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Persimmons – Gifts of the Season & December in the North State Garden

as I eat a persimmon? the bell starts ringing? at Horyuji Temple Masaoka Shiki (1867-1902) PHOTOS above: firm rounded persimmon ripening at the Genetic Resource and Conservation Center, also known as the Tree Farm, in Chico. Persimmon have long represented… Continue Reading

Wreaths of the Season 2014

The beauty of the garden in winter is a unique pleasure: fragrant, fresh evergreens, bright berries, frosty mornings. Photo: Frosty Indian hawthorne on a cold North State morning. Seasonal greens, winter fruits, and sculptural cones have long been associated with… Continue Reading

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Timing: November in the Garden & North State Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

PHOTO: Autumnal bumble bees resting in an an aster. Timing is everything isn’t it? It’s as true in baseball as it is in politics as it is in the garden. Good timing, and an intuitive understanding of timing, makes everything… Continue Reading

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Legacy: October & The North State Calendar of Gardening Events

As I compose this month’s calendar piece two things are foremost in my mind. The first is that it is raining. Really raining and the sound and smell and light of this much anticipated seasonal weather has a forceful and… Continue Reading

September in the Garden & North State Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

PHOTO: Ripe Ribes sp. (roezlii?). September in the North State garden begins in earnest our biggest and best window of opportunity to plant in our gardens. From mid-September to the end of October, from Davis to Redding, a generous number… Continue Reading

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Succeeding with Natives – Mt. Lassen CNPS Horticulture Symposium September 14

On Sunday September 14th, 2014 the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society will host a day-long symposium on designing your garden space to include more native plants while at the same time using far less water, creating… Continue Reading

Portrait of an Empress, August in the Garden & North State Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

I never did get a get picture of her. Not a drive-by snap shot, not a proper portrait. Despite regularly remarking on how lovely she was. And now that she’s gone – with the others – I go out of… Continue Reading

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A Penny For Your…..The Penny Pines Reforestation Program in CA

A penny for a …..pine? As they have for the past 50 years, this year the Chico Horticultural Society – along with other garden clubs statewide – chose honorees to receive a Penny Pines Plantation. I was among this year’s… Continue Reading

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Unity of Opposites: July in the Garden & North State Calendar of Gardening Events

“I hear my mother calling when the summer wind blows, Go out into the garden in your old, old clothes…” Rosemary Wells, “First Tomato” The garden in the height of summer is a source of deep comfort for me despite… Continue Reading