A friend recently chided me that the tag-line for my program should perhaps be celebrating the art, craft, science and labor of gardening ….the emphasis of course being on the labor aspect when he said it. There is much happening and much labor to be done in the garden this time of year – excuse the pun(s), but these are after all labors of love and there will be many fruits from our labors throughout the seasons to come. May’s fruits include so many of our wonderful ornamentals coming into their own – roses and clematis perhaps crown the month of May in their profusion. Many good rose events are happening around the region this month from both the Shasta and Butte Rose Societies as well as others (see below). The Butte Rose Society, whose members annual Rose Garden Tour is May 14, reminds us that if you are preparing for a special garden event, you can have your roses looking their best by dead-heading and fertilizing 6 weeks prior to the event.
The edible garden is starting to bring forth warmer weather produce. Watering, deadheading, feeding your soil and weeding are now things to try to stay on top of as best you can, the more consistent you are now with these good habits (which does not mean overwatering or overfeeding) the healthier and more productive your garden will be throughout the rest of the season.
Pam Geisel, the Statewide Coordinator for the Master Gardener Program who lives and gardens in Hamilton City, reminds us that Citrus should be fertilized in three applications at flowering, at fruit set and sometime in mid to late May. Be sure to water in fertilizers as soon after application as possible.
Wolfgang Rougle of Twining Tree Farms west of Cottonwood recommends using the first few very warm days to plant your corn, beans, melons and squash from seed in slightly moist soil. She also wrote in with an eloquent argument against a recent mainstream gardening media advisory to seal tree cavities as a way to control summer mosquito populations. In her opinion, sealing tree cavities could harm your tree(s) and will most definitely harm the larger community of creatures who use these tree cavities for a wide variety of reasons. See her full editorial below:
“….Particular attention in this advisory was given to treehole mosquitoes, which are a nuisance indeed; but trying to control these pests by sealing up tree cavities would do more harm than good.
These tree cavities, which can hold water year-round, are oases in our hot arid summers. They provide predator-free watering places for songbirds, lizards and even bats. (Yes, you can put out a birdbath for songbirds, but these just makes the local feral cats’ job much easier.) Ever wonder where tree frogs, so abundant in the spring, sit out the long summer days until rain returns? That’s where.
All these creatures, of course, eat mosquitoes.
Don’t forget the “small majority” — the invertebrate neighbors who make up most of our world. Tree cavity oases provide the water source for honeybees, countless native flies and wasps who pollinate plants, and the tree ant colonies that are at the heart of the blue oak woodland food chain. If treeholes are filled, these creatures will be forced to mob dripping water spigots, where they’ll come into conflict with humans.
And the part of the cavity which holds water is just a tiny part of the whole. Like a damp vestibule to a vast and airy mansion, it leads to countless cozy chambers where owls, bluebirds, bats, woodpeckers and sapsuckers (to name a few) raise their young. We hear a lot about pollution and wildlife die-offs, but these flashy perils are not the biggest threat to wildlife by a long shot. By far the biggest threat to most creatures is habitat loss. Habitat loss is what you cause when you fill tree cavities.
Finally, consider what is best for the tree. Most arborists discourage homeowners from filling tree cavities, because we now know that doing so greatly increases trees’ susceptibility to fungal infections and blights.”
