“The hum of bees is the voice of the garden.”
~Elizabeth Lawrence

Photo credit: Annie’s Annuals & Perennials (Dahlia); Syngenta Flowers (Begonia, Marigolds, Blanket Flowers); Mary Werthman (Ruby Chalice Clarkia, California Poppy). Used with permission.

Planting in Shady Areas

Do you have shady areas in your landscape and wonder what to plant? Start by determining what type of shade you have—full, partial, or dappled. Use the UC Davis Arboretum Plant Database and choose “sun exposure” in your search to research which plants grow best in your conditions. Check water requirements and group plants with similar needs. Evaluate the soil. Soil closest to a home might be dry, and soil under mature trees might be too compacted to support other plants. Enjoy your shady areas—they offer cool shelter on hot days, fewer weeds, less water usage, and lower maintenance!

Photo credit: UC Master Gardeners of Contra Costa County

The Three Sisters Garden

“The Three Sisters” refers to corn, beans, and squash planted together in a shared space. Corn supports the beans. Beans enrich the soil with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia bacteria. Squash shades the ground to suppress weeds and reduce evaporation. Research shows this companion planting increases yield compared to growing each crop separately. This culturally and spiritually significant indigenous American agriculture has sustained communities for centuries. See the Three Sisters this summer at our UC Master Gardeners Martial Cottle Park Demo Garden!

Illustration: Three Sisters companion planting technique by Anna Juchnowicz is used under the Creative Commons Attribution‐ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY‐ SA 4.0)

Kid-Friendly Garden Fun

Looking for fun garden activities to do with your children over the summer? Consider visiting the Life Lab Garden Classroom located on the UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology Farm. The Life Lab website showcases school garden resources that include kid-friendly gardening, art and cooking activities, ideas and videos. Check them out for some summer fun with the little ones in your life!

Image: Life Lab Self-Guided Tour Garden Map (screenshot from Life Lab website)

Managing Spider Mites

As hot, dry weather arrives, watch for spider mites on vegetables, fruit trees, berries, and ornamental plants. Early signs are leaves that have become stippled with white dots. Heavily infested leaves may turn yellow and fall off. Check leaf undersides with a magnifying glass for tiny moving dots. To control spider mites, keep plants well-watered and dust-free, use mulch and ground covers, and provide regular irrigation. For infested plants, apply a water spray or mist to leaf undersides daily. Natural predators include predatory thrips and lacewings.

Photo: Webbing and stippling on plant leaves caused by the two-spotted spider mite, by Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM

Smart Mulching

Mulch benefits our landscape by suppressing weeds, reducing evaporation and limiting soil disturbance. Yet, the wrong mulch can bring unintended risks. Rubber mulch (shredded old tires) is combustible, emits toxic smoke when burned, contaminates soil and hurts plant health. Organic mulches like bark chips, straw, or dry leaves decompose gradually and help enrich the soil. However, when used in “Zone 0” (up to 5 feet from buildings), these mulches pose fire risk. Inorganic mulch, like pebbles and paving stones, are more suitable and fireproof landscaping materials for Zone 0.

Photo: Gravel mulch, by FASTILY / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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