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.”
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.
Talk about money: Forced insurance hurts homeowners, taxpayers
It’s a little like handing a cement lifejacket to a drowning man.
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...














