Marin Gardening: Spring is Almost Here

Living in central California, we're especially lucky to get such excellent growing weather. There is a wide selection of plants that do well here so you can pretty much have your pick, whether it's growing a vegetable garden, or a xeriscape low water landscape. And to get those jobs done, Marin has a fantastic selection of nurseries and garden experts to get all the supplies and knowledge for the garden of your dreams.

Are you new to gardening? Have you heard of Marin's Master Gardeners? For all the advice from composting, to growing, to harvesting, if you head over to the Marin Master Gardeners' website you can find all kinds of resources to help with every aspect of your garden. You can even call their offices for advice from a master gardener! They're hosting an upcoming event, the 2015 Master Gardener Tomato Market and Information Exchange, on Saturday April 18th from 9 am to 12 pm, in the Bon Air shopping center, and at Pini Hardware in Novato. I highly recommend going to their website to check them out. Marin Master Gardeners.

After you've settled on what it is you'd like to do with your yard, you can head over to some of the many nurseries here in Marin, and they have so many dedicated and knowledgable people to help your foliage dreams come true.

Sloat Gardening centers are all over Marin, and they carry as many varieties of plants as you can think of. They also make sure to carry natives to the area, and that's a big plus for a yard that you want to be low maintenance. You can visit their website to get directions and hours at Sloat Gardens.

Scattered all over Marin County is a wonderful assortment of small independently owned and operated nurseries. Each nursery expresses the passion, taste and special knowledge of its owners. They specialize in offering unique, diverse plants and a depth of knowledge not found at the larger nursery chains and department store nurseries.

West End Nursery

O'Donnells Nursery

Green Point Nursery

Mostly Natives

Lastly, I'd like to close this blog with a farewell to Sunnyside Nursery, a nursery that valued its customers and community for 3 generations. They have decided that their journey is ending, although their lot will be taken up by Armstrong Gardening Centers. Small businesses are what make Marin beautiful and unique, and it's always sad to see one go. Thank you for the service you provided while you could.

Good luck on your gardening adventures, and I hope you have a bountiful harvest this fall!

~ Kelly Cranmer Valadez