Napa Master Gardener Column

It is well known that the Napa has many vineyards. Wine is what made this area famous. But did you know that there is another remarkable collection of plants from all around the world right in downtown Napa? Fuller Park is home to dozens of varieties of trees, both native and extremely exotic.

It's that time of year when lots of potting and repotting is going on. I was potting some seedlings a few days ago when I had started in seedling mix. Seedling mix is good for seedlings, because it is sterile, drains well and the seeds can readily make new roots.

There is a beautiful house for sale in my neighborhood, and it was recently featured in the New York Times. Among its abundant selling points is a magnolia tree. It is indeed a lovely tree, and it is in bloom right now.

When my husband and I first started gardening at our new Napa home, we made many errors. One of the big mistakes was planting invasive plants. We really wanted bamboo, but we did know it had a reputation for taking over gardens.

Shakespeare may have believed that a rose by any name would smell as sweet, but a well-considered plant nameor an ineptly chosen labelcan significantly enhance or tarnish its subject forever.