In between the many labors calling to you from the garden and trail this month, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, even upcoming Father’s day all lead me to encourage you – the busy gardener – to consider taking a few hours for a good book. Two books that have made their way across my desk recently, and both of which I enjoyed for different reasons, are these:
“Tomorrow’s Garden: Design and Inspiration for a New Age of Sustainable Gardening,” by Stephen Orr, Rodale Press, 2011. This little gem of a book sits nicely in the hand and the very binding called to me aesthetically. Not only is the book written but also photographed by Stephen Orr, currently the Gardening Editor for Martha Stewart Living. His is the very personal voice of an engaged gardener and garden writer. He is knowledgeable and witty, as well as deeply felt in his personal anecdotes and responses to the many gardens he showcases in this book – and as someone who has worked with House & Garden, The New York Times and now Martha Stewart Living as a garden writer, he has had access to some very interesting gardens. In laying out his reasons for writing the book – and indeed his personal journey of becoming a gardener who would be drawn to such a book title, Stephen writes about reading the well-known gardening treatise “The Education of a Gardener” written in 1962 by Russell Page, and which Stephen has been told “will teach him everything he needs to know about being a gardener.” His response is: “…the book…taught me a lot about designing grand outdoor spaces and garden history. However, it told me nothing about gardens that sought to conserve (natural resources, labor, even money) rather than merely dazzle with the rigor of their perfection.” The photographs in “Tomorrow’s Garden,” and the welcoming gardens pictured therein, will still dazzle you, and these alone make the book worthwhile. Together with the message and inspiration, they make this a wonderful addition to your gardening bookshelves or the shelves of other gardeners in your life. You can read more of Stephen Orr’s thoughts on gardening at his blog: www.whatweretheskieslike.com/. It’s always a treat.
“Reimagining the California Lawn – Water-Conserving Plants, Practices and Designs,” by Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O’Brien, Cachuma Press, 2011, is the second gardening book I want to call to your attention. Very much for those of us gardening in California, this book’s intent is easily translated to wherever you might garden, but its plant resource lists are fairly specific to our climates. This newest title from the renowned horticultural trio and publisher who brought us the wonderful “California Native Plants for the Garden,” in 2005, is another good addition to anyone’s garden book collection. This book covers a lot of ground in terms of why to consider and how to approach replacing some or all of your lawn areas with alternatives, and it has a good listing of plants to consider using in place of your lawn. One of my favorite elements in this book is that the “Plant Profiles” section includes a discussion on the primary climate zones of California and each plant profiled is then identified by the climate zone that it is either from or where it should grow well – for instance Central Valley (CV), Inland (I), and so forth. Again, the pictures throughout this book are inspirational and full of ideas and visions to make any gardener start daydreaming about their next project.
The one place where I questioned “Reimagining the California Lawn” was in its description of how to remove lawn using the Sheet Mulching method. It recommends building a mulch layer of 12 – 24 inches (!!) over the newspaper or cardboard you have placed on top of the existing lawn to suffocate and deprive it of sunshine in order to kill it quickly and efficiently without a lot of digging/tilling and/or using herbicides. In my experience killing a large section of lawn last summer and over which I constructed raised vegetable beds with gravel paths, 5 sheets of newspaper topped with 2 – 4 inches of DG did the trick nicely.
My experience was corroborated recently by John Whittlesey of Canyon Creek Nursery & Design out of Oroville. In his presentation on creating “A Native Plant Oasis Where Once You Had Lawn” at the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Show in Chico on April 17th, he recommended “adapting your sheet mulching approach to your purposes.” If you are going to plant in the area once the lawn has been killed, John recommends “covering the lawn first with a 2 – 4 inch layer of good compost in order to feed the soil you will eventually work in, cover that with thick corrugated cardboard (overlapping sheets by about 6 inches). Finally, top the cardboard or newspaper layer with 2-4 inches of compost, bark or gravel. Water the whole thing thoroughly to help the cardboard/newspaper layer break down and wait 2-6 weeks to plant.” In total, this creates about an 4 – 8 inch sheet mulch and requires much less stockpiling/purchasing of organic mulch material than a 12 – 24 inch sheet mulch would do. If you are not going to plant in the area, you can skip the initial compost layer and go straight to the cardboard/newspaper layer followed by your mulch of choice.
Whether it is a good read, your sheltering trees and their insect, bird and other creature laden communities, your now flowering-with-decadence-roses, killing your lawn or just the thought of the coming summer – gardening is something we do for the sheer love it – mosquitos, labor and all. Labor and labors of love are fully evident in this month’s calendar of monthly events:
If you are interested in our regional events, be sure to check the On-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com regularly – events are added throughout the month. I do my very best to keep the calendar up to date and accurate, please confirm all events with the event host’s contact information. If you have an event you would like listed or if you are aware of a mistake on my calendar, please send me corrected info: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com! Thanks.
