The Savvy Sage

I think of dahlias as plants that can suit any personality. Are you a person who likes to make a splash whenever you walk into a room? You might find that a fire engine red dinner plate dahlia is just the thing for your dramatic garden.

Every year at this time, when my Eureka lemon tree is laden with more lemons than I know what to do with, I invite my friends over and we turn those lemons into limoncello.

If you liveinYolo County, I suggest you plant citrus. I grow navel oranges,caracara oranges, Eureka lemons,satsuma mandarins, and ruby red grapefruits in my backyard. Most of these fruits can be eaten just as they are, and provide abundant winter gifts for family, neighbors and friends.

In this section of my IPM/SPM Series I'd like to discuss a particular pest that we are all familiar with. Pest damage is not restricted to our gardens, they can also affect human well-being.

Before considering pesticides, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) teaches us to identify the pest or disease process before taking the actions of least harm. The IPM website has tools that you can use to identify the pest.