What it is
Get your garden ready before the rain starts. NOAA puts the odds of a very strong El Niño above 90 percent this fall and winter, with a high chance of a storm season stronger than any on record since 1950.
You'll learn exactly what to do about it:
Protecting garden beds, potted plants, and trees
Managing runoff and stabilizing slopes
What to do once the rains arrive
How to take advantage of a stormy, wet winter
The details
Instant digital download (PDF) — read it in one sitting, refer back to it all season long
12 pages covering prevention, protection, and what to do storm by storm
A supply checklist and curated resource list — plant lists for bioswales, cover crop guides, and how to find a certified arborist
Written specifically for Southern California, not generic storm-prep advice
Membership in Nan Sterman's Garden School Community. Ask questions, share tips, and get advice all season long.
Subscription to GardenWise Free with weekly gardening tips, a monthly note from Nan, and Garden School updates.
"The content was so comprehensive... It couldn't be more valuable!" - Karina S.
Why it's worth it
A wet winter can be a gift to your garden, or it can be the thing that topples a tree, floods a bed, or washes out a slope. The difference comes down to what you do before the first storm hits.
This guide includes specific, actionable steps that protect your garden: pots, trees, slopes, drainage. Ten dollars and twenty minutes of reading now could save you a much more expensive (and much soggier) mess come January.
Questions
Is this only for people with a big garden or lots of trees?
No, the guide covers potted plants and small spaces right alongside trees and slopes, so there's something useful whether you've got a balcony or a hillside.
Do I need to be a Garden School student to buy this?
Not at all. This is a standalone guide, open to anyone getting their garden ready for winter.
What format is it in?
It's a downloadable PDF you can read on any device.
When should I use this?
Now. The guide is built around prepping before the rains start, so the sooner you read it, the more time you have to act on it.
Nan Sterman
Horticulturist, designer, author & PBS host
Nan has spent her career building a depth of knowledge about Southern California horticulture that simply doesn't exist anywhere else. She has designed hundreds of gardens across the region, taught more than a thousand students, and brought that knowledge to public television through A Growing Passion.
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