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Majestic Oaks
How to care for a horticultural treasure
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Stately and statuesque, oak trees offer unparalleled ecological and economic benefits. They provide habitat for over 700 beneficial insects and a host of furry and feathery guests. They also help stabilize slopes and boost property values. Oaks are undemanding and often misunderstood trees that appreciate Marin's long, dry summers -- and sometimes suffer when well-meaning gardeners choose to feed and water them. Here's
how to care for oaks and understand the threat of Sudden Oak Death
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Hummingbirds: nature's extremists
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Hummingbirds are the fastest moving vertebrates on earth relative to body size, and the only bird that can fly backward. These marvelous winged daredevils are a delight to witness in our gardens, zipping from flower to flower like pollination machines. Here's more on the
incredible lives of hummingbirds
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The beauty and benefits of houseplants
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Houseplants bring the beauty of nature indoors and add engaging warmth to your decor while also purifying the air you breathe. Low cost, decorative, sun-powered air filters: what could be greener than that? There are multitudes of eye-catching, easy-to-grow plants just waiting to enhance your home. Here’s
how to select, place, and care for houseplants
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Dear
Help Desk
Q. There is sticky stuff oozing from my rose shrubs, ants galore, and now I see some tiny gray bugs feasting on the buds. What's going on?
A.
Sounds like you have an aphid invasion. These small, soft-bodied insects pierce stems, leaves, and other plant parts and suck out the fluids. Almost every plant has one or more aphid species that occasionally feed on it. The good news? It's not difficult to manage them. Here's
how to get rid of aphids
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Living with coyotes
Coyotes are extremely adaptable and found almost everywhere in North America. Cunning and curious, they can go under, through, or over some garden fences. Once inside, they do serious damage to vegetable gardens, eat ripening fruits, and sometimes they will even gnaw on irrigation tubing. They are especially interested in the birds and rodents that feed at or near bird feeders, as these are all attractive coyote prey. If you're approached by a coyote, you can often frighten it away by shouting, waving your arms, and looking it straight in the eyes. Here's more on
coyote behavior and suggestions for co-existing or controlling them.
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What to do with
spent bulbs
Spring has sprung, bulbs are blooming – what now? Early spring brings forth legions of bulbs and corms that have grown and multiplied over the years. For gardeners new to bulbs and naturalizing, spring bulbs can be your best friends for bringing color and joy to your garden. Think of them as the gift that keeps on giving. After filling your garden with a variety of colorful bulbs, use these
techniques to encourage bulbs to bloom again next year
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How (and why)
to thin fruit trees
Does your fruit tree get loaded down with tiny fruit that's all clustered tightly together? Have you lost a branch to the weight of too much fruit? If this sounds like your garden, then it's time to add fruit thinning to your to-do list. Yes, it will be painful to remove part of your bounty. But your reward will be bigger, sweeter fruit! Here's
how to thin fruit trees to sweeten your harvest
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Spring chores
Spring has sprung and every gardener's chore list suddenly got longer. Time to have a look at that irrigation system, plant summer-blooming bulbs and veggies, and keep an eye out for snails and slugs. To make it easy, we've created a month-by-month to-do list to help you prioritize your garden tasks and tackle projects in a timely fashion. Here's
what to do in the garden in spring
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Microgreens: tiny plants, big flavor
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Microgreens are tiny houseplants you can eat – or leafy greens and herbs that you grow outdoors and harvest soon after sprouting. Harvested at the seedling stage, these greens contain four to six times more nutrients than their full-grown counterparts, so they are loaded with vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and phytonutrients. You can use microgreens to enhance salads of store-bought greens, in sautés, as garnish, in sandwiches, dips, juiced, as pizza toppings, or anywhere you want to add flavor, texture, color, and nutrition. All you need to grow microgreens are containers, soil, seeds, water, and a good location. Here's
how to grow microgreens in your kitchen or garden
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How to grow colorful, delicious beans
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Beans come in an array of colors and shapes, including purple string beans, long, slim Romanos, showy scarlet runners, and waxy yellow beans. Some heirloom varieties still have a "string" that must be removed before eating, but most have had that inconvenience bred out. Available in bush or pole varieties, beans are a versatile crop to grow -- even in tight spaces or containers. Here's
how to grow beans
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Time for
tomatoes!
