San Francisco

With Halloween just around the corner, it's a good time to think about doing something a little different with your garden. How about adding drama and seasonal color with dark and mysterious plants? Here are five fascinating varieties that look exotic and also do well in our cooler coastal climate.

Hugelculture? The name (pronounced hoo-gull kul-toor) sounds like it might be a new type of yogurt or maybe an exotic fermented beverage but it's neither of those things.

Growing more fruits and vegetables than your family can eat is a great gardening problem to have. What did you grow last year that you shared with others? You probably won't have to think very long, because sharing is powerful, makes everyone happy, and creates lasting memories.

We're learning a lot about micro-climates and how small variations in temperature, humidity, wind, and other factors determine what grows best in a particular location.

Like many things in life, the best results are achieved by working together.

Growing roses on the coast can be more of a challenge than in other parts of the Bay Area. Wind, higher humidity, cloudy weather, and salty air can thwart the gardener's quest for lovely blooms.

Glorious, homegrown tomatoes are the rock stars of the summer garden.

Spring along the Northern California Coast can be unpredictable. Without summer's marine layer, it can be warm and sunny during the day and very chilly once the sun goes down. It can be rainy and wet or bone dry.

The Bad News: Fire Season is now year-round in California. More Bad News: wildfires are no longer confined to areas with overgrown forests: homes in suburbia are increasingly vulnerable to devastation. The Good News: there are things you can do to improve the odds of your home surviving a wildfire.

Fire is a real and present danger throughout California. Climate change has brought record periods of drought and excessive heat while decades of fire suppression practices have resulted in overgrown forests.