Garden Central

For those of us living on the West Coast near fire prone areas, it’s important to shift our thinking about how we landscape our yards. The way you treat the defensible zones around your house can make the difference between it catching fire and not, or it being deemed worth defending by firefighters or not. 

Fall is for planting, here’s why:​

The days are getting shorter, there is less intense sunlight, the night air is cooler, but the soil is still retaining some heat. All these work together for a winning combination to achieve planting success and happy unstressed plants. ​

Newly planted plants tend to lose less moisture through their foliage in the fall, rather than summer, which lessens their water needs.​

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Fall and winter vegetable and herb gardens require little effort and supply bountiful harvests. Early to mid-fall is the ideal time to plant your cool-season vegetables and herbs so that they have the best chances at a strong start. Warm soil temperatures in early-mid fall will get your plants established and producing luscious lettuce and more. Once the rainy season begins, there is not much to do except harvest, cook, and eat.…

GopherHawk – Gopher and Mole Trap​

Identifying the light situations in our homes and the plants that will thrive within those conditions is one of the most difficult parts of caring for houseplants. Many times our homes are darker than we realize. As a general rule of thumb, low light plants will tolerate areas that are poorly lit, as long as the area remains bright enough to read in throughout the day.

There’s something so enchanting about seeing butterflies flutter around your garden! You can encourage butterflies to visit your garden by providing an assortment of nectar- and pollen-rich plants. Butterflies will visit a large variety of plants but tend to prefer those with umbel shaped flowers, which provide them a place to stand while collecting nectar. Generally, any composite flower (those in the aster family, Asteraceae) is a good choice.

The name succulent may be a bit deceptive – I assure you, these plants do not suck! At first sight, the spines of some agave and aloe might cause a fright, but don’t underestimate how easily they will dazzle your garden. A visit to the UC Berkeley Botanical Garden, Ruth Bancroft Garden, or San Francisco Botanical Garden will help seal the deal for cultivating, renewing, or inspiring your love of landscaping with succulents and cacti.