73 F
Scotts Valley
October 25, 2026

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to pbeditor@pressbanner.com or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

The Mountain Gardener: Keep pesky invasive plants from taking hold

We can't control those pesky weed seeds that blow into our gardens and take hold. There are ways to keep them from taking over, however. But what about those invasive plants that are already in our gardens like ivy and vinca major? What's the best way to deal with them? Then there are plants we buy ourselves that can invade natural areas. Are there better plants to use that are just as attractive and useful? Here are some solutions to make your garden happy.

The Mountain Gardener: A rose garden for the ages

Under blue skies on a perfect spring day I sat recently with Colly Gruczelak, my friend, fellow columnist and gardening enthusiast, surrounded by roses, roses and more roses. Next to an old apple tree and a gnarled cherimoya we enjoyed a delicious picnic lunch Colly brought while she shared stories about this rose nursery we were visiting called Roses of Yesterday.

Plain talk about food: Remembering Memorial Days and French apple cake

It would have been in May of 1947 when Sister Claire, my French-born teacher passed a copy of the poem ‘In Flanders Fields’ to each of us in her classroom. “Memorize this, every word, jeunne femmes” (young ladies), she said in her lovely French accent, “and one day, hopefully, you will remember it and understand its true meaning.”

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to pbeditor@pressbanner.com or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

Club Roundup

Kiwanis Club of Scotts Valley

The Mountain Gardener: A visit to a Ben Lomond paradise

Visiting gardens is one of my passions. Wherever I travel I take time to enjoy an arboretum or a historical garden when I find them. Local gardens can be just as exciting, and recently I was invited to stroll and marvel under majestic oaks in a beautiful garden near Quail Hollow.

Datebook

- Submit Datebook items to pbeditor@pressbanner.com or drop off press releases or photos at 5215 Scotts Valley Drive, Ste. F, Scotts Valley 95066. Deadline is 5 p.m. Tuesday. Entries are subject to editing, and publication is not guaranteed.

Talk about money: Forced insurance hurts homeowners, taxpayers

It’s a little like handing a cement lifejacket to a drowning man.

SOCIAL MEDIA

2,605FansLike
742FollowersFollow
762FollowersFollow
Scotts Valley Council Candidates

Three candidates vie for two Scotts Valley council seats

Mike Zeller, the director of programming and project delivery for the Transportation Agency for Monterey County, is the relative newcomer on the Scotts Valley...