Under the Solano Sun

The first plants that come to my mind when I hear nitrogen fixers, are beans and peas of the legume family. Their roots have a symbiotic relationship with bacteria in the soil that gathers nitrogen from the air and converts it into a form of nitrogen that plants can use.

Have you ever wondered how to respond to gardening myths? Have you ever been giving a Master Gardener presentation and encountered the odd questions about a myth or worse yet, been awkwardly obliged to explain that helpful hints from an audience member are quite unscientific?

It's the way things work. At a time like this pandemic, it is difficult for me to tell myself that this is part of the bigger picture of how the natural world works. Everything feels very unnatural.

It's been an interesting experience to garden at the time of the COVID 19 outbreak. Shortly after we had gone under the shelter at home order, my husband called me from Raleys to tell me they were selling tomato plants.

One of my surprise gifts this year was the lovely bougainvillea pictured below. I did not have the heart to tell the giver that I have been known as a killer of bougainvillea.