Central Sierra: El Dorado County | Master Gardener | Gardening Articles

The versatile loofah (or luffa) is edible, but famous as a natural sponge  

Luffa, often spelled loofah, Luffa aegyptiaca, is a vining gourd in the cucumber family. It can be used as a vegetable when it is young and the cucumber-like fruit is only six inches or less. It is rich in nutrients and high in fiber, often used in stir-fries and other Asian cuisine. Once it has matured, it dries into a fibrous, stringy interior, and is then used as a biodegradable sponge for the kitchen or bath.

Seeds can be started indoors four to eight weeks prior to last frost. Luffa has a long growing season of 100 to 180 days. For best results, soak seeds for 24 hours to help with germination. Seeds need consistent warmth to germinate, between 75-90 degrees F. A heat mat works well for this. Seeds can also be direct sown in warm soil, usually around mid-May in many areas. You should start your seeds indoors soon for harvest in September. 

Once the danger of frost has passed, seedlings can be hardened off by leaving them outdoors for several hours each day. 

The tricks for planting and growing luffa

Plant luffa in well drained fertile soil rich in organic matter. Ideal soil is neutral to slightly alkaline with high moisture and good drainage. Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Approximately five gallons of water per plant per week is a good guide. Fertilize using balanced fertilizer when flowers appear, as you would with cucumbers. 

Small seedlings grow slowly, while the roots become strong, and luffas prefer warm dry climates. Luffa grows best in full sun; plants produce flowers in two months after planting. Flowers are bright yellow.

Pruning is a must to keep the vines healthy. The vines will grow everywhere if not kept under control. If grown in optimal conditions, gardeners may get between 10-40 gourds per plant! Each luffa can produce between 100-300 seeds on average. However, for every three seeds you plant, only two will grow, even for professional growers. You can grow luffa in a 25-to-30-gallon pot or large grow bag with a trellis of some sort to support growth. 

Harvesting for sponges is the fun part 

Harvesting luffa for sponges is the fun rewarding part of growing this plant. Gourds should be ready to harvest in the fall. To use as kitchen or bath sponges, the luffa should be dried out, be yellow to brown in color, and light weight. If you shake them, you can hear the seeds rattling inside. You can shake out any seeds to keep for your spring planting and share some with friends.

If it is close to fall frosts, you can harvest them and allow them to dry inside your home, just watch for signs of mold.  Peel off the outer brittle brown skin, revealing fibrous, spongy material inside. Rinse and wash the luffa then let it dry completely, then cut the luffa into your desired sizes. Use your sponges as cleaning tools, and of course for your relaxing baths. Happy Planting!

This article by UC Master Gardener Judy Hobbs originally appeared in a March 2026 issue of the Mountain Democrat. 

If you would like to discuss luffas or any other plant in your home garden, you can Ask a Master Gardener for help. Submit your question through our online survey tool. 

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Scents of Spring Shrubs 

Ahhhh…Spring! Our California foothills spring flowering shrubs are not only stunning to look at but also provide alluring fragrances. In planning for the future, here are some of the most fragrant early blooming spring shrubs that you can add to your garden, which provide the promise that winter will soon be ending.

Let’s start with common Lilacs, Syringa vulgaris. There is nothing quite like the air being perfumed by these springtime favorites. They are also loved for their toughness and reliability. Once established, these shrubs can live for over 100 years. The floral stems are great for cutting and bringing inside to enjoy. Pollinators, such as butterflies, seek out lilacs. The blooms usually come in a fluffy variety of purple colors, pale to very dark. There are also varieties of white, cream, and pink.

Even though it is not in the same botanical family as common Lilacs, you may want to consider getting California Wild Lilac, Ceanothus spp. A native, drought tolerant, fragrant, perennial shrub, it can also act as a ground cover. This beloved native shrub turns the California hillsides blue. They do well in infertile conditions, have natural nitrogen fixing abilities and do not need feeding. They appreciate our Mediterranean climate. Bees and butterflies love them!

