What’s the difference between all the types of soil you hear about? Learn about potting mix, planting mix, topsoil, and compost and which one is best for your purposes.

Today’s historical post looks at GFE and the water surrounding it, past and present.

This week’s featured California native plant is the hardy, gorgeous Fremontodendron californicum, commonly known as California flannelbush. The most notable feature of Fremontodendron californicum is its stunning bright yellow flowers that bloom in spring, so look for them as you walk in your neighborhood these days.

We get a lot of questions about how to troubleshoot a compost pile. Learn how to asses if you pile is doing what it should be, and how to fix common problems that may arise!

Now is a great time to get gardening! We are all spending so much time at home and have an even greater relationship to food and our personal spaces. Here are some of the things I suggest for gardening this time of year.

GFE is excited to begin a new Native Plant Fun Facts feature every Monday. Our first featured plant is the beautiful, hardy Ceanothus (aka Soapbloom or California Lilac, although it’s not a true Lilac).

This morning was sunny, a momentary break between showers. I kicked off my slippers, put on my boots, and went outside to have a look. Sipping my tea, I walked through the soggy garden, waiting for a little prompting to tell me where to work today. My eye was caught by a section of the garden where last year’s growth had caused some shrubs and perennials to grow into and through each other, leading to a visual mess. They were beautiful plants, just right for a sunny dry border with a sturdy succession of bloom.

As our rainy season draws to a close, gardeners everywhere are turning their irrigation systems back on in anticipation of the dry summer months to come. And this year, with the drought emergency officially over, it’s with an easy conscience. After all, why not treat the garden to a little more water this year? After all those lean water years, don’t the plants deserve it? Whoa! Don’t touch that dial!

Every spring, as the last rains finish, gardeners are busy turning on the drip irrigation timers, and running each valve, to make sure that there are no leaks, and that the water is being targeted correctly. This year, because of our record-breaking drought, the stakes are even higher. Almost every garden has room to trim water use. First of all, if your garden still doesn’t have drip irrigation, now is the time. Drip irrigation applies the water slowly and evenly directly into the soil, so that none is lost to evaporation or run-off.

Some native plants can be mixed in with other plants requiring summer water, but most can not. This is called the garden tolerance of the native plant. Most native plants have poor garden tolerance, which just means they will not thrive if exposed to normal garden conditions like rich soil, fertilization, and summer irrigation. They may even die.