The Real Dirt

Flowers blooming

The Real Dirt blog covers regional gardening issues from soil health to planting for pollinators; from fire resistant landscaping to attracting wildlife. Read all about it!

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Feijoa flowers, Joe Connell
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Feijoa for Home Landscapes

May 6, 2022
Feijoa (Feijoa sellowiana O. Berg.) or Pineapple Guava is an evergreen subtropical shrub or small tree that produces an aromatic edible fruit with a somewhat pineapple flavored pulp.
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Firewise landscaping, napafirewise.org
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Firewise Landscape Maintenance

April 29, 2022
Even when homeowners have created a defensible space, the job of protecting their home from fire is never done. There will always be ongoing and annual jobs to do. Additionally, there are special tasks that will need to be completed every few years or on an as needed basis.
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Moonshine Yarrow, Brent McGhie
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Firewise: Fire Resistant Plants

April 22, 2022
The devastating Camp Fire of 2018, along with the numerous fires North State residents have experienced since then, have led many of us to focus on creating a defensible fire-resistant landscape around our homes.
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Defensible Space, Cal Fire
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Be Firewise with Fire Resistant Landscaping

April 15, 2022
Fire is a normal part of the natural environment in California, so if you live in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), it's not so much a question of if, but of when your home will be exposed to wildfire.
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Creeping Sage 'Bee's Bliss' flowering, Jeanette Alosi
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Spring Blooming Natives

April 8, 2022
Spring is here, and many native plants are coming into bloom. Orange California poppies color the roadside and hills. Redbuds burst with magenta flowers. Butterflies flutter among the blue dicks in grassy areas in upper Bidwell Park and along foothill roadsides.
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