Under the Solano Sun

Although I appreciate the rain, the grey, chilly, damp days of December and January were tedious this winter. From the warmth of my kitchen, I watched the Oxalis and other weeds sprouting, but the ground always seemed too wet and the temperatures too chilly to go outside and pull them.

Why do I keep trying to grow hard neck garlic? Well, it's because hard neck garlic is said to be more flavorful, and the cloves are bigger and easier to peel! Or it is for thescapes I think, or because they are different from what we can buy locally.

One of my favorite, easy-to-grow, flowering vines is the scarlet runner bean (Phaseolus coccineus). This fast-growing vine is both colorful and useful. Its bright scarlet red flowers attract hummingbirds while parts of the plant are also edible. The plant is easily propagated by saving seeds.

Alcea rosea is commonly known as a hollyhock. They are in the Malvaceae family. Hollyhocks need a spot in full sun that receives about 8 hours a day. They are typically annual or bi-annual plants, with some varieties being perennials.

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