Napa

My neighborhood is the kind of place where you can put almost anything out on the sidewalk with a FREE label attached, and it will be gonea cast-iron frying pan, bicycle parts, a sofa, books, a box of Meyer lemons.

A couple of years ago, my husband and I decided to plant a lawn alternative in an unlandscaped part of our Napa property, an area covering about 1,100 square feet.

One of the joys of being a Master Gardener is working with a team to produce an educational event for home gardeners. To that end, Master Gardeners are growing gourds, pumpkins and Indian corn for our Fall Faire on Saturday, September 30. Find a link with more information at the end of this column.

I have two plants in my garden that are magnets for pollinators and butterflies. Both plants put on quite a flower show and are drought tolerant. Given our ongoing issues with water, this latter feature should be priority for all of us.

Most likely, you have been to a garden center and made impulse purchases of plants that struck you as particularly attractive. I've done so myself. Even if you read the label carefully, that plant may lose its luster after a few weeks or decline it's ready for the compost bin.

Many of our commonly cultivated house and garden plants contain toxins. During my 35-plus years in veterinary practice, I treated many patients for either known or suspected toxic plant ingestion. For the most part, plants that are poisonous to pets are equally dangerous to children.

Kale has the reputation of being a superfood. This is one of those vague terms scorned by experts, dietitians and scientists but loved by marketers. Kale is, indeed, high in vitamins and fiber.

Recently a fellow Master Gardener recommended I read Inherited Silence by Louise Dunlap. The book is described as an insightful look at the historical damages early colonizers of America caused and how their descendants may recognize and heal the harm done to the earth and the native peoples.

We all have family histories, the stories we learn as children that become part of who we are as adults. Usually, we gather these stories and history from people, books, or classes, but sometimes we find history in the garden. Growing up, I heard stories about plants in the garden.

It all started with an abandoned plant. Twelve years ago, as I was moving into my new home, I noticed a sad-looking plant in a plastic pot at the far end of the front yard. It had been out in full sun for, I guessed, quite a few days and was very dry.