Who could resist the early blooms and fragrance of the Sweet Box plant, Sarcococca? Its tiny white flowers, with vanilla scent, fills the air for weeks in February and March. Dark green leafed, this evergreen ornamental shrub is outstanding. It thrives in partial shade, is tolerant of tree roots, low irrigation, and does well in a large container. Another plus, deer don’t seem to like really them.

The intoxicating scent of Winter Daphne, Daphne odora, will make guests at your spring garden say, “What smells so good?” Clusters of the scented pink and white flowers open gradually, but when they do, you immediately know Daphne is blooming. The fragrance is exquisite. Good drainage is key in successfully growing this shrub. Add ample compost to lighten the soil, so it will drain quickly. Ideal in large pots, situate it in partial shade near your door, so you can enjoy its delightful floral perfume as you are leaving or coming home.

Once established, the luscious four-petaled, citrus scented white blooms of the native California Mock Orange, Philadelphus lewisii, can beautifully frame a garden gate or trellis. This native plant was discovered and collected in 1806 by Lewis & Clark during their famous overland expedition to the West. It is a tough, drought tolerant shrub that needs little supplemental water. The early season nectar supports pollinators including bees, birds, and insects. The arching woody branches provide nesting cover for birds. Easy to grow, plant in full or partial sun, using average garden soil. 

If one of your gardening goals is to experience a scent-sational, springtime yard, consider adding some of these uniquely fragrant shrubs. The moment you get a delightful whiff, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without them.

This article by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Pauline Atkins originally appeared in the Mountain Democrat in March 2026. 

Technology for the Home Gardener 

Technology can help the home gardener in myriad ways. Technology applies scientific knowledge for practical purposes to solve problems and make life better. Technology is a tool for the garden and gardeners. We can use it to complete routine tasks or tackle more complicated matters, all in an effort to accomplish our gardening goals. 

Technology for the garden much of the time comes in the form of an app, short for computer application, which is software designed to perform specific functions. Apps are downloaded to computers and other electronic devices. Many apps use artificial intelligence (AI), a system that performs tasks without significant human effort or oversight. 

Smart weather stations give us timely, detailed information about our weather by tracking temperature, barometric pressure, wind strength and direction, rainfall, and UV rays. Originally, SMART stood for Self-Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Technology, but today SMART is also a broad range of intelligence and advanced technology.  

A comprehensive smart garden integrates technology to streamline gardening processes to make them more efficient and sustainable. 

There are solar-powered smart irrigation systems that utilize our garden’s current weather data, using past microclimate temperatures and humidity. There are weather-based sensors that can help us apply proper irrigation to prevent over- and under-watering. The sensors are automated and can be adjusted for a plant’s age, the current weather and the condition of the soil. There is an app that tracks sunlight. 

Healthy garden soil is essential and there is technology that can determine soil texture. With that information, we can learn about our soil’s water drainage and retention, workability, and nutrient retention. Also available are soil monitors that can measure soil moisture content, pH, temperature, and natural nutrients. 

With a detection app, we can know when a critter visits our garden. Early detection may prevent damage. There are apps to determine whether it is a pest or a beneficial. If it is a pest, we can utilize a pest management app and / or visit the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County website to learn about research-based management, control, and treatment for natural solutions to create a more sustainable garden. 

There are many plant recognition apps that operate from our photos of a plant’s leaf or flower or a succulent, cactus, or mushroom. Utilizing again our own photos, there are apps to identify and diagnose plant needs, problems, and diseases. 

Living in the foothills, we might want to use an app that will alert us of an upcoming temperature drop. We can plan our garden with a planning app to place the right plant in the right place, that will strengthen the likelihood of a thriving garden. There is technology for all facets of composting. Robots can assist in producing and weeding vegetable gardens and can mow our lawn. 

We would be wise to use the tools of technology that were developed specifically to help us have beautiful and healthy gardens.  

This article, written by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Kit Smith, originally appeared in the February, 2026 issue of Around Here Magazine. 

