How do our wells get water? The water that falls on our ground recharges our wells. Not just someone’s way downslope, but our own wells, and possibly our nearby neighbors’. We can actually take charge of the water that falls …
Drought means less water for our landscapes and less water in the soil. And with the high heat events we’ve been having, any moisture in the soil or that’s applied to plants gets sucked out quickly. We’re in a “megadrought” …
Dappled shade is what most of us have here in Nevada County. And dry shade at that. Since we’re in one of the driest years in decades, and we’re in what’s being labelled a “megadrought”, we need to plant the …
Have you noticed the California lilacs blooming this spring? Many are a beautiful blue, and some are white. The white ones that are abundant around here are still blooming and stand out. Erect, fountain-shaped shrubs with lilac-like clusters of white …
Grasses are popular landscape plants, offering a wonderful variety of textures, shapes, and colors. But we have unique California native grasses that offer more options for our landscapes. While the rest of the world is planting from the same palette …
This Still May be a Dry Year for Us—or a Megadrought I’m so happy to see rain again. Ever since the drought of 2011-2015, I worry about the next one. And while we’ve had a few good rain years, we …
Of the many pretty ferns we can grow in our gardens here, one of the nicest ones we can plant is a native one that grows here already. The western sword fern (Polystichum munitum) grows throughout the western states from …
My heart goes out to those who have lost their homes and buildings in the Jones fire. And my gratitude goes out to the firefighters who worked in such extreme heat and conditions. I can’t imagine what it’s like to …
Oak trees are iconic long-lived and enduring trees with their majestic form, large sweeping branches – sometimes with a picturesque asymmetrical balance, and massive trunks. Their leaves and acorns are also used as symbols, while acorns have been used as …
Once when I was backcountry skiing in King’s Canyon National Park I was on a constant lookout for the big trees, the Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum). I had seen them a few years prior in their protected groves, fenced off …