The 'we' consists of Karen Schaffer, Head Planter & Chief Experimenter, and Mike Ward, Digger of Holes & Speaker to Irises. Karen's passion is the garden, so she is writing most of this. To see one of Mike's passions, take a look at his site about the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 1901.

We live in San Jose, in the Santa Clara Valley, aka Silicon Valley. In a previous incarnation this fertile valley, which now mainly grows high-tech start-ups, was covered with prune plum orchards and was known as The Valley of Heart's Delight. San Franciscans would come down on blossom tours to picnic under the trees in the spring! We don't have any plum trees (yet), but I have just planted a dwarf cherry tree, a triple-header with Montmorency, Black Republican, and Royal Ann varieties grafted onto one trunk. And I've tried my hand at grafting known varieties onto a volunteer peach tree. (Details on request.)

In terms of USDA zones, San Jose is in zone 9. In terms of Sunset Western Garden zones, a system which makes much finer divisions, we are zone 15. What this means is that we're hot and dry in the summer (although the temperature plummets as soon as the sun sets, so it's generally cool at night). Winter is cool and rainy, with occasional frosts and rare freezes. Spring starts in February and is quite long; it doesn't get into the 80's regularly during the day until May. Fall is the least defined season, some plants responding to the shorter day lengths, while others wait for a temperature cue which may be a long time in coming. In early March, for instance, I noticed that a neighbor's tree had finally decided it was time to drop its leaves. Whumph! There are many deciduous trees and bushes here, so there are distinct differences to the seasons. But there are plenty of broad-leafed evergreens too which give us a semi-tropical look: palm trees, citrus trees, camellias, birds of paradise.

As an ardent gardener and recently transplanted Minnesotan, I've been making many discoveries about how to garden in California. And I've got plenty left to learn. My purpose in doing this site is to entertain people, provide what information I've gathered so far, and, I hope, get ideas and suggestions from other gardeners. Hope you enjoy it!