Fionuala Campion
Fionuala has loved the outdoors her whole life, with her passion for gardening beginning while playing and growing in the childhood gardens of her native Ireland. After moving to California over 30 years ago, she is the owner/manager of Cottage Gardens of Petaluma, a specialty nursery in NorCal. From this platform she shares her love of growing plants and transforming landscapes, while continuing to design and maintain gardens for clients. Having raised four kids with an appreciation for nature and the outdoors, and successfully sent them on their way with remarkable weeding skills, Fionuala now lives in the countryside of Petaluma with her dogs, hens, ducks and heritage hogs.
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Northern California Regional ReportsWind-Tolerant Plants for Northern California
Gardening in a windy, exposed area can be a challenge. Luckily, some plants are not only impervious to the effects of gusts or breezes but will react in such a…
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Northern California Regional ReportsThe Best Warm-Season Veggies for Container Gardening in Northern California
Some of us veggie gardeners are blessed with several acres, but some of us have smaller yards to work with. Some of us may even be limited to just a…
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Northern California Regional ReportsGrowing Rhododendrons in Northern California
Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp. and cvs., Zones 4–9) are colorful, ornamental woody plants that are most at home in damp climates with mild temperatures. The Rhododendron genus is a large one,…
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How-ToThese Shears Are an Essential for Tidying Your Garden
My medium-duty bonsai thinning shears from Joshua Roth (model #133) are the best all-around snipping shears I’ve ever used and might be the most-loved and most-used gardening tool that I…
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Northern California Regional ReportsFirescaping in Northern California
"Fire season" is a reality for Northern California gardeners beginning in late summer through fall, with fire concerns mounting steadily each year. Wildfires threaten—and sometimes consume—wildlands, farmlands, and homes. Though…
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Northern California Regional ReportsGrowing Potatoes in Northern California
Homegrown potatoes are delicious, easy to grow, packed with nutrition, and so much fun to harvest! Read on for tips on how to grow them as well as my recommendations…
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Northern California Regional ReportsBeautiful Blue Perennials for Northern California
The color blue evokes pleasant feelings of tranquility and harmony. Blue hues appear to be refreshing as well as calming and soothing to body and mind. In the garden, blue…
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Northern California Regional ReportsA Visit to the Ruth Bancroft Gardens and Nursery
A visit to the Ruth Bancroft Gardens in Walnut Creek is particularly rewarding in late winter and early spring. While most of our own landscapes are still looking drab, this…
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Northern California Regional ReportsIntoxicating Itoh Peonies for Northern California
What exactly is an Itoh peony? Itoh peonies were first developed by Toichi Itoh, who experimented for many years with crossing tree peonies (Paeonia suffruticosa cvs., Zones 4–8), which are…
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Northern California Regional ReportsGreat Native Plants for Northern California
Growing native plants is the gardening equivalent of having your cake and eating it too. Not only are these plants beautiful and more likely to thrive in your landscape, they…