2019 Marin Master Gardener Tomato Market
April 27 - 9 am till sold out
Pini Hardware in Novato and Bon Air Center in Greenbrae
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Buy your tomatoes from the folks who know how to grow them!
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Upcoming Garden Talks and Events
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Don't miss our upcoming classes, workshops, and sales! UC Marin Master Gardeners cover many topics throughout the year. Here's what's on tap now.
Thursday, March 28
7 to 8 pm
Sausalito City Hall Council Chambers, 420 Litho Street in Sausalito
Saturday, March 30
10:30 am to 12 noon
Pt. Reyes Station Library,
11431 State Route One in Pt. Reyes Station
Saturday, March 30
Tomatoes with UC Marin Master Gardener Joe Jennings
11 am to 12 noon
Larkspur Library, 1st floor of Larkspur City Hall, 400 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur
Wednesday, April 3
10 to 11 am
Landmarks Art & Garden Center, 841 Tiburon Blvd. in Tiburon
Saturday, April 6
11 am to 12 noon
Larkspur Library, 1st floor of Larkspur City Hall, 400 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur
Friday, April 12
2 to 3 pm
San Rafael Public Library, 1100 E Street in San Rafael
Friday, April 12
12 noon to 1 pm
Civic Center Library, room 427, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael
Saturday, April 13
9 am to 1 pm
10 to 11 am -- California Wildflowers presentation
Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Avenue in San Rafael
Saturday, April 13
10:30 am to 12 noon
Pt. Reyes Station Library,
11431 State Route One in Pt. Reyes Station
Friday, April 19
12 noon to 1:30 pm
Civic Center Library, room 427, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael
Saturday, April 20
Tomatoes with UC Marin Master Gardener Joe Jennings
11 am to 12 noon
San Anselmo Library, 110 Tunstead Avenue in San Anselmo
Saturday, April 27
9 am till sold out
Pini Hardware in Novato and the Bon Air Shopping Center in Greenbrae
Saturday, May 4
11 am to 12 noon
Novato Library, 1720 Novato Blvd. in Novato
Friday, May 10
12 noon to 1 pm
Civic Center Library, room 427, 3501 Civic Center Drive in San Rafael
Saturday, May 11
9 am to 12 noon
Falkirk Greenhouse, 1408 Mission Avenue in San Rafael
Saturday, May 11
11 am to 12 noon
Larkspur Library, 1st floor of Larkspur City Hall, 400 Magnolia Avenue in Larkspur
Saturday, May 18
9 am to 11 am
Falkirk Cultural Center, 1408 Mission Avenue in San Rafael
Saturday, June 1
9 am to 11 am
Falkirk Greenhouse, 1408 Mission Avenue in San Rafael
Friday, June 7
2 pm to 3 pm
San Rafael Public Library, 100 E Street in San Rafael
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This water-wise California native shrub explodes in cobalt blue blooms every spring, much to the delight of honeybees. Easy to grow, it prefers full sun but performs with a little shade, too. This evergreen lives up to 25 years if treated right.
What's that plant?
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Love the Leaflet?
Forward to a friend!
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Video explains
Master Gardener role
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Wondering what Marin Master Gardeners do? A 3-minute video highlights who we are, what services we offer, and where you can find us. Our trained group of 300+ volunteers is busy providing research-based gardening advice as part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) and UC Master Gardener Program.
Watch us at work
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Photo credits
Oak tree - Gary Scales
Hummingbird - Las Pilitas
Houseplants - Shelby Miller
Aphids on rose - UC Regents
Ladybug - UC Regents
Coyote - UC Regents
Daffodils - Simon Moore, Unsplash
Fruit thinning - UC Regents
Gardening hat and tools - Pixabay
Microgreens - Deviyahya
Beans - Creative Commons
What's that plant? - Gardensoft
Echevaria harmsii 'Ruby Slippers' -Gardensoft
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The Leaflet is published quarterly by the University of California Cooperative Extension, 1682 Novato Blvd., Suite 150B, Novato, CA 94947. Telephone 415/473-4204, http://cemarin.ucdavis.edu. Production of this newsletter was made possible with support from the County of Marin and the University of California. Nondiscrimination Statement and Accessibility.
© 2013 Regents of the University of California.
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