The sunflower, Helianthus annuus, is an annual in the Asteraceae family widely seen across California. From ancient domestication to modern gardens, sunflowers are easy to grow, offer food and habitat for wildlife, and brighten our gardens with cheerful blooms.  

Dating back 4500 or more years, Indigenous peoples of North America were the first to domesticate the sunflower. As part of the Eastern Agricultural Complex, sunflowers were selected over generations for larger seeds and more pronounced flower heads. They were used for food, oil, dye, medicinal treatments, and ceremonial purposes.

Spanish explorers arrived in North America in the 16^th century. They brought sunflower seeds back to Europe. Russians embraced sunflowers for ornamental and agricultural purposes. By the 19^th century, sunflowers became a key oil crop in Eastern Europe. In some interpretations of the traditional “Three Sisters” planting system, corn, beans, and squash, the sunflower is the symbolic “Fourth Sister” attracting pollinators and watching over the other plants.

Some sunflower cultivars can be used to remove toxins and heavy metals from the soil, highlighting their ecological value for phytoremediation.  In U.S. agriculture, oilseed sunflowers produce small black seeds used in cooking, cosmetics, and biofuel.

One of the sunflowers’ most fascinating traits is heliotropism. Young plants track the movement of the sun across the sky. They begin the day facing east, follow the sun to the west, and reset overnight to face the east again. Once mature and in full bloom they stay facing east, which warms the seed’s head early in the day and attracts more pollinators.

Sunflowers are easy to plant. Most varieties thrive in full sun (6- 8 hours a day) and well-drained soil. Seeds can be sown directly into the ground after the threat of frost has passed. Space seeds 12- 18 inches apart depending on the variety. 

Sunflowers are heavy feeders. Amend the soil with compost or well-rotted manure before planting. Other natural amendments include bone meal for root development and blood meal for rapid leaf growth. Water deeply and infrequently, allowing the plant to develop a robust root system. Remember to provide mulch for water conservation. 

If you are growing sunflowers for seed, know when to harvest. Once the back of the flower is dry, cut the heads and let them dry in a well-ventilated space or hang them upside down. The seeds should rub out easily by hand. Wait too long and the squirrels will help themselves. 

In Marin County both annual and perennial sunflowers can shine. Some favorites are:

• Common woolly sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum) a California native perennial that looks like a sunflower, host to 7 species of butterflies and moths.        
• Delta sunflower (Helianthus annuus) Grows 6 ft. tall and 5ft. wide, multiple blooms for several months, native to California and deer resistant.
• Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) A perennial prized for nutty tubers. The “sunchokes” (tubers) are edible. Harvest tubers for replanting next year.
• Lemon Queen (Helianthus annuus) A hybrid variety with soft yellow blooms and branching stems.
• Mammoth Russian (Helianthus annuus) enormous heads 1 ft. wide with stalks 10 – 12 ft. tall. - seeds for roasting and feeding birds.
• Mexican sunflower (Tithonia diversifolia) 6-10 ft. tall with large yellow flowers provide an ideal landing pad for butterflies.
• Teddy Bear (Helianthus annuus) 2- 3 ft. dwarf with soft fuzzy flower heads great for kids’ gardens.                                                        

Plant sunflowers with companions like marigolds and zinnias that thrive in the same conditions.  Pair them with herbs like basil, dill, and rosemary. These aromatic plants also attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and butterflies. Consider the tall varieties as living trellis. Branched sunflowers work well with sprawling mini pumpkins.

Beyond their beauty, sunflowers are excellent habitat plants offering nectar and pollen for a wide array of bees and butterflies. Their seeds are a valuable food source for birds, making them a wonderful choice for wildlife and earth-friendly gardens.

By Alice Cason, May 2, 2026

You’ve already planted luscious tomatoes, probably purchased from our recent UC Marin Master Gardeners’ Tomato Market Sale. What other veggies should you plant to contribute to bountiful summer and fall harvests? Good choices are beans, cucumbers, peppers, summer squash, winter squash, and/or pumpkins. They are perfect to plant now, easy to grow, and thrive in our Marin climate.

