January in Sonoma County

Resilient Landscape Design

Bennett Ridge, Sonoma County, CA garden (Design by April Owens and photo by Clio Tarazi)

As we adapt to the impacts of climate change in our environment, we need to acknowledge that wildfire and increasing periods of drought are a part of our landscape. It can seem overwhelming to try to manage what seem to be competing interests. Our goal is to design and maintain our homes and adjacent property in ways that reduce their vulnerability to wildfire but also provide critically important ecosystem services. Some longstanding design practices will need to shift as we adapt. We envision a resilient future where each of us is adapting to the needs of our changing climate and preparing for future fires while ensuring optimal support for biodiversity and our environment. Read more.

We are still in a Drought!

Rain, glorious rain! Despite recent rainstorms, our reservoirs remain at historic lows. We are without a doubt, still in a severe drought! Winter is a crucial water conservation season, helping to replenish our water supply. We must keep up the good work and continue our water-saving efforts. Our friends at Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership offer lots of drought tips and best practices. Below are some additional resources to help you navigate the drought in your garden.

Food Gardening

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

This month we feature bare root fruit trees and pruning fruit trees, protecting your citrus from frost damage, and planting asparagus.

Potted succulents. Photo by Master Gardeners of Sonoma County.

Succulent care after rain

Succulents are adapted to survive in semi-arid climates and are quickly compromised by rainstorms if they remain wet. Here are tips to keeping your succulents healthy after heavy rains.

Get out into your garden and assess the situation.
Check pots to see if they are water logged, check drainage holes to make sure they are not plugged with mud. Raise pots slightly above ground level to facilitate drainage.
Look for areas of puddling water avoid planting succulents there in the future. Plant succulents high on mounded fast draining soil.
Remove any fallen, wet leaves, particularly those that are in the crown of rosette succulents like Agaves and Aloes. Wet leaves cause fungal diseases and rot.
Assess the condition of individual succulent plants by doing the squish test. Leaves which are translucent, pale, and feel squishy should be removed.
Check the stem of the plant. If it feels firm and not discolored it will probably be OK. If it feels soft and has turned black the roots will die.

Plants that have suffered some damage from excess water but the disease has not reached in to the heart of the plant can be dug up, squishy leaves removed. The plant can be left out of the ground for several days to dry out. Master Gardeners of Marin County is an excellent source for information about succulents.

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Upcoming Events

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
Protect vulnerable succulents after rain and Pruning raspberries 1/1/22

Prune your roses smartly to encourage fresh blooms and curing chicken manure 12/18/21

COVID-19 Notice

To reduce the spread of COVID-19 pandemic and in compliance with county orders, we have adjusted our services accordingly: All in-person events are suspended. Library talks have been replaced by Zoom events. Please check the "Upcoming Events" section at the top-right of this page for currently scheduled events.

Thanks for your patience during this time. We will inform you when the in-person library talks resume.