Garden Notes

BULBS: Bugle Lily, Watsonia pillansii which is in the Lily family. It is native to South Africa and is grown from a corm much like gladiolus. The flowers rise on spikes from thick sword-like leaves about 18 inches long.

There was more than turkey to be thankful for last November at the 25th Annual Xerces Society's Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count held in Pacific Grove. After several years of the butterflies' declining numbers, the final count was about 250,000.

Winter is finally here! Leaves have fallen or are in the process of leaving our deciduous plants naked. Sends shivers up my spine! What's an avid gardener to do? There must be more to life than raking leaves.

If you're like me, you'll be serving up soup all winter long. These comforting soups are perfect for those long, chilly nights spent at home.

While researching the horticultural term Fasciation for our winter blog, Master Gardener Cheryl Carmichael came across the following article on the same subject posted to the Wisconsin Master Gardener website by Susan Mahr, University of Wisconsin Madison in March 2011.