Sierra Foothills

The Lavender Experiment

What happens if you don't trim lavender? You all may know I like garden experiments. For the last two years…

11 years ago

Manzanitas are not filled with fire popping sap

The Highly Valued Manzanita Manzanitas are typical and beautiful Chaparral plants in the Sierra foothills.  They, and the chaparral as…

11 years ago

Deer in the foothills

Some of our deer friends... I still like the deer better than any one plant.  They are the best sort…

11 years ago

Our good Sierra foothill soil

Our 'bad' soil...? I get comments all the time from discouraged local gardeners about 'our bad soil' in the Oakhurst,…

12 years ago

Fire and manzanita myths

It is a commonly heard in casual remarks on gardening topics and maintaining a landscape in the Sierra Foothills that…

12 years ago

What to plant under Native Oaks and Pines?

or ...Why I remember a Sunset Magazine article from 1999. A few months before we bought our place here in…

12 years ago

Melding gardens and gravel in the Sierra foothills

Many of us here in the California Sierra foothills have gravel driveways, paths and roads.  This can be a help…

13 years ago

How we made our escape from the city and changed our lives

Our adventure We had a dream to move out of Southern California away from the congestion and stress and switch…

13 years ago

Thinking plant combinations in California foothill garden

Have you ever noticed a striking color combination when planting flowers together by chance?  You suddenly see that the hot…

13 years ago

Rain gardens for the Sierra foothills

What is a rain garden? It’s a garden specifically designed to take advantage of where water naturally collects. In dry…

13 years ago

Western bluebirds in the Sierra foothill garden

One of my favorite color combos is cobalt blue and turquoise. That is why I like this picture!  These are Western…

13 years ago

Hot as an oven, …a California ghost town

Field Trip: Hornitos On a recent photo trek through the area between the Sierra foothills and the Central Valley of…

13 years ago

Watering CA native plants in the Sierra foothills

Learning about watering for California natives ...and some Mediterranean plants in a home garden in the Sierra Foothills.   I…

13 years ago

Soap Plant in full bloom

Studying the singular Soap Plant As the season passes, the Soap Plant is on the wane, still over 7 feet…

13 years ago

Diane’s greenhouse dream

My friend, Diane, of Oakhurst area, CA, has long dreamed of having a real glass greenhouse, and now after many…

13 years ago

Light reflected by elegant brodiaea

June's Blue Haze, Brodiaea This is a picture story of Elegant or Harvest Brodiaea in the Sierra foothill garden.  This is…

13 years ago

Euphorbia, drama queen of the Sierra foothill garden

 Euphorbia is one of the most diverse family of plants, with many different shapes, sizes and colors, from shrubs to…

13 years ago

Dandelion, Grand dandelion and Silverpuffs

These three plants, well, you'll notice a few similarities and a few differences. Two are California natives and one is…

13 years ago