It’s a beautiful, sunny Tuesday in July, but rather than spending the day at the beach, the San Lorenzo Valley Varsity Football players are lifting weights in the high school gym. It is all part of their training regime. The student athletes are preparing to improve on their 5-5 finish from last season. And while the players have been working hard all summer, the preparation for a successful season goes beyond the weight room. 

Lavender, a member of the mint family, is found across Europe, the Mediterranean, north and eastern Africa, southwest Asia to southeast India and fits right into our similar environment. Everybody has their favorite type. Mine happens to be a compact English variety called Hidcote but there are hundreds available including a new, tough, variegated one called ‘Meerlo’. Here’s how to grow yours so it flourishes and doesn’t end up woody and spindly.

While preparing the dressing for the Shrimp Salad whose recipe I have included here, my mind wandered from the food I was preparing to another type of food. 

Those of you who read my column regularly might have noticed I often write about plants that are valuable to the birds and the bees as well as butterflies and wildlife in the general. I have 10 bird feeders around my house. Four for the hummingbirds and the other six have black oil sunflower seed and hulled chips. At this time of year when there are so many young the extra food is much appreciated. I provide water and nectar plants for the bees and butterflies as well. If I had to choose one plant to grow that would provide the most benefit for all the critters it would be ceanothus. Hands down, it’s the best and here are some of my favorite varieties.

Linda Skeff is on a mission- to eradicate invasive species and restore native plant habitat up and down the San Lorenzo Valley. After three years of leading teams of AmeriCorps Volunteers to “pull out the invasive and restore the natives”, Skeff has her sights on a nearer term goal than the whole valley, but no less ambitious.