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Winter Dormancy: Gardening For the Fourth Season 

The winter holidays are just around the corner, and hopefully you have your garden in order. Spring bulbs are planted. Garlic and potatoes are in the ground. Your garden has been “put to bed.” Tools have been sharpened and put away. Tender plants are mulched and waiting for the anticipated winter rains. Most plants are entering their dormant cycle and you, no doubt, are ready to join them. 

Not so fast! Winter in the garden is a time for planting, pruning, and planning. 

Take advantage of winter dormancy with bare-root plants

Now is the time to take advantage of winter dormancy. From December through March, your local nursery will have bare-root plants. These are plants that are dug while they are dormant, and they will have their roots exposed. Often, they are more affordable than containerized plants, and they are easier to handle. 

You’ll find fruit trees, cane berries, asparagus, artichoke crowns, rhubarb, kiwi, strawberries, grapes, roses, and vines available as bare-root plants. Check with your local nursery early and after the first of the year. This gives you an opportunity to plan your location, prepare the planting hole when the ground is pliable but not soggy and get ready to welcome some new plants into your garden.

Understand the best time to prune

Mark your calendar: January is time for winter pruning, but you’ll want to plan and space your tasks between bouts of precipitation. Perennials that weren’t cut back in fall should be pruned in January. This is also the time to prune cane berries. 

Fruit trees require pruning to shape the tree and open the tree center for the spring growth. If you already have fruit trees, January is the time to apply horticultural oil to control scale, mites, aphids, and other insects. Once again, check the weather and make certain that there are at least 24 hours of dry weather around the application. 

Design with plant rotation in mind

Now before you relax and reach for the seed catalogues, grab a sheet of paper and make a quick drawing of last season’s vegetable and annual garden. Note where you planted each plant family and think about where you can rotate your plantings for the upcoming year. Plant rotation is an important step in sustainable gardening. Plant rotation builds and sustains helpful soil microbes, reduces the spread of soil-borne disease, helps plants take in more nutrients, and makes for a healthier garden. 

The goal with plant rotation is to avoid planting the same plant families in the same location year upon year. Ideally, you will rotate plant families from one bed to another over at least a four-year period. 

Planning is important before you shop those seed catalogues, because you don’t want to plan for too many tomatoes or melons if you haven’t set up a good rotation. Learning to identify which plants belong to the same family is your initial task. Tomato, pepper, eggplant, and potato belong together. Cucumber, melon, squash, pumpkins and gourds are related. Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, radishes are another family. 

Once you have your families grouped and a rotation schedule established, you can finally kick off your shoes, surround yourself with your seed catalogues, and slip into the gardeners’ relaxed winter dormancy and dream of spring. 

This article by Ola Jane Gow, UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County, first appeared in the Mountain Democrat. 

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The Basics of Pruning 

Pruning isn’t just about keeping plants tidy, it’s about enhancing the health, structure, and appearance of your landscape. With the right tools and a little know-how, you can promote stronger growth, reduce disease, and even increase flowering in your trees and shrubs.

Pruning effectively starts with the tools

Effective pruning starts with having the right tools for the job. Hand pruners or clippers are ideal for small branches. Bypass pruners make clean, precise cuts; ratcheted pruners offer more power for tougher stems. Loppers with strong blades are great for medium to thick branches. Hedge shears are used for shaping hedges or shearing soft-stemmed plants. Saws are designed to cut through thick, woody branches cleanly, and pole pruners help reach tall limbs without needing a ladder. Battery-powered tools are wonderful, but always watch your fingers! The quality of your tools matters. Well-made tools are a smart investment, but they must be kept clean, sharp, and lightly oiled to prevent rust and plant disease transmission.

Prune trees and shrubs with a plan

Before you start snipping, take a moment to plan—envision your landscape at maturity. Consider how tall and wide your plants will get, and how your plantings fit with each other. Once you have in mind what you’d like your garden to look like in five years, you’re ready to start pruning. 