Beans are warm-season legumes native to Central or South America. Pole beans grow six to ten feet; bush beans grow two feet tall and wide. Plant now through the end of July in an area with at least four to six hours of sun a day. Beans prefer well-drained, sandy loam soil that has been amended with compost or other organic materials. Keep soil evenly moist, with consistent and adequate irrigation, preferably drip to keep leaves dry. Varieties that do well in Marin include Scarlet Runner, Romano, Blue Lake, and Kentucky Wonder.

Cucumbers are a warm-season crop from South Asia. Plant now through the end of June. Cucumbers prefer full sun, with six to eight hours a day. They don’t do well in foggy or windy locations. Consider trellising for straighter cucumbers and to save space. Cucumbers prefer organic, nitrogen-rich, and well-drained soil. Water regularly to keep the soil constantly moist, focusing on the base of the plant. Harvest cucumbers when they are about one to one and a half inches in diameter, six to seven inches long. Varieties for slicing include Dasher 11, Marketmore, Sweet Success, and Sweet Slice.

Peppers are native perennials in Central and South America but are grown as annuals here. Plant now through the end of June in northern Marin, and through mid-June in southern Marin. Don’t plant where peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants have been grown in the past three years (they share the same soil-borne diseases, like blight; rotating your crops helps prevent disease). Peppers prefer full sun. Before planting, amend the soil with a nitrogen-rich aged manure or compost. Peppers require moderate, even watering. Pick your peppers when they stop getting larger and cut the stems to avoid damaging the plant. Good varieties include California Wonder, Gypsy F1, Sweet Banana, and Minibell.

Summer squash, originating in the Americas, bears fruit until the weather cools in the fall. Depending on the variety, plant now until the end of July. Summer squash needs a minimum of six hours of full sun. They prefer well-drained soil rich in organic matter, so add plenty of compost before planting. Regular, even watering is key. Harvest when the skin is tender, and the seeds are small. Leaving the fruit on too long results in massive, tough squash and fewer fruits. Good varieties include Peter Pan Hybrid, Scallopini, Early White Bush, and Sundance. 

Winter squash, also from the Americas, can be planted now until the middle of June in an area with at least six hours of sun a day, in well-drained soil, with consistent moisture. Leave winter squash on the vine until fully mature and cut to make a two-to-four-inch stem for longer storage life. Popular varieties include Butternut, Kabocha, Acorn, Delicata, and Spaghetti squash.

Pumpkins, originating in North America, are a winter squash that grows from a flower. They are a fruit, but usually prepared as a vegetable. Plant now through the end of June. Choose a sunny spot with at least six hours of full sun. Pumpkins prefer soil rich in organic matter, so add plenty of compost or composted manure before planting. They need lots of space and may be trellised. Even watering is key. In cooler microclimates, stop irrigation in mid-August to hasten ripening. Harvest pumpkins when the stems are no longer fleshy. Good varieties include Small Sugar, Howden, Connecticut Field Pumpkin, and Spirit.

Now is the perfect time to plant beans, cucumbers, peppers, summer squash, winter squash, and/or pumpkins to produce a bountiful harvest this summer and fall.

By Julie McMillan, April 25, 2026

Most of us don’t have gardens as expansive as those created by 18^th century landscape architect Capability Brown who moved a river to create the beautiful vistas at Chatsworth House, or large enough to design outdoor “rooms” like those created in the 20^th century by Vita Sackville West at her Sissinghurst Castle home. Nonetheless, we enjoy our gardens and can introduce a moment of perfection and “paradiso” by including tropical plants.  Tropical plants come from the area of the world known as the tropics at the equator between the Tropic of Cancer (latitude 23.5 degrees N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (Latitude 23.5 degrees S), or about 1,500 miles above and below the equator.  Within this equatorial region is roughly one-third of our planet’s land mass and population. Only one U.S. state, Hawaii, lies in the tropics where 85- degree temperatures foster tropical plants both native and introduced. So, how do we include tropical plants in our gardens here in Marin at Latitude 38?    

