a bit tedious, to watch the view change right in front of me was powerful.… Continue Reading
We as gardeners face many dilemmas, some more difficult than others. For many gardeners, pruning falls under the heading of garden dilemma. Every year, I get questions regarding how and when to prune various things in our North State gardens.… Continue Reading
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