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In a North State Garden and Two New Friends

On Tuesday April 8th, I hosted a special edition of In a North State Garden during Northstate Public Radio’s Spring Membership drive the theme for which has been “A Steady Stream.” With this in mind, my special was a celebration… Continue Reading

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Shasta Chapter CNPS Spring Native Plant Sale – April 10 – 12

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday April 10th, 11th and 12th – the Redding-based Shasta Chapter of the California Native Society will hold their annual spring plant sale open to the public. Continue Reading

Penstemons: Colorful Western Perennials for the North State Garden

PHOTO: Foothills penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus) in vigorous summer bloom in a low-water Chico home garden. Some people call them beardtongue – the visual image of which always made me laugh as a girl. Now – as an adult gardener whose… Continue Reading

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The Wildflowers of Table Mountain, a Naturalist’s Guide – 2nd Edition (Color)

Despite a long and primarily dry winter, just this week I saw some of the most colorful, lovely and resilient wildflowers – rich yellow Douglas’s violets (Viola douglasii ‘Steudel’) and shooting stars (Dodecatheon sp.). While I know it will not… Continue Reading

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Perma-Fun-K Permaculture Classes and Workshops – Spring 2014

Today my guest is Rosa Maicas, a certified permaculture designer and the founder of the educational non-profit Perma-Fun-K. Perma-Fun-K offers hands on permaculture workshops and lectures for children and adults in California and Spain. Today Rosa joins us to talk… Continue Reading

March in the Garden & North State Calendar of Gardening Events

PHOTO: Native Salvia dorrii, in bloom at Gateway Science Museum’s Native Plant Pollinator Garden. The garden has received no supplemental water since November of 2013. It never seems to fail that despite plenty to do in the garden in January… Continue Reading

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Walk This Way: Wild Food Wanders with Wolfgang Rougle

Local farmer, author and wild food advocate Wolfgang Rougle will join up with Slow Food Shasta Cascade to offer two upcoming walks open to the public in Chico’s Lower Bidwell Park in the coming weeks. PHOTO: Delicious and nutrient-rich miner’s… Continue Reading

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The Magic of Mosses

Photo: A mossy rock along a riparian corridor. Identification of mosses is complex and technical, requiring microscopy in most cases. For the photos in this essay, I will not attempt to identify the individual species, but merely appreciate the beauty… Continue Reading

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Stars of the Spring Woodland Garden: Trillium

With warm temperatures and little rain so far this winter, it will be interesting to see how the spring plants respond. In a “normal year” the first of the wild trilliums are up by late January….I will go looking for… Continue Reading