Tag Archives: Summer

Nutsedge, often referred to as nut grass, is a common weed in landscapes and gardens in the Central Coast valleys, including Sunnyvale. The plant thrives in waterlogged soil and its presence often indicates poor drainage (particularly an issue with clay soils), too frequent irrigation or leaky sprinklers. Once established, nutsedge will tolerate normal irrigation conditions or drought, making it even …

You have heard of baby corn. These are baby carrots. I plant them in deep rich loam. Give them water, sunlight, fertiizer. and the result are a crop fit for Lilliputians. I am quick-pickling them in a balsamic vinaigrette

2018 was a year for a bumper crop of Santa Rosa plums from our 4-in-1 grafted dwarf plum tree. Each plum is small so there is not much fruit pulp. So I decided to make a plum compote. it is a simple recipe. Ingredients: 1 pound of plums (quartered; include the pits) 1 cup sugar / honey half cup water …

We have had fennel in our Sunnyvale garden since 2001. It reseeds easily. Any place you don’t want it, just pull it up. The feathery leaves remind me of dill and it has a nice scent. The small yellow flowers appear on the ends of each umbrella. If you want to eat the Fennel bulb then make sure you get …

The stunning, brightly colored unusually shaped blooms of the evergreen trailing plant Lotus berthelotii, commonly called parrot’s beak, brings a tropical feel to your garden or landscape. Native to the Canary and Cape Verde Islands off the west coast of Africa, Parrot’s beak is a sun-loving perennial that can be grown as an annual in areas below U.S. Department of …

Phacelia californica (California scorpionweed) is a central California native. This herbaceous perennial grows to 1-2 feet tall.  Plant in rock gardens or on a slope with good drainage. The common name is because the flowers unfurling from the stalk look like a scorpion’s tail. Less imaginative explanation: it is similar to ferns. The flowers provide an important nectar source for …

This past June was very hectic and I spent little time in the garden. I have the drip irrigation working again in the backyard. Marie is very grateful because I will be on vacation and she does not want to water the 100 plants and trees on that system. I had a leak from behind the hose bib and had …

The garden exploded in April with a full spread of colors. We had the full range of spring flowers and now the summer flowers have started. In May I will harvest the winter root vegetables (beets and carrots); finish moving the 24 tomato plants to the final large pots; harvest some blackberries and squashes; and try to identify the dozens …