Advent calendars are windows to Christmas, each offering varying views of the season.In their simplest form, tiny paper doors that are part of a colorful scene are opened to reveal a small picture, Bible passage or piece of chocolate. One door is opened each day in December until Christmas.
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• Christmas tour set in Cottonwood
• College to sell holiday plants
• Garden club offers wreaths, garlands Full story »

I'm thankful for Thanksgiving. It hasn't gone sideways the way some holidays (not mentioning any names) have.OK, there are some gluttonous undertones to the day, but for the most part, Thanksgiving remains a simple holiday with a basic message: Be thankful.
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We can look at a calendar and know that it’s fall. But how do the trees know? There are three major factors that alert trees that the season is changing: length of night, pigments in the leaves and weather. Full story »

Montie Boster ran a gas station/garage in Fall River Mills and later worked at an Intermountain- area sawmill. He also grew a great garden.
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Grapevines carpet the landscape in Napa Valley. There seems to be no one without at least a few rows of cabernet or syrah. But in Steve Sando's backyard, all that grows are beans: Black Zebras, Red Limas and Parralenos, a chocolate-colored bean that Sando, the founder of bean company Rancho Gordo, discovered on a trip to Puebla, Mexico. In all, Sando has 15 heirloom varieties on trial. If he's lucky, one will grow well enough and taste good enough to be sold commercially.
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• Turtle Bay offers gardening classes
• Don’t be too quick to toss hot ashes
• Grant refreshes Dunsmuir gardens Full story »

Janice Perkins bought a bedroom dresser more than a decade ago, but it never made it into her bedroom. Instead, the versatile dresser has been useful for Perkins in three places in three houses. Once it held a television set; another time it served as an entry table coupled with a mirror. And, although it was built to hold clothes, its three wide drawers now comfortably store Perkins' table linens, napkins, candlesticks and napkin rings in an area near her dining room.
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When days turn cold, gray and soggy, let a cabbage brighten your outlook.Cheerful orbs in white, greens, pinks and purples add color to garden beds and patio pots all winter. They demand little and offer a lot.
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Gardening has a dark, rotten side. It's called compost.Grass clippings, leaves, twigs, weeds and other garden debris piled up and left to rot will transform into compost - a dark-brown, nutrient-rich soil amendment.
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• KIXE contest prize is a yard makeover
• Classes on soils, roses planned
• Master Gardeners answer questions
• Adjust timers on irrigation systems Full story »

Perhaps you recall the whiny column I wrote about my vegetable garden, in which I put a call out to readers to share their stories of success or failure.
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Lee and Judy Salter's Redding home is sleek and contemporary - but in a warm and woodsy sort of way.The home's exterior has rammed-earth walls accented with a purple panel and metalwork weathered to a rusty brown. The modern exterior is softened inside by Brazilian cherry-wood floors, Douglas fir ceilings, Craftsman-style furniture, soft textiles and a profusion of artwork.
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An eggplant that's ready to eat early, a melon that keeps its flavor longer and a squash that won't be taken down by powdery mildew are the stars of the latest All- America Selections. A viola was also honored by the nonprofit program that puts new plants to the test to find the best varieties for gardeners.
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Going once, going twice - koi will be sold during the Shasta Koi & Water Garden Club's annual auction beginning at 10 a.m. today.
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