Earl Nickel,Curious Plantsman As summer blooms start to wind down and the days gradually get shorter, many gardeners tend to step back from their gardens. But actually fall is one…
Deer Resistant
NATIVES FOR THE NEW YEAR!
Native Shrubs It is quite natural when thinking about California native plants to picture the great wealth of native annuals that populate garden center racks in spring. Blue flowering favorites…
We’re Crazy for Clematis
Earl NickelCurious Plantsman No shrinking violets, Clematis are some of the most beautiful, hardy and heart-stoppingly gorgeous perennial vines in the world. Boasting a wide range of flower colors and…
Fire-Safe Landscaping with Kate Frey
By Kate Frey Special Contributor The recent fires in the Napa/Sonoma area have touched everyone in Northern California. The physical composition and appearance of our landscapes, and our relationship with…
The Buck Stops Here: How to Outsmart Hungry Deer
By Earl Nickel Special Contributor Gardeners whose yards are often visited by deer face a perplexing problem: how to keep these normally beloved animals from munching all their vegetables and/or…
Heck Yeah Hellebores!
By Earl Nickel Special contributor We gardeners are always looking for something tough and beautiful for shade. But in the never-ending search for the “latest and greatest” we sometimes lose…
Top 10 Reasons to Love Verbascums!
Do you grow Verbascums? If you haven’t yet, it’s totally understandable as you rarely see them in front yard gardens, you never see them in garden centers, they’re not sold…
Combination Nation!
A garden is more than just the sum of its parts. It’s about getting some of the sum to party together at the same time! Over the years, we’ve come…
Let’s Play Favorites!
I’m about to make a very strong statement – please don’t be alarmed. My statement will be concerning my favorite Salvia – the Salvia I would choose over all other…
Bloomin’ Bloom Day
All that gorgeous 80-degree weather that we were, um, NOT gloating about last week, has turned to lovely, lovely rain, which is exactly what the gardens need right now. One…