The Real Dirt

Spring is here, and many native plants are coming into bloom. Orange California poppies color the roadside and hills. Redbuds burst with magenta flowers. Butterflies flutter among the blue dicks in grassy areas in upper Bidwell Park and along foothill roadsides. The good news is that many California native…

Hardscapes are the constructed features such as paths, patios and pergolas that make a landscape human-friendly.  Their permanent and relatively costly nature calls for careful planning before construction.  Here are some questions and suggestions to help in planning hardscape features for your yard.

At this time of year many gardeners reflect upon what worked in the garden over the past year, plan changes to implement in the coming months, and consider new plants to introduce. This Spring, why not begin planning a more wildlife-friendly garden?  You can encourage birds, butterflies, lizards, frogs and a…

By UC Master Gardeners of Butte County The Master Gardeners Spring Workshop Series is in full swing! The series began in February, but worry not -- there are plenty of topics still to be covered from now into June: fifteen workshops to be exact, seven of them on all-new subjects and eight on tried-and…

References to the plant genus Dianthus go back as far as the Greek botanist Theophrastus.  He named these plants from the Caryophyllaceae family “divine flower” (dios = divine plus anthos = flower).