How, and also when you prune your plants matters

Removing suckers can be done any time of the year. These energy-draining shoots steal strength from the main plant and should be cut off at the base. Thinning crowded branches increases light penetration and airflow, preventing branches from rubbing, and thus reducing pests and diseases. Use heading cuts to control the height and width of trees and bushes. Cutting just above a bud encourages growth in the direction that bud faces. If major size reduction or redirection is needed, prune back to a lateral branch. This can strengthen the structure, slow down overgrowth, and shape the plant’s appearance. 

Try to not pollard a tree which is cutting branches off to be stubs. This creates weak connected branches and doesn’t create an aesthetically pleasing plant. Evergreens respond well to heading cuts, but be strategic. Since where you cut is where growth stops, prune with the plant’s final shape in mind to avoid awkward or no regrowth areas. Always remove dead wood, and if rejuvenating, usually the oldest, widest branches are cut out. A hard and fast rule is to never prune more than one-third of a tree or bush.

Proper timing of your pruning is critical for flowering shrubs and trees. Shrubs that bloom on new wood, like Rose-of-Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus, Butterfly Bush, Buddleja davidii, or Weigela should be pruned in late winter or early spring. Spring-flowering shrubs that bloom on old wood such as lilacs, forsythia, many hydrangeas, or azaleas, should be pruned immediately after flowering. This gives them the rest of the season to grow new branches and develop next year’s flower buds or even a second bloom cycle. 

Pruning can dramatically enhance the beauty and health of your yard. With the right timing, tools, and techniques, your garden will not only look better, but it will also thrive for years to come.

Reach out to the UC Master Gardeners in your county for specific guidance with your yard pruning. 

Have a gardening question? Use the “Ask a Master Gardener” button below, or, in El Dorado County, call 530-621-5512.

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This article, written by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Phyllis Lee, originally appeared in the Mountain Democrat. 

How to identify the pests that are damaging your lawn 

What is wrecking your lawn? It could be skunks, raccoons, moles, voles, pocket gophers, or lawn insects. Each leave behind evidence and signs of their presence.

Skunks are out at dusk, during the night, and at dawn in residential areas searching for food, water, and shelter. In the lawn, they dig small pits, make cone shaped depressions from three to five inches across and roll back sod in search of lawn insects, caterpillars, grubs, earthworms, small rodents, snakes, lizards, frogs, and mushrooms. Skunks are preying on animals and insects that may themselves be causing damage to your lawn. 

Moles are insect-eating mammals, between five and seven inches long, that live almost entirely underground in shallow tunnels. They damage your lawn by burrowing. They leave behind round mounds of dirt at tunnel entrances, dislodge plants, and cause under-surface ridges.

Voles are meadow mice, or mouselike rodents, that live mostly above ground but do some burrowing. Voles, when they are substantial in number, create distinct runways that lead to those burrows. 

Gophers, also known as pocket gophers for their large cheeks to hold food and nesting material, can cause considerable damage in your yard. This gnawing mammal has strong, constantly growing incisors. It can make several mounds a day under your lawn. A gopher is larger than a mole, and so too is the size of its tunnel. The mound of dirt outside the entrance to their tunnels is in the shape of a half-circle; the mole’s tunnel entrance is a full circle. 

Like skunks, raccoons dig up turf with their sharp, non-retractable claws searching for grubs and other insects. Raccoons are omnivores with a diet that includes fruits, nuts, insects, small animals, fish, and even carrion. Raccoon grub-hunting activity is often most noticeable in late summer and fall when grubs are abundant. To manage these harmful vertebrate predators, do not attract them by providing shelter or food. For further information about these landscape pests, search for UC IPM Pest Notes on Racoons. 

Other lawn damage may be from lawn insects feasting directly on the grass or living in it. Insects are not a common cause of lawn damage. If there is damage to your turfgrass and no evidence of a vertebrate predator, you will have to dig into the lawn to find the cause.

Lawn insects that eat the turfgrass directly are root, crown, or leaf-feeding caterpillars. There are various larvae that become white grubs such as the one-inch, C-shaped larvae of a scarab beetle, that feed on plant roots or decaying matter. The larvae of masked chafers are also white grubs that feed on roots. Weevil larvae, or billbugs, are chewing insects. Cinch bugs are distinguished by their piercing and sucking mouthparts, which cause significant damage by sucking plant sap and injecting toxins leading to yellowing and death of grass. Crane fly larvae, also known as leatherjackets, have a segmented worm-like body that eats roots and can damage lawns.

