Under the Solano Sun

It's raining once again. Because I'm a plant enthusiast and I loooove going to see the little plants growing. My favorite thing to do is to visit wholesale plant nurseries. ESCHSCHOLZIA caespitosa 'Sundew' Most wholesale nurseries buy pre-ordered plug starts.

A dozen dark shapes silhouetted in the dawn tracery of our Chinese tallow tree.[1] As usual a few flickers[2] yanking fruits but what are those smaller? Robins![3] The first sign of spring in January already. Exhilarating but one of those endless clichs.

During these winter days, I appreciate the early- to mid-winter blooming plants that brighten even the rainiest of days. One of my favorite winter bloomers is a purple vine that I'm sure you've seen blooming in your neighborhood: the 'Happy Wanderer' vine, Hardenbergia violacea.

A Gardener once planted too fast, Thinking that Spring had come at long last.

Sometime back between the Napa-Sonoma fire and the recent fire which destroyed the town of Paradise in Butte County, I had an opportunity to attend a seminar, presented both by Fire Safe Sonoma and the Master Gardeners of Sonoma County, on protecting our homes against wildfires.