All plants have a preferred balance of warmth, seasonal rainfall, and dry periods, guaranteeing the plant enough water to grow but not so much as to get waterlogged or threatened with fungal diseases. Marin gardeners learn this growing tomatoes, native to South America. We have learned that by adopting adaptive strategies, we can grow some edible and ornamental tropical plants. Others we cannot grow successfully because Marin doesn’t have the warmer temperatures and humid environments required. So, we grow tomatoes as annuals not perennials; this is adaptive strategy. We do not grow Vanilla planifolia, a clinging orchid vine that grows to 300 feet with 4- inch green orchid flowers. In Mexico, native vanilla is pollinated by native bees and hummingbirds, but when transplanted to Hawaii, Tahiti, and the island of Reunion off Madagascar, vanilla must be pollinated by hand, another adaptive strategy, albeit making vanilla the second most expensive spice in the world after saffron. 

The ancient Greek physician, botanist, and pharmacologist Dioscorides wrote a five- volume Herbal describing about 500 species representing all then known world plants. In the 1500’s, the King of Spain sent Francisco Hernandez, the Spanish court’s physician, to New Spain, to catalogue plants in the “new world”, including their environmental and ecological context. The Aztecs served Hernandez hot chocolate flavored with vanilla, and Hernandez spent three years learning from the Aztecs, cataloguing plants and increasing by sixfold the number of plants known to science. For an informative list of edible tropical plants from around the world, including fruits, vegetables, starches, shoots and roots, nuts, and spices, go to the Missouri Botanical Garden “A Tropical Feast”, pdf available online. 

Just like edible tropical plants, ornamental tropical plants provide garden benefits including vibrant colors, exotic ambiance, biodiversity, increased humidity, and seasonal appeal. Some of the most popular ’New World’ tropical plants that grow well in Marin include Bougainvillea (with prolific blooms), Canna Lily (with vibrant leaves of yellow, gold, and burgundy) Plumeria rubra (a small tree known as frangipani whose blooms are used to make leis), and Heliconia rostrata (with its lobster claw- like blooms). The list also includes Begonias (that grow until cold weather arrives), Dahlias (the national flower of Mexico), Tagetes, Zinnias, Impatiens, Lobelia, Giant Water Lillies, Philodendron, Agave, Yucca, Monstera (the Swiss cheese plant that grows in shady areas with holes in its leaves so light reaches lower leaves), Choisya ternata (Mexican orange) and so many more. 

If you decide you favor plants with a tropical look, remember the master gardener mantra ‘Right plant in the right place’. Choose those tropical plants that can survive Marin’s climate. Remember, contrary to popular belief, many tropical plants do not do well in direct sunlight and prefer shadier environments. Conversely, some tropical plants can endure blazing heat, humidity, heavy rains, or drought and low temperatures. Adaptive strategies can ensure success.    

By Anne-Marie Walker, April 18, 2026

Some people wait all year for a holiday.  Me, I wait all year for tomatoes in my garden.  Just the smell of the plant gives my heart wings.  Once they are in the ground, I talk to them daily to encourage fruit.  A blossom is cause for celebration.  It’s not just me.  Tomatoes are America’s favorite garden crop.  There is no better treat than a tomato fresh from your own garden.

There are thousands of tomato varieties.  They each have their own characteristics depending on how you want to enjoy them. 

• Cherries are small and perfect for salads and just snacking in the garden.
• Roma, or plum, varieties are firm and low in moisture, which makes them perfect for sauces, although people like them in salads as well.  Most are determinate.
• Standard-sized tomatoes, like the ever-popular ‘Early Girl’, can vary in size and color.  Good for salads and slicing in burgers.
• Beefsteak tomatoes are large and meaty but may struggle to reach size in our cooler summer weather.
• Container or Patio tomatoes are bred to be grown in smaller containers and are determinate.  They need the same sun but can let you grow tomatoes in a small garden or on a deck.

You can either start your plants from seed or buy seedlings.  Unless you are planting many plants, it is easier to get a variety of fruit by buying seedlings.  Because tomatoes are tropical plants, they need long days of full sun and warmth to ripen the fruit.  They like warm nights too, which is often tough here in Marin, where the nights can be below 55 degrees any month of the year.  Choose the spot in your garden that will provide the sunniest, warmest home for your plants.  Early May is usually warm enough here to transplant your tomatoes into the garden.

Tomato plants are either determinate or indeterminate, which refers to their growth habit.  Determinate plants grow like a bush to a determined size of about 3-5 feet.  Once they set fruit, they will start to decline.  Most of the early-ripening varieties are determinate.  Indeterminate vines continue to grow until frost.  Many of the larger fruits and the cherry tomatoes are from these vines.  A strong and healthy plant will happily grow willy nilly so all tomatoes need to be staked or caged to provide support and allow the sun to reach the maturing fruit.