The following website is a diagnostic tool from University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources and the Statewide Integrated Pest Management to assist in identifying and determining turfgrass problems. ipm.ucanr.edu/TOOLS/TURF/PESTS/diagnose.html 

Have a lawn maintenance or other gardening question? Use the “Ask a Master Gardener" tool to submit the details and a UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County will get back to you during office hours. 

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This article by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Kit Smith originally appeared in the September issue of Village Life. 

Planting Ideas for Late Summer Blooms  

Here are some late summer flowers that will rejuvenate the look of the garden and lift any gardener’s spirits. 

Summer Hyacinth, Ornithogalum candicans, is a perennial bulb; plant it now for next year’s bloom. It has a blooming funnel-shaped flower, and the plant wants regular water during spring and summer growth and bloom. Like the tuberose rhizome, it is better to leave the Summer Hyacinth bulb undisturbed from year to year. 

Meadowsweet or Fernleaf, Filipendula ulmaria, prefers damp soil and blooms tiny pink or white flowers on plumes of coarse leaves. For best results, plant this in partial shade. 

Summersweet, Clethra alnifolia, grows four to ten feet tall and its blooms are on four-to-six-inch spires of white spicy-fragrant flowers. It likes regular water and is happier in partially acidic soil. It will do well in full to partial sun. 

Butterfly Bush, Buddleja spp., is a stunning and eye-catching plant with flowers, on a dense spike that attracts butterflies. Plant in well-draining soil and give it ample water during its growing season. It will die back during a winter freeze, but it will regrow from its roots and rebloom. 

Most varieties of Sedum will be beautiful assets this time of year. The one- to two-foot-tall plant bears rounded smaller star-shaped pink cluster flowers, which turn to coppery pink and then rust. It is a succulent perennial, and most are evergreen. This plant is easy to propagate from cuttings of its leaves and stems. 

Everyone’s favorite is easy-to-grow Sage, Salvia spp., that has fragrant foliage and flowers. It prefers well-draining soil and regular deep water. Specifically, the Woodland Sage, Salvia nemorosa, sprouts from a rhizome and blooms through fall. The Meadow Sage, Salvia nemorosa ‘Ostfriesland,’ has intense violet bluish flowers with pinkish purples bracts. ‘Purple Majesty’ is a shrubby Salvia and has long-blooming purple flowers. Mexican Sage, Salvia leucantha, has a hint of pine fragrance and is yellow-green calyxes and violet blue flowers will brighten the yard. Pineapple Sage, Salvia elegans, is a delightful-smelling and beautifully bright. It is stunning and easy to grow. Autumn Sage, Salvia greggii, with its showy pink, white, red or orange flowers, likes full sun and is drought resistant. Salvia attracts hummingbirds, bees and butterflies and is deer resistant. For best results, cut it back every year. 

Goldenrod, Solidago, can live in most any type of soil. It is a woody perennial that is two to three feet tall and produces feathery yellow flower clusters. This, too, attracts butterflies. 

Nemesia is a semi-trailing plant, 14-16 inches tall and 16 inches wide with sweetly fragrant white blooms. It likes full sun and will flower until the first frost.

Consider the colorful Black-eyed Susan, Rudbeckia, too. ‘Prairie Sun’ variety has pale green centers surrounded by three- to six-inch-wide blooms. The petals near the center are butter to yellow color. It is a great cutting flower. 

Summer Phlox ‘Bright Eyes,’ Phlox paniculata, has flower clusters in the shape of domes and small pastel flowers will last well into fall. 

If you would like to discuss what would work well in your particular garden, the UC Master Gardeners of El Dorado County are here to bounce ideas off of! Reach out through our Ask a Master Gardener survey, and we'll get back to you when we're in the office. 

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This article, written by UC Master Gardener of El Dorado County Kit Smith, first appeared in the Mountain Democrat.