April 29 – 30 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Turtle Bay McConnell Arboretum Spring Plant Sale Turtle Bay/Arboretum Member Party & Pre-Sale is Friday, 5 to 8 PM, and the General Public Sale is Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM, at the Arboretum, 1100 Arboretum Drive, Redding. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
April 30 – Durham: Hodge’s Nursery Spring Fest: 9:30 am – 5 pm Saturday. several speakers: vegetable gardening by Kreg Brawley, edible landscaping by Eve Werner & 2 of the Butte County Master Gardeners will also be sharing on the 3 “B’s” of gardening. Portions of the proceeds goes to the Relay For Life teams, Durham Blossoms & Buds. Also the Durham Blossoms & Buds will be selling tri-tip sandwiches all day for their cause against cancer. Also many local businesses & artisans will have booths & demonstrations throughout the day. The event begins @ 9:30 AM. Lots of artisans, gardening and more. Hodge’s Nursery & Gifts 9681 Midway Durham, CA
April 30 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Plant Sale: Gardening for the Senses 9 am–1 pm, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Central Valley gardeners can enhance their gardens with beautiful spring plants from the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum plant sale on Saturday, April 30, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The sale will feature hundreds of different kinds of plants, most of which have been grown in Davis and will thrive in Central Valley conditions, including newly-introduced and unusual garden plants that are hard to find or not available in commercial nurseries. This sale has a special focus on gardening for the senses, featuring plants for color, texture, and fragrance. Many of the Arboretum All-Stars, the Arboretum’s top recommended plants for Central Valley gardens, will be for sale. Master Gardeners and Arboretum experts will be on hand to advise on the best plants for shoppers’ garden conditions. At the Plant Doctor booth, plant pathology graduate students will diagnose plant pests and diseases—shoppers can bring samples of problem plants in a sealed plastic bag for advice. The UC Davis Environmental Horticulture Club will be there selling annuals and starts for summer vegetable gardens. Anyone can join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum at the door and receive a 10% discount on purchases and a free plant. The Arboretum Teaching Nursery is located on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lots 50 and 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
April 30 – Cottonwood: Cottonwood Garden Club Garden Tour 10 am – 2 pm Looking for inspiration for your garden? Get ideas at Cottonwood Garden Clubs 16th annual “Finally It’s Spring” Garden Tour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30. Four Cottonwood-area gardens are included on the self-guided tour. Refreshments will be featured at each garden. Tickets are $10. They can be purchased at Wyntour Gardens and Castle Mountain Gardens, both in Redding. For more information, call 530- 347-3852.
April 30 – Los Molinos: Nature Conservancy Hike in Dye Creek Canyon 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM The four to five mile hike follows the course of Dye Creek itself, which cuts through a pristine setting of volcanic buttes, hills and extensive blue oak woodlands, before flowing into the Sacramento River. Expect spectacular views, spring flowers, occasional wildlife sightings, such as golden eagles and woodpeckers (binoculars enhance the experience). You’ll also have a rare opportunity to explore a cave thought to be frequented by Ishi, the last survivor of the Yahi Indian Tribe. Please note: A good level of fitness and agility is required to complete the hike. Hikers will have to traverse a creek and navigate steep, rocky terrain. All events are held rain or shine, with the exception of a serious downpour. Sturdy footwear/hiking boots are a requirement. The weather may be hot, or humid and wet, so wear layered clothing, and bring waterproof clothing and a hat. Carry plenty of drinking water, and bring a lunch. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Space is limited to 25 persons, so visitors are advised to book early. To book a reservation or receive more information, contact Jackson Shedd of The Nature Conservancy at (530) 588-8013 or jshedd@tnc.org.
