Napa Master Gardener Column

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County As the new year gets underway, we start dreaming of what our gardens will be like in the spring and summer. he urge to garden should be rising within you. Even if it is cold and wet there are things you can start planning and doing.

By Yvonne Rasmussen, UC Master Gardener of Napa County What's this weird thing growing in my yard? Is it dangerous, poisonous, or killing my plants? How can I get rid of it?

By Susanne von Rosenberg, UC Master Gardener of Napa County January is a great time of year to plant strawberries in Napa Valley, regardless of online recommendations to plant them in the spring, late summer or early fall. Strawberries come in three types: June bearing, day neutral and everbearing.

By Penny Pawl, UC Master Gardener of Napa County The ficus plants that many people grow indoors are actually tropical trees. They are a different species from Ficus carica, the edible fig. The ficus we eat is from temperate areas of the world and does well outdoors in Napa Valley.

By Yvonne Rasmussen, UC Master Gardener of Napa County What flowers in the dead of winter in Napa County? With few pollinators active then, it's not a great time to have flowers that need pollination. Also, the weather is dicey. It could be cold or icy or raining and blowing.