Under the Solano Sun

All it takes is a rain shower and you'll see weeds everywhere. Weeds peeking through summer-dried leaves, popping above brittle twigs and languid stems, greening foothills and fields that weeks earlier were dusty brown. Weeds sprouting in yards and vegetable beds.

Melianthus major is the proper name of my honeybush, but it really deserves a more exotic moniker. This plant is endemic to South Africa and has naturalized in India, Australia, and New Zealand, and it does quite nicely here in Solano County.

One of the highlights of our trip to Germany in October was a trip to the Black Forest Open-air Museum Vogtsbauernhof at Gutach.

Over the holidays, we enjoyed a visit to Night Bloom at the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park. This special five-week evening exhibit describes itself as a light and sound experience.

No, the Kanopy isn't a plant, but a free service available from your local Solano County Library of interest to gardeners. Kanopy is a video streaming service that offers access to over 30,000 documentaries, educational videos, and independent films.