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The application process for the UC Master Gardeners of Merced County's 2026 Training Class is now open. Any Merced County adult resident with an interest in horticulture (plants, lawns, trees, vegetables and more) and public service are encouraged to apply for the Master Gardener Program.
Orange County averages about 13 inches of rain per year (Metropolitan Water District of Orange County), which puts us a few inches away from being a desert, which averages ten inches of rain per year. Recent drought years have focused attention on the amount of water we use in our landscape.
Fresno County Master Gardeners offer a variety of in-person and zoom community education classes. Questions about these classes or other information needed, please contact the Fresno Master Gardener helpline by e-mail. Gardening Questions? Send an email to mgfresno@ucanr.edu
Much planning goes into espalier. Pixabay Creating an espalier is an especially fun and rewarding method of growing flowering and fruiting plants in a garden. The process has existed for many hundreds of years and, although challenging for complex forms, is achievable by even novice gardeners.
Corrine Kutx, Unsplash Succulents are among the easiest plants to propagate. Snap off baby succulents (pups) growing right off the parent plant or make a cutting of a stem. You can take succulent cuttings in the fall, spring, or summer. Pruning/cutting tools.
Create new planting areas by sheet mulching over weed patches or unwanted lawn. Photo: Courtesy UC Regents Maintenance and prevention Mulch bare soil to hold in moisture, keep out weeds, and prevent compaction by hard rains. Clean up the garden before the rains begin.
As temperatures cool and daylight hours decline, plant growth tends to slow. In addition to being an excellent planting season in our Mediterranean climate, fall is also a good time to clean up our gardens so that theyre healthy and fire-smart.
Sweet corn harvested straight from the garden is a delicious treat, but can be challenging for home gardeners to grow. Corn is wind-pollinated, so planting in blocks of at least 3 to 4 short rows may result in better pollination than one or two long rows. Each stalk produces one or two ears.
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.
