Under the Solano Sun

As I was driving around my old neighborhood I saw a splash of color that caught my eye and piqued my curiosity. As I kept driving I kept seeing this fuchsia colored flowering shrub. I immediately came home and identified it. It was Centranthus ruber, commonly known as Red Valerian or Spur Valerian.

Gardening takes karma very seriously. Last year, I was bragging about my incredible tomato-growing skills. This year in mid-January I started pre-sprouting tomato seeds and by March very few of those 30+ varieties ever made it to a pot. By very few, I mean about five out of every hundred seeds.

Just too many to eat! It's July and thepluot tree is an explosion of purple fruit! Everywhere there arepluots ready to pick.Omigosh so many precious purple gems.

In thinking of what I want to share with my fellow master gardeners this month I realized it's not a gardening tip, an invasive pest or really anything educational. This post is more for the soul. This is my gardening playlist.

So much comes to fruition in our gardens during the month of August. Thus, it's a good idea to plan ahead to keep our late summer gardens perfect. Here are some gardening tips and tasks that will keep you and your plants, blooms and crops happy: Check citrus for heavy fruit set.