Napa

In the gardener's view of the world, vacationers can be divided into two categories: those who sit around the pool and those who scurry around taking copious pictures of unfamiliar plants. As a Master Gardener, I belong to the second category.

Mark your calendars for Saturday, April 13, the UC Master Gardeners of Napa County annual tomato sale. The popular sale is as much a sign of spring as the first robin is. Seedlings will be available from 9 am until sold out, so arrive early to get the varieties you want.

Gardening provides lots of benefits to the gardener: great exercise, fresh air, and the personal satisfaction of beautifying the landscape. For me, gardening has been a lifelong hobby, but as I age, my body complains about it. I can't garden for hours as I once did.

Grapevines in Napa Valley are breaking their dormancy after enjoying their winter nap. If you haven't done so already, get out your pruning shears, sharpen them, and make sure they are functioning properly. Grapevines need a haircut now to be at their best in 2024.

The UC Master Gardener's February meeting was enlivened by Gordon A. Walker, Ph.D., otherwise known as the fungus guy. Walker has a doctorate in biochemistry and molecular biology from U.C. Davis and worked in the wine industry for a time.

On a jog up Napa's Dry Creek Road recently, I saw a magnificent sight: thousands of ladybugs clumped together on fences (even barbed wire) and on old, mossy tree stumps. The most unusual ladybug sighting was on a roadside reflector marker.

Have you heard the term shoulder season? Sometimes it refers to in-between times at resorts when neither winter sports nor summer activities are available. Recently I've been thinking that it also applies to late winter and early spring in our vegetable gardens.

I enjoy wandering Napa's neighborhoods, admiring the front yards, and noting the changes in landscape gardening styles. There has been quite a metamorphosis over the decades. Many people have moved from lush English-style landscaping to water-wise gardening.

I recently saw an image on a Facebook page devoted to owls that generated a lot of discussion. Some people thought the creature in the image was a butterfly; others were sure it was a moth. I decided it was a moth based on information I had found online.

As you look out at your very soggy garden on these winter days, it is normal to dream of future projects. Perhaps you want to revive that old, raised bed with the low soil level. Or you would like to have an easier job of weeding under your rose bushes.