Help Support Master Gardeners!

Tomorrow is Giving Tuesday, a global day to show generosity to non-profit organizations. We invite you to join us in supporting University of California (UC) Master Gardeners of Yolo County, an organization of gardeners and educators dedicated to promoting healthy, sustainable gardens and landscapes in your community.

UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County volunteer their time to share the knowledge they learn through the University of California's pioneering research. They support gardens that feed and nurture our communities and help those that are interested in gardening and environmental stewardship. They provide workshops, hands-on activities, classes, community events, social media interaction, and digital reading materials, creating thousands of opportunities for people to learn and connect.

Expenses for the free programs they provide doesn't come from a large institution. Master gardeners are trained by and operate as agents of the UC, but it is up to them to raise the money for their programs.

If you see the value in what they accomplish, please consider making a donation to the UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County. Your tax-deductible donation goes directly to our Yolo chapter's budget, making it possible for us to continue to provide science-based gardening resources to our communities.

Although you are welcome to donate anytime, wait until December 2nd because UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) is offering the UC Master Gardener Programs two challenge prizes -

• $500 for the program with the greatest number of individual donations, and
• $500 for the program with the highest dollar amount raised.

Please mark your calendar and spread the word to donate to UC Master Gardeners of Yolo County on December 2, 2025, from 12:00am to 11:59pm (midnight to midnight).

Planting Native Annual Flowers for Earliest Spring Blooms

Megan Smith, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County

Photos by Megan Smith, adapted

I have to say, fall could be my very favorite time of year. Not necessarily because the garden is bursting with abundance and color, in fact quite the opposite. Plants are shutting themselves down, ending their life cycle or going dormant. Most everything is going to sleep as the cool weather slides over the valley and brings desperately needed rain. The shy fog appears again and wraps us in its cold embrace. But what I think about at this time of year in particular is the promise of potential, because now is the perfect time to plant something special. Dozens of seeds of all kinds are gently placed in the cooling soil at just the right time so that they receive the cold temperatures they need to break their dormancy and spring into action. And of all those seeds, the ones that hold my heart, are the California native wildflowers.

I’m sure almost everyone in California knows about the California poppy, Eschscholzia californica. A golden cup of color that fills our spring hills with swaths of orange glow. But there are countless other native blooms that appear in concert with our dear poppies. And the good news about these lesser-known plants is that most of them are very easy to cultivate in your home garden. Planting several groups of native annual seeds now will yield a pop of color when you most need it in the early spring. Now I’ll share with you a few of my favorites and where to find them in hopes that you’ll give them a try yourself in your own...

Ask a Master Gardener

This column is written by the Master Gardeners of Yolo County each month. It provides answers to selected questions recently asked by Yolo County gardeners..

“Ask a Master Gardener” fields questions directly from Yolo County gardeners and other garden enthusiasts. Questions for this column can be sent to the authors at jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu, with “Ask MGs” in the subject line. People submitting questions will remain anonymous, if desired. When emailing a question, please include as many details as possible. The master gardener authors strongly encourage including photographs, not only to help with finding the correct answer but also potentially to include in the column. Photos can be published credited or uncredited, depending on the contributor’s wishes. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to answer all the questions submitted but will do our best to get an answer for you.

This two question article previously appeared in the Winters Express and Davis Enterprise.

Have a gardening question? Send it to jmbaumbach@ucanr.edu, with “Ask MGs” in the subject line. Include as much detail as possible and pictures if you have them.

Ferns

Peg Smith, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County

Photos by Peg Smith, adapted

As a young child my experiences with ferns included long walks across Derbyshire moorland where the bracken was twice as tall as I was. Other moorland ferns indicated boggy areas to avoid. Then there was the almost compulsory maiden hair fern house plant that graced the drawing rooms where tea would be taken when visiting relatives or friends. With emigration to Australia I was introduced to the glorious tree ferns growing fifteen to thirty feet and magnificent staghorn ferns that grew in the upper reaches of eucalypt trees. As much as I would wish to grow ferns in a Yolo County garden my experiences led me to believe...

December Vegetable Planting Guide

Peg Smith, UC Master Gardener, Yolo County

December is the month to start researching and planning for bareroot perennial vegetables, which are usually available the end of December, January, and February. In designing the vegetable garden adequate growing area needs to be set aside on a permanent basis so that the perennials develop and produce a crop year after year. Not every garden has room for perennials, a healthy artichoke can cover an area up to four feet by four feet. Perennial vegetables can also be planted into ornamental beds. Important considerations when adding perennial vegetables to the ornamental garden is making sure there is adequate sun exposure and ease of harvest. Many of them have interesting foliage...

UC IPM's Wildlife Pest Identification Tool

Who's eating the vegetables in your garden? What kind of tracks are these? Why are there holes in my lawn? The University of California Integrated Pest Management (UC IPM) website has an online tool to help you solve the mystery. The Wildlife Pest Identification Tool is fun to use and will help you identify and manage potential vertebrate pests using the signs of damage, tracks, and droppings (scat).

Give it a try and if you are still perplexed, visit our Get Help and Advise webpage to find the most convenient way for you to contact a Yolo County Master Gardener. We have a number of ways for you to get in touch with us and will be happy to help you figure out the likely culprit.

New Climate-Ready Lineup of Arboretum All-Stars!

The UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden is proud to introduce the new climate-ready lineup of Arboretum All-Stars—130 plants selected to thrive in hotter and drier conditions and withstand extreme weather events all while supporting pollinators and local wildlife. Build on nearly 20 years of All-Star success, this program has shaped thousands of home gardens and public landscapes across California. Use the All-Stars Database to find the perfect All-Stars for your landscape!

The Yolo Gardener Newsletter is a monthly publication and the events posted here are based on information available at the time of publication. For the most up-to-date information on our events CLICK HERE.

University of California Agriculture & Natural Resources (UC ANR) is an equal opportunity provider.