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Every other week, Patrice Hanlon, Garden Manager at Walnut Creek's The Gardens at Heather Farm, writes about plants that grow well in the fertile Bay Area, giving the botanical history and cultivation requirements so you can decide for yourself whether this would be a welcome addition to your garden.

NOW GROWING: Mountain Mahogany (Cercocarpus betuloides)

THE GARDEN IS A SPACE WITH A STORY, AND OFTEN THAT STORY IS ABOUT A MOMENT IN TIME; what's going on (in) the garden during that particular visit.

My morning ventures through the Gardens at Heather Farm are filled with discoveries that include small wonders such as flowers of Cercocarpus betuloides, also known as Mountain mahogany.

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Violas

FEBRUARY'S SUNSETS PROVIDE AN INTERESTING JUXTAPOSITION with the explosion of plant life at the Gardens at Heather Farm.

Sharp, golden sunshine glittering through the trees creates the appearance of energy rising from the plants. As the sun beams down in the late afternoon, it pours into every part of the senses. It is hard not to feel renewed as light and life emerge after the dark days of winter.

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Underplantings for oak trees

THE BAY AREA IS HOME TO MANY ESTABLISHED VALLEY OAK TREES, and new homeowners and gardeners often are confused as to how to care for them and what to plant under and around them.

While my first choice is to allow the area to stay natural, many visitors to the Gardens at Heather Farm are looking for ideas for flower color in their home gardens throughout the seasons.

When I arrived at the Gardens 11 years ago the Ruth Howard Entrance Garden, which has an established valley oak, was underplanted with Japanese maples, Vinca minor and camellias. It was irrigated with overhead spray. Needless to say, this is a death sentence for a valley oak.

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Elaeagnus x ebbingei

SUNLIGHT SLOWLY WAKES THE GARDEN AFTER ITS DEEP SLEEP DURING THE FOGGY DAYS IN THE PAST MONTH.  Light streams through every space created by the bare branches, and new life becomes visible again.

The mood in the Gardens at Heather Farm is livelier with the first warm, sunlit days. Rambunctious baby squirrels have emerged from their nests and scramble about the trees in what looks like a lively game of tag. Lady bugs crawl out from their blanket of leaves, sunning themselves on the stems of Rudbeckia in the butterfly garden.

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Galanthlus nivalis, snowdrops

THERE IS A QUIET STILLNESS IN THE GARDEN.  The bones of the gardens are visible and a moist blanket of leaves covers the beds.

The fog these days is like a heavy curtain that opens slowly in late morning to reveal wispy blue skies. It hovers over the surrounding hills until late afternoon, permitting a brief glimpse of the sunset before closing again.

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Abutilon megapotamicum

ON THE MORNING OF THE WINTER SOLSTICE, THE SUN ROSE ROSE SLOWLY FROM THE BASE OF MOUNT DIABLO, looking as large as the full moon rising the night before. Light poured over the foothills to create a sea of pinkish peach in the valley below, and the mountain was nothing more that a silhouette, backlit from the rising sun.

Then within moments the sun slipped into the fog, the sea of pastels vanished and the day became familiar shades of gray that are common to our winters in the East Bay.

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Dodonaea

THE CURTAIN OF FOG CLOSES IN ON THE GARDENS AT HEATHER FARM IN DECEMBER and brings with it a calmness quite unlike the craziness associated with the holidays.

Egrets return to the pond, looking like statues as they wait patiently to catch fish. I am fortunate enough to witness how their patience pays off as I watch one snatch a fish from the waters edge in a flash. 

To read the entire article, click here.

NOW GROWING: Aesculus californica (California Buckeye or horse chestnut)

TREES ARE THE ANCHORS OF THE GARDEN; they create the backbone that harmonizes the landscape.

Understory plantings must complement their habitat as flora, fungus and wildlife depend on trees. Trees breathe by releasing oxygen, sweat as they gather moisture from the ground and transpire or release moisture into the atmosphere.

To read the entire article, click here.