UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

University of California

UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County

August in Sonoma County

California Native Plants

If you are thinking of adding natives to your garden, this is a good time to start planning. Look through our page on California natives and pick the right plants for your garden.

You may want to start visiting nurseries that offer native plants. Remember, not all the plants are available when you are ready, so you may want to grab them and care for them till you are ready to plant in the fall.

We have a Youtube playlist dedicated to Sonoma California Natives. Two of our most popular videos are Building a Mostly Habitat Garden and Favorite Local Natives.

Summer weed management

Copyright 2007 Regents of the University of California.

Now is still a good time to control weeds! Weeds become aggressive garden competitors if you don’t control them, and it’s best to remove them before they go to seed. With persistence, weeds in the home garden can be managed without using chemicals. Find out more here.

Wildfire Preparedness

Fire risk is a huge concern in August as is it can be one of the hottest and driest months of the year. By implementing informed landscape practices, and by creating zones of defensible space, we can help ensure our landscapes are more fire resilient, beautiful and safer habitats for wildlife. Read more on Wildfire Preparedness in the Home Landscape.

Climate Forward Trees Webinar (replay)

If you didn't get a chance to join our zoom workshop Climate Forward Trees, this is one you don't want to miss. This video is available on our YouTube channel. Learn how to water trees during the drought and rebates available for efficient tree irrigation. Find out how to select trees that will thrive in our changing climate and, once established, will need little water. We also present the outcome of the Climate Forward Trees project, a list of trees Santa Rosa residents can plant now that will thrive for the next 30-50 years.

Drought is still here! Save Water. https://www.sonomawater.org/drought

Without a doubt we are still in a severe drought! We can all help by saving water. Here are resources and information:

Food Gardening

Visit our Food Gardening web page for monthly food garden tasks and tips and food gardening articles.

August and September are months of abundant harvest in Sonoma County. Be sure to pick your warm weather crops at their peak. Keep your eye out for pests and take precautions to combat abiotic crop symptoms caused by extremely hot weather.

Hot Days in the Summertime

Hot Days and Your Vegetable Garden minute video.

The temps have been soaring this summer. We invite you take a minute to view our video Hot Days and Your Garden to see how some of our Food Gardening Specialists protect their thirsty gardens from the hot sun.

Recent Facebook Posts

View SonomaCountyMasterGardeners on Facebook

Upcoming - 40th Anniversary Lecture, learn more.

Library Talks

In-person Library Talks are back!

Building on our long collaboration with the Sonoma County Library, Master Gardeners will be offering in-person talks at the various branches. Keep your eye on our Upcoming Events list for the dates, times, and locations. Space is limited and registration is required. Click on each event to find the registration link.

Upcoming Events

Event Name	Date
Landscape Maintenance in the Defensible Space	8/16/2022
Sizzling Summer Succulent Sale - Jail Industries- Santa Rosa	8/20/2022
A Garden of herbal delights - Rincon	8/20/2022
Planting natives guided by ecology - Sonoma	8/27/2022
Super Succulents for Sonoma County - Sebastopol	9/10/2022

Managing Plant Problems

FIRE BLIGHT

Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is a common and destructive disease of pome fruit trees and related plants in Sonoma County. This includes pear, quince, apple, crabapple, and firethorns. Click here for more information on this disease.

PEST ALERT!

Bagrada bug. UC ANR, The Regents of the University of California. (Cropped)

The Bagrada bug is an invasive pest that is new to Sonoma County. It is a small stink bug that can cause damage to crops in the mustard family as well as other crops. Click here for more information on this pest.

Sundays with Sue

Click here to read Sundays with Sue. Her column can also be found on our Facebook page.

Master Gardeners in Print

Check out our recent articles in The Press Democrat:

ADVICE TO GROW BY

Time to build a strong defense against wildfires and August in the garden 8/6/22

How to tell if a tilting tree is a hazard 7/30/22