Author Archives: Karen
Four Flowering Drought Tolerant Plants for your Garden
1. CLEVELAND SAGE (Salvia clevelandii) Cleveland sage is neat looking, round-shaped, California native shrub with grey-green foliage. In summer it displays exquisite whorls of light to violet blue blossoms on slender stalks. The scent of Cleveland Sage is especially lovely. … Continue reading
Eight Easy Garden Chores for March
Spring has sprung. Well, not really. We officially have a week to go. But now that we have actually had some rain and the weather remains mild we are all ready for a new growing season. So what should we … Continue reading
Five February Garden Tips
It has been a mild winter and spring is just around the corner. Many of us garden fiends are just itching to get our hands in the dirt and plant something. Is it too early to plant? What else can … Continue reading
Press Release: Karen Boness Earns Professional Arborist Certification as of January 30, 2012
Karen Boness of Sonoma, CA recently demonstrated professional competency by successfully completing the CERTIFIED ARBORIST examination administered through the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) and the local Chapter of ISA. The purpose of the ISA Certification Program is to improve … Continue reading
Seven Winter Pruning Tips for Deciduous Plants
Winter is an excellent time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs here in Northern California. It is easier to prune because you can more clearly see the structure of the plant without all the leaves attached. It is also healthier … Continue reading
Bad Tree Staking and What To Do About It
Improper tree staking can damage your trees. These inadvertent staking mistakes can: 1) create a weakened tree; 2) damage the bark; 3) open up inroads for disease and pests; 4) cause a tree to grow crookedly; and, 5) compromise your … Continue reading
Seven Citrus Care Tips
Lemons, limes, oranges and kumquats. We all love citrus. Most citrus originate from tropical and subtropical climates. They are very cold sensitive. To ripen they require varying degrees of “heat units”. Oranges and grapefruit require a lot of heat units. … Continue reading
Permaculture is FUN, really
I used to begin my permaculture workshops with a long winded definition of permaculture. It was basically a paraphrase from the back of Bill Mollison’s Introduction to Permaculture book. Permaculture is a design philosophy and practical approach to living on … Continue reading
Three Easy Sheet Mulching Methods
Sheet mulching is a gardening technique that suppresses weeds and builds fertile soil. In sheet mulching thick layers of organic matter are placed on the ground lasagna style. These layers are then left to decompose ultimately creating a rich planting … Continue reading
