Summer 2024

Editorial Notes

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

Welcome to the summer issue of News to Grow By, where we delve into the vibrant world of gardening and sustainable practices. We cover a variety of topics, from enhancing soil health with a little magic, called mulch, to exploring the beauty of growing stunning California native plants with summer blooms, gorgeous tropical-style plants that thrive in our climate, as well as amazing succulents that can change their color in response to our intense California sun.

Apart from continuing our CA wildfire series, we also share some tips with you on how to make your own container soil and discover the art of vermiculture, which is useful when space is limited.

An inspiring report about our School Gardens project, which is small space gardening that children love, will make you smile!

The UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County received a proclamation, recognizing the UC Richmond Low Water Demonstration Garden as an excellent model of how to sustain and activate an urban demonstration garden. We feel very honored.

Happy summer reading & gardening.

Hedwig Van Den Broeck and Robin Mitchell, editors