Tomatoes are heavy feeders.  Before planting, work in lots of organic matter to provide a well-draining, nutritious home for the plants.  Make your planting holes extra deep.  Pinch off the lower leaves of tall, lanky plants with few leaves and set the plants into the soil horizontally with just a few sets of top leaves showing above the ground.   Additional roots will form along the buried stem to form a stronger root system.  Tomatoes will produce a crop in rich soil, but you will probably get more fruit by treating them to a couple of booster feeds as they grow.  You can apply an organic fertilizer or a synthetic one with a moderate amount of nitrogen (such as 5-10-10 or 5-10-4) when the first fruit has just formed and repeat about a month after that. 

Tomato plants are deep-rooted and need regular moisture at root level, so water heavily each time you water.  Don’t keep the soil soggy (discourages diseases), but do not let the soil dry more than three inches deep (cause of blossom rot and various fruit defects). 

Harvest your fruit when it is fully colored and juicy.  Keeping the fruit picked extends the season. 

Marin Master Gardeners are already getting ready to provide you with healthy, organic tomato plants for your Marin garden.  The annual Tomato Sale is on Saturday, April 18, 9 am at Bon Air Center in Greenbrae by Mollie Stones and at the Pini Hardware location in San Marin.  For more information, see https://youtu.be/aM7ROGa4N0o.

By Dot Zanotti Ingels, April 11, 2026

Companion planting means growing different plants close together so they can help each other. Some plants help keep bugs away. Others improve soil health, and many attract beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies. When plants work together, the entire garden thrives. Companion planting is not simply about putting two plants side by side. It is about creating a healthy, earth-friendly garden where plants, insects, and soil all work together as a living system.

The most famous example of companion planting is the Three Sisters Garden used by the native American people of Central and North America. Archeological records show the Iroquois using raised mounds rather than rows and interplanting, dating to 1000 AD. Corn, beans, and squash were planted together. The corn grows tall as a trellis and supports the beans. The beans add nitrogen to feed the soil. The squash spreads along the ground, helping keep weeds away and conserve water. Together, these plants help each other grow and provide a healthy combination of food. This method of planting is called Milpa Garden and may be the foundation of what we call agriculture. 

Many gardeners use companion planting to reduce pests without using chemicals. Gardeners once believed that strong-smelling plants repelled insects. Plants like marigolds, peppermint, sage, and thyme were planted for their scent. Scientists now know that these plants do not chase bugs away. Instead, they help by hiding the smell of the main host plant, making it harder for pests to find it.

Some plants grow especially well together. Nasturtiums planted near zucchini can help reduce squash bugs. Onions planted near peppers can help keep aphids away. Basil planted near tomatoes may help protect them from tiny insects called thrips. Calendula, also known as pot marigold, helps protect many plants from aphids. Easy to grow from seeds, its bright flowers attract bees and helpful insects like lacewings and tiny wasps that eat garden pests. The petals are edible and can even be used to make tea and calendula oil. 

Low-growing plants used as cover crops also benefit the garden. They cover the soil, block weeds, and help retain moisture. Beans and peas enrich the soil by adding nitrogen, an essential nutrient. Other helpful cover crops include clover, buckwheat, and fava beans. These plants act as “living mulch” by protecting bare soil.

Some plants are called trap plants because they attract bugs away from other crops. Ornamental tobacco (nicotiana) traps aphids, mites, and whiteflies. Dill is a trap crop for tomato hornworm. Nasturtiums can help reduce cabbage worms and make a colorful, edible ground cover.

Companion planting also brings beneficial insects into the garden. Ladybugs eat aphids. Hover flies and bees help pollinate flowers to make more seeds and fruit. Plants like yarrow, alyssums, cosmos, borage, and sunflowers provide nectar and food for these helpful insects.

Tomatoes and basil are good partners in the garden and in the kitchen. Basil may deter pests and even improve tomato flavor. Tomatoes need wind movement or the buzzing vibration of bumble bees to set fruit. This is called buzz pollination. Beans and peas with large, hooded flowers attract bumblebees, which also help pollinate squash, blueberries, and eggplant.

