Napa

Why do I love dahlias so much? They are the perfect summer flower blooming in a wide range of forms and colors, from brilliant reds and purples to variegated pinks and lovely whites.

In 1999 I planted nine Manzanillo olive trees. Over the years, I've added another fourteen trees, and they are all still alive and producing fruit for olive oil. My early success relied more on dumb luck and less on good planning. Fortunately for me, olive trees are very forgiving.

I used to wonder why hard apples were growing on some of my oak trees. Then I learned they were not apples but nests for Andricus quercuscalifornicus, a tiny wasp that builds these galls as a nest for raising their young.

It's hard to believe that zucchini and pumpkins belong to the same plant family, but both are part of the cucurbit, or gourd, family of vegetables.

With the U.C. Master Gardeners of Napa County annual Tomato Fest & Sale coming up on Saturday, April 15, and tomato plants appearing in nurseries now, it's tempting to set out your tomatoes immediately. It is best to wait a few weeks until the nights are warmer.

For many locals, the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County's annual tomato sale is the true harbinger of spring. Details about the event on April 15 are at the end of this article. We are selling two dozen proven varieties this year, ranging from fat, red beefsteak to tiny, sweet cherries.

Spring is in the air and it is time to plant milkweed for the Monarch butterflies. Milkweed (Asclepias) provides food for the butterfly larvae, and its flowers provide nectar for the other pollinators in our area.

Who knew that Napa harbors a beautiful yet potentially lethal tree whose strange habits could satisfy Agatha Christie's search for the perfect murder weapon?

I keep running into the words regenerative agriculture, a movement first promoted by the Rodale Institute in the 1980s.

Sweet potatoes are one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat and you can easily grow them in pots on your patio. High in fiber, beta carotene and antioxidants, they promote a healthy gut, a healthy brain, good vision, and a strong immune system.