Garden Tours continue

Rock Purslane - Calandrinia grandiflora

by Jane Callier

UC Master Gardeners of Napa County continued touring each others gardens on June 9th. The first stop was a delightful garden with multiple purposes.

The front garden featured plants requiring very little water and many California native plants were thriving.

This property was part of a garden tour for the public several years ago. At the time there was a lawn in the front and attendees could vote for their choice of garden plans, displayed on easels with the lawn removed. Now, the focus in the front is a huge matilija poppy, proudly displaying its many fried-egg look alike blooms.

Sturdy planter boxes situated on the sunny south side of the house grows vegetables and strawberries.

The back yard features fruit trees, perennials and a beautiful dry fountain area filled with succulents. In the shade on the north side of the house grows some shade lovers including a variety of fuchsias.

 

Our next garden has some handsome catmint, Nepeta cataria and carpet rose filling an area next to the street. The show-stopper in the front of the property are the gorgeous flowering dogwood trees that were in full bloom.

Catmint and carpet roses

Moving to the spacious back yard, there are different areas dedicated to growing vegetables and perennials and a variety of different trees and landscape features.

A commercial worm bin was ready for inhabitants near the vegetable garden. As worms are finished with one side of the bin, new material is introduced to the other side of the bin and the worms migrate through holes in the divider to the new material. Finished worm compost with and their castings can then be harvested on the side they just finished.

The back of the property is a park-like setting with mature redwood trees with many shade loving plants beneath the canopy. As always, pictures are worth a thousand words.

 Napa Master Gardeners are available to answer garden questions by email: mastergardeners@countyofnapa.org. or phone at 707-253-4143.  Volunteers will get back to you after they research answers to your questions.

Visit our website: napamg.ucanr.edu to find answers to all of your horticultural questions.

Photos: Jane Callier