Some plants do not grow well together. This is called allelopathy. One plant can stop another from growing. Black walnut trees and eucalyptus are examples. Fennel should be planted alone because it can inhibit the growth of neighboring plants. Tomatoes should not be planted near cabbage, broccoli, or corn because these plants compete for nutrients.

Companion planting is both a science and an art. It helps plants grow stronger, protects the soil, attracts beneficial insects, and keeps pests in balance. Best of all, it shows us that nature works best when living things grow together.

Find a complete list of companion plants from the Edible Landscaping Handbook, Companion chart: https://ucanr.edu/sites/default/files/2023-09/388577.pdf

By Alice Cason, April 4, 2026

If you’ve noticed clusters of red-and-black insects sunning themselves on your house lately, you’re not imagining things, those are probably Western boxelder bugs.

Most of us associate boxelder bugs with fall — when they suddenly blanket warm, west-facing walls and make it feel like your house is being swallowed. Fall is their most dramatic season. But it’s not the only time they show up.

Here in Marin, especially near creeks and mature maples, boxelder bugs can be seen on sunny walls in multiple seasons. What changes is the reason.

The Western boxelder bug (Boisea rubrolineata) is native to the western United States and has long been part of our local ecosystem. Adults are about half an inch long, black with thin red lines tracing the thorax and wings. The younger stages are bright red at first, gradually developing darker markings. They’re eye-catching, which is part of why they feel alarming.

Their main food source is the boxelder tree (Acer negundo), a maple that thrives in riparian corridors. You’ll often see boxelder growing along Lagunitas Creek through Fairfax and San Geronimo Valley, along Corte Madera Creek as it winds through Ross and Kentfield, and beside Miller Creek and Novato Creek in the North Bay. They’re also common near Gallinas Creek, Arroyo Corte Madera del Presidio in Mill Valley, and other streamside areas where soils stay moist and deep.

Because these trees cluster along waterways and in older neighborhoods planted decades ago, homes nearby naturally see higher numbers of boxelder bugs. The insects feed mostly on seeds and sap. They may wander onto other maples, ash, or even fruit trees, but they rarely cause meaningful damage. Established trees typically tolerate them without issue.

So why are they on your house in March?

In fall, adults gather on warm, south- and west-facing walls as they prepare to overwinter. They’re looking for tiny cracks and gaps where they can shelter through colder months. That’s when we see the big aggregations — sometimes hundreds or thousands at once.

Over winter, many remain tucked into siding gaps, attic vents, or other protected spaces. Then, on warm late-winter and early-spring days — like the ones we’ve been having — they re-emerge and cluster on sunny surfaces to warm up. It’s essentially their version of stretching in the morning sun.

During summer, you’ll mostly find them near host trees, feeding and developing. So while fall is the main event, wall congregations aren’t strictly seasonal.

The good news is that boxelder bugs are far more dramatic than destructive. They don’t bite, they don’t sting, they don’t transmit disease, and they don’t reproduce indoors. If they wander inside, it’s accidental — they’re just looking for shelter.

This is where a little Integrated Pest Management mindset really helps. Instead of reacting with sprays — which rarely solve the problem and can harm beneficial insects — it’s more effective to think about what the bugs are trying to do.

They’re looking for warmth and entry points.

If they’re getting inside your house, the long-term solution is sealing cracks around windows, doors, vents, siding seams, and utility lines. A careful afternoon with caulk can make a noticeable difference next season.

If they’re clustered outside, a strong stream of water will break up the group. It won’t eliminate them, but it disrupts the aggregation. Indoors, a vacuum works well. Crushing them isn’t recommended — they can stain surfaces, and they can stink.

Living in Marin means sharing space with a lot of wildlife, some more charming than others. Boxelder bugs may not win popularity contests, but they were here before we were. If they’re sunning themselves on your wall this week, take it as a sign that spring is warming up. And know that, with a few simple adjustments, you can keep the relationship manageable — even when fall brings the encore performance.

