Each day my windshield is coated with yellow pollen grains from Douglas fir trees. Roadsides are crowded with blooming acacia trees. If you’re an allergy sufferer some plants are worse than others for you. What’s a gardener to do to mitigate scratchy eyes and congestion nearly year round where we live?

What we call Brookdale was the last stand of the redwood forest that once stretched along the San Lorenzo between Felton and Boulder Creek.  When the Santa Cruz County Lumber War broke out in 1893, the 400-acre tract on both sides of Clear Creek was owned by Grover and Company, one of the principal combatants. 

Local Happenings

Eggs are on my list of perfect foods. They are packed with protein and nutrients, quick to cook and delicious. Purchasing high quality eggs is essential for getting the most nutrition possible. Labels can be confusing, but it simply comes down to understanding the life of the hen. In short, you want to purchase "pastured" eggs. I'll explain... 

After last year’s heavy rainfall and severe flooding, it is appearing that the state is heading towards another period of drought.

My plants are confused. Actually they know exactly what they are doing it’s me that’s confused. The mild winter, so far at least, has encouraged many of my plants normally still dormant at this time of year to start growing for the season. What’s a gardener to do when the roses, fuchsias, oakleaf hydrangeas and many other plants never really went dormant this year?  Here are some February tasks that I’m going to be doing.

To call Scotts Valley High School senior Megan Gurer wise beyond her years would be doing her an injustice. She’s taken advanced studies into a realm that most 17-year-olds can only dream about.