Napa

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.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County One of the things that I like most about spring is the beauty of flowering trees. It's just stunning to see a magnolia or almond tree in full bloom.

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County In the first old house my husband and I lived in in downtown Napa, we had the second floor and access to the attic. When we moved in, we had no idea there were bats in the attic.

by Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County I love hellebores because they stay green all year, bloom in the winter and don't take a lot of water to keep them happy. Hellebores are called Lenten roses by some because they start to bloom around the time of Lent. But they are not roses.

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County As a gardener, you are doubtlessly painfully aware of how little rainfall we had during our last rainy season.

By Donna Woodward, UC Master Gardener of Napa County If you haven't eaten Romano green beans fresh from the garden, you can't imagine how delicious they are. The difference between homegrown beans and the frozen or commercially farmed beans from the supermarket is astonishing.

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Occasionally you may see things sprouting around your garden that you know you did not plant.

By Donna Woodward, UC Master Gardener of Napa County Few vegetables can boast the versatility of the beet, which is effectively two vegetables in one. We eat both the familiar red orb and the leafy green tops. The greens are similar to spinach and chard in flavor.

By Donna Woodward, UC Master Gardener of Napa County One rainy winter day I looked out my window and saw a luscious white pansy in full bloom. I rushed right out and bought more pansies. Anything that will bloom in the winter months is especially welcome.