By James Campbell, March 28, 2026

A walk through any Marin market will reveal bins piled high with a dazzling array of peppers in many colors, shapes, and sizes. Those familiar market staples offer only a small sampling of the vast choices available to home gardeners eager to grow something new. Our fascination with peppers is the most recent chapter in a much longer story that began in the late 15th century, when European explorers stumbled upon thriving agricultural systems in the Americas that were already thousands of years old. Enthralled by their heat and flavor, explorers carried pepper seeds and plant materials back to the Old World. Five species of the plant genus Capsicum created an instant culinary sensation that went viral, quickly spreading worldwide. The genetic diversity that had begun thousands of years earlier expanded dramatically as peppers were bred by gardeners and adopted into cuisines across Africa, Asia, and Australia. Today, more than 6,000 commercially named varieties of peppers trace their ancestry to just five species native to Central and South America.

Marin gardeners can share in this extraordinary story, and it’s not too late to begin a new chapter at home. Grown as annuals in Marin, peppers are considered a warm-season crop, and starting from seed is still possible, even in late March. Seed starting does require more planning, patience, and a bit of shopping. A recent visit to a local nursery revealed more than forty varieties on a single seed rack, while online sources offer hundreds more. The selection available from seed far exceeds the choices of seedlings that may later appear at garden centers. Seeds selected from local garden centers or California-based seed companies often carry an added advantage: they have been chosen with regional conditions in mind, giving them a strong likelihood of success in Marin’s diverse gardens. California Wonder, Early Jalapeño and Cherry Bomb F1 are among the many varieties chosen by the Marin Master Gardeners for our unique Mediterranean climate.

Peppers are slow to germinate. Even in a toasty greenhouse, and aided by gentle bottom heat and ideal light, moisture, and humidity it will take six to ten weeks before seedlings are ready to harden off and plant outdoors. Seeds planted in March can produce seedlings ready for the garden by May or early June. Everything is temperature dependent. After a week to 10 days of hardening, and once nighttime temperatures remain consistently above 55° F with daytime temps between 65 and 85°F, pepper seedlings can be planted outdoors. In warmer inland areas, this often occurs by mid to late April. In cooler, coastal, or fog-influenced gardens, transplanting may need to wait until May. Many early varieties recommended for Marin will begin producing 60 to 70 days after planting, with harvests beginning in late summer and continuing into October or even November. 

Garden site selection can also be critical. Peppers will thrive in the warmest, sunniest spot you can provide. They should never be planted where tomatoes, potatoes, or eggplants have been grown within the past three years, allowing soil time to clear pests and pathogens common to these nightshade relatives. For this reason, many gardeners grow peppers in containers or fabric grow bags filled with sterile potting soil. A well-hydrated five-gallon grow bag will weigh between 25 and 30 pounds, making it possible to move plants to safety during cold snaps or storms while providing stability. Peppers will need support once fruiting begins. A simple stake or cage works well. While smaller containers will still produce a modest harvest, larger pots generally yield more peppers.

Growing peppers in Marin County is more than simply producing a beautiful and tasty harvest. It is a chance to take part in an ancient culinary and gardening tradition, adapted to our unique climate and landscapes. Each pepper grown here links a modern home garden to thousands of years of human curiosity, selection, and exchange, an enduring story that continues to grow, one plant at a time.

By Terry Amerson, March 21, 2026

Nostalgic and timeless, the first blooms of sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) are a springtime treat. Bearing a heavenly floral scent and coming in every color except yellow, it’s easy to see why gardeners around the world fall in love with sweet peas. Additionally, they are relatively easy to start from seed; there are a few tricks to growing them in our summer-dry Mediterranean climate, but with the right care, even beginner gardeners can enjoy a row of fragrant sweet peas come spring!

Sweet peas are hardy annuals, meaning that they can tolerate low temperatures - in our mild climate, they can be sown either in autumn or late winter. Seeds can be started early indoors by spreading seeds across a damp paper towel placed in the bottom of a container. Cover the container with plastic film and leave the seeds overnight: this will help soften the seed coat, leading to speedier germination. You can also leave the seeds in their container or in a plastic bag until they’ve begun to sprout – I’ve had the most success with this method. Once you’ve prepared your seeds and are ready to plant, choose seed trays or seedling pots with a depth of 4 inches or greater to give their roots ample room, and cover seeds with half an inch of soil. It’s best not to directly sow the seeds where you intend your sweet pea to go, as this can leave young seedlings vulnerable to being munched on by pests. After the seedlings have reached at least 3 inches in height, they can be planted out in the garden. 

