Under the Solano Sun

Now that spring is here and summer is around the corner, I see and hear more about gardening to attract pollinators and why these pollinators are so important. However, I did not realize the ecological significance and how vital they are for the production of the food we eat.

Most of us know the story about Rip Van Winkle. For those who may not, it is the story about a man who fell asleep and slept for 20 years. Well, I have a story about two surprises I found in my garden.

A few weeks ago when I was walking back from my mailbox I freaked out (technically I froze out of fear) when a rattlesnake slithered across my driveway a couple of feet in front of me. Thankfully I always keep my phone with me when I step out of the house in case of an accident or emergency.

We always wanted to instill the love of digging in the dirt in our five grandchildren. When they were very young, we got the idea from Fairytale Town in Sacramento to help them create an Alphabet Garden.

Over the winter, this hebe got just plain ugly. It was leggy and there were dead areas that I cut away with a vengeance. I was trying to keep it from following its buddy into the green waste container. Its buddy was totally dead by the beginning of last winter, so away it went.