Gardening Articles

Art of Bonsai
Imagine a tree that is two hundred years old, with its gnarled branches displaying the venerability of its age, and its only twelve inches tall. This is bonsai. Bonsai translated to English means ‘planted in a tray’...

Berry Magic
Now that winter has laid bare our gardens of leaf and flower the interest of the showy fruiting plants captures our eye...

Blowing in the Wind
One of the most pleasing sites in the landscape must be the wind blowing the leaves of ornamental grasses. There is something refreshing...

Bulbs
When bulbs start arriving at garden centers you begin to realize summer will soon be coming to an end. While there are many warm days to...

Carpet of Green
Lawns seem to go thru a love/hate cycle with the public. People don’t seem to stand neutral on the issue. Many people associate lawns with a weekly chore...

Choose Tasty Fruit
On of the reasons we plant fruit trees in our home gardens is to produce and enjoy superior flavored fruit than what is commonly available to us...

Citrus in the Foothills
If you love the flavor of fresh citrus, or simply appreciate the striking beauty of rich green foliage and bright-colored fruit, you'll have no problem...

Colorful Conifers
During the late fall and winter as many plants have lost their leaves our gardens sometimes look quite empty. Our reliance on annual and perennial flowers for color does not leave us...

Container Gardening
Since earliest times, people have needed and enjoyed plants. Where the climate was unfavorable, or the soil or water was scarce, containers made it possible...

Daphne, the Romantic Plant
One sure sign that spring is just around the corner is the fragrance of Daphne. Daphne has been a favorite among gardeners for many years...

Does Size Really Matter?
Does size really matter? It can, depending on your skill level, as a gardener. Plants come in many size containers. Japanese Maples can be purchased...

Dormant Sprays
If you have roses, fruit trees, or other deciduous plants you should be thinking about applying a dormant spray to these plants starting around Thanksgiving.  Powdery mildew, rust...

Drip Irrigation
Most of us have heard of drip irrigation, but not everyone understands how it works. You may have heard that drip irrigation can save time...

Exciting February
February is an exciting month here in the foothills. When it comes to the natural world things are really starting to wake up for spring. While there is no denying that cold, rain and frost...

Fall Color
Soon the hills will start to show the colors of fall. Already some plants are starting to turn color. Trees and shrubs under stress will often start to turn...

Fall Perennials
Besides trees and shrubs, plants can be divided into three types- annuals, biennials and perennials. Annuals grow from seed to flowering size...

Fertilizing Basics
Along with water, air, and soil, plants need nutrients to survive. When plants have the other ingredients but not nutrients, they may survive, but often...

Forgotten Bulbs
The daffodils and narcissus you see blooming now were available for planting between November and January. Along with tulips, freesias, crocus, and iris...

Gardening With Rocks
Foothill gardening often means working with or around rocks. These rocks can be a pain when you want to plant and the hole you dig has a large rock...

Good Bug, Bad Bug
Bugs in the garden aren't necessarily a bad thing. Veteran gardeners love bugs (as long as they're the good kind) because they know beneficial...

Gourmet Fruit
With the interest people are showing towards heirloom vegetables, especially tomatoes, that interest should spill over into the fruit tree world. The...

Ground Covers
If you are ready to cover a barren and perhaps unsightly patch of soil in your garden, control erosion on a hillside, or spread a beautiful bed of color in...

Hang in There, Baby - Vines
Vines can soften walls and hide ugly fences. Arbors and pergolas are just not complete without a vine growing up and over them. Vines can grow in sun or...

The Heat is On
Now that we are into summer full bore, and temperatures are in the nineties and hundred degree range, our gardens can use a little extra attention to help them through the rest of summer...

Herb Gardening
If you enjoy cooking and gardening, I have got some great advice that will have an exciting impact on your garden beds and kitchen table...

Hydrangea - Big, Bold and Beautiful
As spring eases into summer one of the most beautiful and easy to grow shrubs begins is flowering cycle. It is one of the most popular florists plants...

Luscious Lavendar
Lavender has been a favorite of gardeners for centuries. We grow it for its beauty as well as its lovely fragrance....

Mediterranean Gardening
One of the most popular styles of gardening in California today is the Mediterranean style. One, it is an attractive look for a garden. Two, it is appropriate for our area...

Mulch, a Weird Word
To mulch or not to mulch? This sounds like a strange question, since mulch is a strange sounding word. It sounds like a bad thing that a pest might do to...

Oak Trees in the Foothills
The cool shade of a large oak tree can make outdoor living in summer bearable. Lucky are those who are gifted with large oak trees in their yard...

Planting for Privacy
The Foothills are a wonderful place to live. Thatís why Placer County is the fastest growing area in the State of California according to recent studies...

Planting Shrubs and Trees from Containers
Most shrubs and trees sold in nurseries are grown and sold in containers. It is interesting to note that before World War Two ended plants were not sold in...

Plan for the Year Round, When Planting in Spring
With spring in the air its hard to resist picking up just about every flower in the garden center and taking them home with you, and I am the last...

Pretty Pansies
Pansies are one of the most widely known and best loved of all the cultivated flowers. It is my favorite annual flower for a few reasons. First is that they are almost pest and disease free...

Protecting Plants from the Cold
With winter right around the corner we should give thought to our tender plants that might be harmed by the cold. To often new arrivals to the area find out how quickly a jade plant...

Pruning Basics
Pruning plants is for many people so intimidating that they never do it. While this rarely causes a plant to fail, it means that for some plants their...

Redbud
Have you seen the Redbuds in bloom? Driving where the native foliage has been undisturbed look for a shrub that is leafless, with colorful sweet pea shaped, magenta flowers...

Rhododendrons
Most often when one thinks of the rhododendron the cool summer weather of the coast most often comes to mind. While the largest selection of...

Simple Water Features
Water gardening is one of the most exciting aspects of gardening today. The sight and sound of running water brings a magical, refreshing feel to the...

Small Trees for Patio and Deck
The summer entertaining season has arrived. When we move the party outside its nice to locate the eating or sitting area underneath the cool canopy...

Spring Has Sprung
With the interesting weather we are having people are wondering if this is spring, or just an illusion. Will it get cold again? Do you plant now or wait?...

Water Gardening
One of the confusing aspects for people building ponds is what size pump to use. You have just built a beautiful pond with a twenty-five foot stream that...

Water Plants
The pond is built and the waterfall flowing now comes one of the most satisfying aspects of having a pond, adding the water plants. Most pond...

Weed Control
Controlling weeds in our gardens can sometimes seem overwhelming. The weeds grow so fast here that it can become a full time job just keeping up...

Wildflowers
Once again our foothills have turned green with the arrival of spring. Soon these same green hills will be filled with wildflowers, reminding us just why...