Sweet pea plants produce vines that can reach 5-7 feet in height, so it’s important to provide the plants with a trellis or structure to climb up: examples include wire fencing or netting run between two stakes, or you can make a tripod of stakes wrapped in twine. Or, you can choose a dwarf or bush variety (for example, the ‘Supersnoop’ series) that only reaches 8 inches to 3 feet in height and does not need staking. Prepare your planting site by adding compost and a natural fertilizer, such as bone meal or a well-balanced organic fertilizer, to the soil. Sweet peas thrive with their roots in cool, moist soil and their vines in full sun: to achieve this, you can plant annuals around the base of your sweet pea to shade the roots. It’s also a good idea to pinch, or remove, the growing tip of your sweet peas, taking them down to a pair of leaf nodes once they’ve reached 4-6 inches in height, as this increases the number of side shoots – and therefore blooms – your sweet peas produce.  

Sweet peas prefer cooler weather – in our climate, they’re likely to bloom from mid-spring until early summer, when it becomes too warm for them. However, for the months in which sweet peas bloom, they bloom prolifically. While a few sweet pea vines growing up a trellis make a stunning decoration for any garden, one of the reasons I grow them is that they make remarkable cut flowers. Sweet peas actually benefit from having their blooms cut, so the more you cut them, the more they bloom. If left alone, sweet pea blossoms eventually form green pods that resemble peas. However, it’s important not to get the two confused, as unlike their edible cousins, sweet peas are poisonous if eaten in quantity. If left to ripen, sweet pea pods form new sweet pea seeds – to collect them, just open up the pods once they’ve dried out, and hold onto the seeds until it’s time to plant them next growing season. Keep in mind that seeds may not produce plants that are the same color as the parent plant.

With their sweet fragrance and delicate blooms, sweet peas are sure to delight. So plant a row of sweet peas this spring to fill your garden with scent and your heart with whimsy.

By Emily Daane, March 14 2026

Last summer, I watched bee-looking creatures flying in zigzag formation, each with a separate flight plan. Are those bumble bees?  Wasps? Nope, they were hover flies, also called syrphid flies, drone flies, and flower flies.  Although they look like bees, they are a type of fly engaging in Batesian mimicry, a type of identity theft which is done to fool predators. To tell whether it’s a fly or a bee, a closer look shows hoverflies look different from bees because the fly has short, stubby antennae, two wings, not four, and no stinger.

They can be as small as 1/8 inch long and may be brightly colored with spots, stripes, or bands of yellow and brown or black. Colors vary depending on temperature during pupation, with the higher the temperature, the more yellow, while lower temperatures produce adults with darker markings.

A quick way to tell whether a hoverfly is a female or male is by its eyes. Males’ eyes are located together, and females’ eyes are set apart.

The larvae eat a variety of foods. Some devour aphids, thrips, and other leaf-hoppers. Other hoverfly larvae eat decaying plant or animal matter. The species that includes the drone fly, Eristalis tenax, lives in stagnant water in ponds, streams, or sewage as a larva but not as an adult. 

There are 6000 hoverfly species and 200 genera worldwide, including in California gardens. Most of the species are in the genus inquilines, a group that lays their eggs in bumblebee and wasp nests so their larvae can consume the host larvae. Other species lay their eggs in aphid colonies for their larvae’s food.

The hovering behavior of hoverflies is not like hummingbirds who hover while feeding, but is one way of finding a food source. For male hoverflies, it may be a territorial display while seeking females. The female uses hovering to search for a place to deposit her eggs.

Hover flies are important to a healthy garden for two reasons: they are impressive pollinators and they are pest-eating parasitoids. The adults feed on nectar and pollen, but their larvae feed on a variety of foods. Compared to honeybees, they take second place in pollinating plants. One reason is that bees are hairier and their hair collects more pollen, but hover flies have more motivation. They visit more flowers within a field, starting earlier in the day before it warms up and work in poor weather conditions.

Hover fly migration is an advantage to plants by exporting pollen and bringing a variety of pollen back into the area. Hoverflies can carry an average of pollen from many different plant species back boosting the genetic variety of crops. 

A flower can be pollinated by both bees and hoverflies ensuring pollination is more complete with more seeds and improved quality of fruit. 

