A couple weeks ago in a column about allergy free landscaping, I mentioned dogwood being a good tree choice as their pollen is not wind borne. Their showy flowers are pollinated by insects rather than by the wind. Producing less pollen, their pollen is large and heavy, sticking to insects rather than becoming airborne and leading to sneezing, runny noses and watery eyes. With dogwoods about to burst into bloom I thought I’d share some information about growing this iconic tree.

The legal of issue of whether and under what circumstances a taxpayer or citizen can bring a lawsuit against a government agency was argued in court this week.

With its majestic Redwood trees and rolling hills, the Santa Cruz Mountains are ideally perfect for building a “Hobbit” home. And that is exactly why Anna Pissanetzky and her husband Pablo decided to begin the endeavor of building one on their property in Scotts Valley.

The recreation room of the Boulder Creek Country Club was filled to capacity this last Wednesday with local residents eager to hear lessons learned from the Bear Fire. Local government showed up in full force for the Boulder Creek event.  CalFire Division Chief Rich Sampson, Boulder Creek Fire Chief Kevin McClish, and Chief Sheriff’s Deputy Craig Wilson made the presentation.  Supervisor Bruce McPherson and County Planner Matt Johnson also joined in.  Joe Christy, President of Fire Safety Santa Cruz County, moderated the panel and posed questions that attendees handed in anonymously on large index cards.

As the historic Brookdale Lodge gets ready to reopen later this year, a new art installation by local famed muralist John Cerney is taking shape.

The announcement of a new principal for Scotts Valley High School was met with praise and excitement during a Scotts Valley Unified School District board meeting Tuesday evening. The Trustees approved the hiring of Michael Hanson to be the next Principal for SVHS.  Mike has worked at SVHS since 2006 where he was hired as a science teacher. 

You can tell right away when you walk out the door how hot or cold it is, how windy, shady, moist or dry. You know if your soil is pure sand or hard clay because you’ve dug a few holes in your time. You don’t need a book to tell you these things. So why are the gardening zones described in Sunset Western Gardening book important when you add a new plant to your garden? And why are they so confusing in our area? The USDA Plant Hardiness zone map may tell you where a plant may survive the winter but climate zone maps let you see where that plant will thrive year round.