Firescaping-Part I

I drove through the Groveland area near Yosemite a couple of days before the Rim Fire started on August 17th. The local talk over Tioga Pass was then about the recent Aspen fire in the Sierra National Forest. The Rim fire has now burned 400 square miles of forest and cost $122 million to fight … Continue reading Firescaping-Part I

Firesafe Landscaping Tips for Santa Cruz Mtns

The landscape is so green and lush in May. Shades of green are everywhere you look –   apple green, grass green, forest green, spring green, pine, olive, lime, jade, chartreuse, kelp, sage. Did you know the the human eye can identify over 200,000 shade of green?  It's hard to imagine that by summer the hills … Continue reading Firesafe Landscaping Tips for Santa Cruz Mtns

Fire safe landscaping

There have been two fires close to where I live in Felton, one of which was only 5 miles or so away on Martin Grade in Bonny Doon.  This started me thinking: what is a landscape that is safer in a wildfire than another?  Here is what I found out. Many people think they have … Continue reading Fire safe landscaping

Phenology in the Garden

Always on the look out for potential problems in my garden, I can use all the help I can get. Solutions are out there. One of my go-to websites that I use to diagnose those problems is UC Integrated Pest Management or http://ipm.ucanr.edu. You can look up just about anything that may ail you in … Continue reading Phenology in the Garden

Holiday Traditions

We all have traditions that we look forward to every year during the holidays. For some it’s the annual trip to the Christmas tree farm. For others it’s planning a holiday get together with friends and family. While decorating my tree this year I thought of Christmas past and family members who are gone but … Continue reading Holiday Traditions

Happy Thanksgiving from The Mountain Gardener

Once upon a time when our area was under waterthere were no parks or trails or trees or gardens.I’m thankful that our mountains rose from an ancient oceanso we could enjoy this beautiful place we call home. I’m thankful for the Big-Leaf maplesthat shower me with leaves as big as saucersas I walk in Henry … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving from The Mountain Gardener