Mediterranean Climate

Understanding our Mediterranean Climate is essential to succesful gardening in costal California. This article from the the Napa County Master Gardeners has a good explanation, and more in-depth information is available from the Mediterranean Garden Society.

Fertilizing Your Plants

My article on fertilizers provides a basic intoduction, with links to more resources.

Watering Your Plants

Use hydrozones - grouping plants by water needs. This will greatly increase your gardening success. If you mix drought tolerant plants with high water lawns or vegetables, one or the other will become unhappy quickly. Water deeply and less often as opposed to lightly every day.

Hummingbird Gardens

My article on plants for attracting hummingbirds. Also see the web site: Hummingbirds.net

Recommended Reading

There are so many beautiful garden books. Be cautious, our area of California is unique with many micro-climates only a few miles apart. For planting ideas, try books that pertain to california. My list of recommended books is here...

Integrated Pest Management

• Choose healthy, disease-resistant and locally appropriate plants.
• Keep plants healthy with proper irrigation and fertilizing.
• Accept the presence of bugs as a part of nature.
• Monitor plants often and undertake physical interventions early. Wash aphids off with a garden hose, or spray with diluted insecticidal soap. Hand-pick or trap bugs. Eliminate their hiding places by picking up garden debris.
• Introduce plants that attract beneficial insects and birds. Beneficial bugs may not stay in the garden if there is nothing for them to eat. Ladybugs may visit when aphids abound, for example, but they will go elsewhere if their foods are depleted.
• Understand your enemy's life cycle so you can act in a timely fashion. Some insects can be vanquished by spraying their over-wintering eggs or by setting out pheromone traps at the proper time in the insect's reproductive cycle. Remove diseased plant material early, before viruses or bacterial problems spread.

"The Right Plant in the Right Place"