Napa

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County If you're like most gardeners, you always enjoy learning something new. I recently started learning about mast seeding.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Fig trees are among a small group of fruiting trees that have been cultivated for thousands of years. Pomegranates are another member of that exclusive club. (The other two are persimmons and olives.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Can you believe it's already almost the end of July? We've very been fortunate this summer that temperatures have largely been moderate. By now, your summer garden is in its full (drought-conscious) glory.

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Ceanothus is ideal for use in our Napa Valley gardens. The plant is native to California and very drought-tolerant once established. There are almost 50 species in our state and most are evergreen. It blooms all summer with lilac-like blossoms.

by Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Because of the drought, I am trying French intensive gardening (also known as small-space gardening or square-foot gardening) this year. Rather than spread my vegetables out, I am using the French intensive method to save water.

By Carrie Strohl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Gardening has always been a great way to grow food, connect with nature and stay physically active, and these benefits are no different for children.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County I still remember my first fresh figs. My family was traveling in Southern Europe and my dad stopped at a roadside stand. He was so happy that they had figs.

By Pat Hitchcock, UC Master Gardener of Napa County One of the pleasures of having a large, messy vegetable garden is that plants that get ignored past their useful life as an edible still have value. I've learned this slowly over time.

By Gayle Keane, U. C. Master Gardener of Napa County For me one of the most welcome sights of spring is when my bearded iris bloom. I particularly love the combination of bright blue and lemon-yellow blossoms. But iris come in almost every color of the rainbow, even the dusky colors of autumn.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County For me, this past year has been very distracting, so I'm not as far along with planting my summer garden as I normally would be. If you can relate, the good news is that it's not too late to have a successful summer vegetable garden.