Plant Selection

Have a shady nook that needs attention? There is a world of gorgeous plants up for the job. They come in every imaginable shade of green from pastel to chartreuse, emerald, and deep forest green. Shade plants are often slower growing than sun-loving species.

Fourteen varieties of cucumbers were compared for flavor and production. Stallion White and Japanese Climbing ranked top in flavor. Marketmore 76 was top in production.

The tree you plant today may be here for your children and grandchildren and beyond. Photo: Candid Shots, Pixabay Use our PLANT LIST: > TREES FOR BACKYARDS AND PATIOS These trees thrive in Marin and are well-suited to the typical backyard setting.

Some perennials bloom exuberantly in the heat of summer. Photo: Creative Commons When temperatures rise, everyone feels the heat even your garden. If you live in a hot summer area, be sure to use strategies to avoid heat stress in plants.

This corn trial was performed in the summer of 2007 at our Nine Palms project location (no longer in use). Under challenging weather conditions, Silver Queen and Peaches & Cream ranked highest among the four corns tested. Golden Bantam is not recommended.

Alstroemeria aurea 'Saturne'. Photo: Wikimedia Commons Perennials are flowering plants that live longer than two seasons. Some are evergreen; others die back at the end of the flowering season and then regrow from the same roots the following year. Perennials are dependable and easy.

If you feel like you need a jackhammer to bust into your garden soil, you've got clay. This is a familiar garden complaint in Marin. If you want to make your clay soil more workable, you can amend it with organic material.

This trial was conducted in the summer of 2008 at our Nine Palms project location (no longer in use). Peaches & Cream corn was reliably productive over an extended harvest period.

Dymondia magaretae, Wikimedia Commons Groundcovers range from ground-hugging mats to 3 or 4-foot spreading plants. They can be woody or herbaceous, evergreen or deciduous. Some grow from a single stem; others have spreading underground rhizomes that allow the plant to "creep.

Yarrow (Achillea) performs in cool coastal settings, and the flowers provide perfect landing pads for butterflies.