I
feel incredibly lucky to be able to garden in Sacramento,
California. Our climate is typical Mediterranean, bringing
us hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters. Our growing
season is year-round. The combination of heat and chill
is just enough to allow us to grow everything from apples
to oranges. To be able to walk outside in December and
pluck a juicy orange off a tree is one of the greatest
things about gardening here.
We joke about our summer
heat, saying it's not so bad because "it's a dry
heat". Shade trees are hugely important to us.
Part of our heritage is the round-canopied valley oak
(Quercus lobata). This commanding native tree grows
to over 100 feet tall and can live for over 200 years.
As Sacramento's population grows, our valley oak population
dwindles. Sacramento's natural landscape is changing.
I guess that's inevitable.
Gardening is huge here. Perhaps
if Sacramento were blanketed by snow during winter,
we wouldn't be so consumed by thoughts of gardening.
But it isn't, and so we are...