Organic farmers have learned that an aphid on a head of lettuce is doomed if a hoverfly larvae is nearby. Lab experiments show that a single marmalade fly can devour up to 400 aphids during the time it is developing. There are predatory hoverfly larvae that farmers can buy for natural pest control. 

The larvae that feed on dead wood or rotting plants have the potential of cleaning up sewage.by decomposing organic matter or filtering bacteria and fungi from freshwater 

As with bees, the number of hoverflies is decreasing. Reasons for the decreasing rate and risk of extinction are much the same for both: pollution, pesticides, and degradation of habitats. Hoverflies need more than flowers for nectar and pollen; and many species also need compost heaps and rotting wood for their larvae.

Gardeners can help the larvae of these beneficial creatures by adding an old decaying log to the flower bed or planting the seeds of wildflowers that hoverflies like. Hoverflies like umbrella–shaped members of the parsley family like dill, cow parsnips, and Queen Ann’s lace. 

By Sara O’Keefe, March 7 2026

The Marin Master Gardeners are always talking about pollinators and how important they are as essential to food security and healthy ecosystems. More than 80 percent of the world's flowering plants depend on pollinators for reproduction, including many wildflowers and other important native plant species.

Without the diversity of plant life that pollinators help support, our air, soil, and water quality can all suffer. While wind, rain, birds, and bats are active pollinators, the real workhorses are bugs like bees, wasps, butterflies, flies, and beetles.

Just like us humans, pollinators have their favorite dining sources that provide what they need visually and structurally.

• Honeybees are the ones we know best, but there are approximately 3,600 bee species native to the United States.  Ninety percent of these bee species are solitary, meaning that they the females build and provide for their own nests.  All our bee friends possess hairs and other anatomical structures that are equipped to collect and transport their pollen load. Bees stalk brightly colored flowers with a sweet scent that they can walk on to sip nectar
• Bumble bees are recognized by their round, fuzzy black bodies.  They operate a little differently by performing buzz pollination, which involves grasping a flower with their jaws and dislodging the pollen by vibrating their wing muscles.  Many wildflowers and backyard crops like tomatoes and peppers benefit from buzz pollination.
• We all know the beloved monarch butterfly, but there are many other species of butterflies and moths that are important to the pollination scene. Some of the species are generalists and not too picky about the plants they visit, but others of the species have specific habitat needs. Butterflies and moths need a place to land when they visit, so they prefer flowers with broad, flat faces.  Then they use their straw-like mouth parts to suck the nectar from deep inside.
• Hummingbirds have long beaks and brush-like tongues for digging deep into a flower for its pollen.  They are also attracted to bright colors, especially red.
• The fly is second only to bees for their importance as a pollinator.  They are more adaptable to rough weather conditions when bees won’t head out.  They are kind of accidental pollinators because they collect pollen while feeding on nectar.  Flies are also willing to visit putrid or foul-smelling plants that others won’t pay any attention to.

Every gardener can make a difference by attracting and nurturing pollinators in their yards. 

• Provide flowers in a variety of different colors and shapes to attract any pollinator in your hood.
• Provide as much continuous bloom as possible.  It is pretty easy to do from spring to fall, but try to provide choices in winter for those pollinators that do not migrate.
• By practicing Integrated Pest Management (IPM), you protect pollinators from chemicals destructive to their food choices and their well-being.
• Provide water sources by placing birdbaths or saucers on the ground. Pollinators also drink from puddles and any moisture on leaves.
• Prioritize native species like Milkweed, Poppies, and Asters for your local pollinators. 

The Marin Master Gardeners are here to help you!  Besides all the information you can find about pollinators on our website and in our quarterly newsletter, the Leaflet, we are hosting a Pollinator Plant sale on Saturday, March 7, 9 AM to 12 PM outside the Falkirk Green House in San Rafael.  Thirty-five plus varieties of pollinators are being grown organically in the greenhouse now, including literally five hundred Narrow Leaf Milkweed to feed hungry, hungry monarch caterpillars. Many native plants will be available to help the native pollinators.  “Bug Hotels” will be available to purchase for the kiddos to decorate.  Learn more at https://youtu.be/OmdGkEnUwlg 

By Dot Zanotti Ingels, February 28, 2026