Even if you don’t produce commercial crops, the office of the Napa County agricultural commissioner has valuable information for you. Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer Dave Whitmer and his staff are happy to share a wealth of knowledge on subjects such as pest prevention and management, protecting the environment and the accuracy of weights and measurements.

On Monday I had the pleasure of participating as an instructor in a fruit tree-pruning seminar sponsored by the California Arborists Association. A non-profit organization of professional arborists, CAA promotes training, education, and high professional standards of practice in tree care. The fruit tree-pruning seminar was one of many workshops and events on their calendar for 2007.

Most mornings this month, you’ll find me in my garden feeding, grooming and generally trying to coax my roses into putting on a superior floral extravaganza. My garden will be on the Napa County Master Gardeners’ Garden Tour on June 3, so the pressure is on to get my 350-plus roses to look their best when visitors arrive.