A new column,”Sierra Foothill Gardener,” is debuting in today’s edition of the Sierra Star.

Written by Sue Langley of North Fork, the column will provide valuable and informative gardening tips and ideas for Sierra Star and sierrastar.com readers.

Langley was a member of the Oakhurst Mountain Laurel Garden Club for six years, serving as president for two years.

“When I came to Eastern Madera County from Fullerton, I had to learn about gardening here in the Mountain Area,” Langley said. “It was so different than before, now with deer and snow and blazing hot summers. I couldn’t find many garden sources for this area, so I began my blog, Sierra Foothill Garden, to record my own progress, successes and challenges.”

Langley is a passionate gardener and photographer, who got the gardening ‘bug’ from working and playing in her mother’s garden in Southern California, where she received her education in art, design and photography at Cypress College.

“My keenest interest has become California native plants which luckily are the most drought resistant and the most suitable for our Mountain Area,” Langley said..

Langley moved to the area in 2005, after a 20 year career in wedding photography.

“With help from my husband and ‘garden buddy,’ Larry, and our Corgi, Maggie, the garden has grown to two of our seven acres near Sierra National Forest property,” Langley said.

In 2012 and 2013, Langley worked in the garden center at True Value Home Center, and is well known to many area gardeners for her monthly workshops at the center that she started in 2012, while an employee at the store. Although she left her job at the center in June of 2013 to develop her website, Flea Market Gardening, she was asked to continue her workshops.

“Over three years, the attendance at the workshops has grown from 12 to 50+ people, all sharing gardening tips from all Mountain Areas, from Coarsegold to North Fork,” Langley said.

The Flea Market Gardening website now has nearly 10,000 subscribers and the companion Flea Market Gardening Facebook page has 191,000 followers, worldwide.

“All the information in the column will be about gardening challenges in our area – which plants are best, dealing with deer and gophers, and extreme hot and cold temperatures as well as the biggest concern now, drought,” Langley said. “Since so many gardeners in our area have relocated here from the Bay Area and Southern California, the column will be full of ‘need-to-know’ information.”

“I’m proud to be able to share my love of gardening in our Mountain Area through the Sierra Star, and look forward to receiving questions from area gardeners,” Langley said.

Details: Readers are encouraged to send questions to Langley at sierrafoothillgarden@gmail.com and visit her website at sierrafoothillgarden.com.

Source: New gardening column debuts in Sierra Star | News | SierraStar.com