April 30 – Whitmore: Tuscan Heights Spring Lavender Plant Sale 10 am – 5 pm. 12757 Fern Road EAST Whitmore, California. We are dedicated to bringing you the highest quality organic plants, products and essential oils. Registered Organic with: The Shasta County Department of Agriculture / #45-0050 and Certified Naturally Grown with CNG.org. For more Info: 530-472-3066
April 30 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk With Lisa Endicott, Horticultural Manager 11 am. Bring your notebooks and camera! We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
April 30 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens – Wire Basket Workshop 11 am – 1 pm. FREE – Please call to reserve your spot for one of our most popular classes each year. Learn to plant a wire basket using our unique “lasagna method.” Bring a wire basket from home or purchase one here. Be creative and have some fun. Spend an early mother’s day with your mom or friends. Wyntour Gardens 8026 Airport Road, Redding CA. For more info: wyntourgardens.com, or 530-365-2256.
MAY 2011
May 1 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society – Field Trip: Dale and Hog Lakes Ecological Reserves 9 am meet at Chico Park & Ride West Lot. These lakes are vernal pools on BLM grasslands, NE of Redbluff located on Tuscan volcanic soils. Meadowfoam, monkeyflowers, canchalagua, and many more. Leaders: Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123; and Wes Dempsey: 530-342-2293. Bring Lunch, water, hat, hiking shoes and money for ride sharing.
May 1 – Chico: Chico Organic Gardening Class: Seed Saving 101 with Kalan Redwood of Redwood Seeds 1:30 – 3:30 Chico Grange. Kalan will cover the basics of flower anatomy, botanical names, isolation time and distance, selection, harvest techniques, seed cleaning and storage. Redwood Seed will be for sale at the break and after class. $5 at the door. For more information on Redwood Seeds go to: www.redwoodseeds.net. For more information or to register, go to: http://valleyoakmagazine.com/about/monthly-publication/organic-gardening/chico-organic-gardening-society-cogs/chico-organic-gardening-class.
May 1 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Bugtopia: Discover Everyday Insects 2 pm, Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. The Arboretum Ambassadors, environmental leadership interns at the UC Davis Arboretum, will present a special guided tour on Sunday, May 1 focusing on the hidden insect wonders of the Arboretum. Participants will learn the names of common insects and explore their life cycles and the ecological relationships of insects and plants. All ages are welcome. The free tour will start at 2:00 p.m. at the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
May 4 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of Cal Native Plant Society: Regular Member Meeting & Program by Albin Bills: Table Mountain the Natural History of A Very Special Place 7:30 pm Butte County Library, OROVILLE – PLS NOTE DIFFERENT MEETING LOCATION. Join Albin Bills at our May meeting for a colorful, informative presentation on the ecology of this remarkable landmark. Covering a wide range of topics, the talk is aimed at a broad audience – wildflower lovers, botanists, hikers, explorers, and natural historians. For more information: http://www.cnps.org/cnps/chapters/newsletters/pipevine.pdf
May 5 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society – Field Trip: Chaffin Family Farm and Table Mountain 9:15 am meet at Chico Park & Ride West Lot/ hwy 99/32. Drive to Chaffin Family Farm headquarters at 606 Coal Canyon Road, Oroville. We will tour a diversified family farm located at the base of, and upon, Table Mountain. We will take a driving tour of the farm’s animal rearing facilities and the farms extensive orchards. The tour will end on Chaffin’s pastureland on southern Table Mountain where we should see a great display of wildflowers. Those arriving on their own may meet us at the farm at 10 am. Leader: Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123.
May 5 – Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org
May 5 – Paradise: Saturen Studio Botanical Illustration Classes – Session IV begins 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm every Thursday for 4 weeks, May 5 – May 26. 10 yrs to Adult. Create scientific illustrations of exotic flowers, leafy foliage, tantalizing fruit, and seeds – even carnivorous species. Draw flora to scale, add texture, shadows, and balance as you transfer visual references to paper. Sharpen your drawing skills and pencils as you learn techniques that create 3-dimensional drawings that appear to pop out of the paper! Terry Ashe Recreation Center in Paradise, California Paradise Recreation and Park District (PRPD) Supplies list available at PRPD office. FEE: $30.00 INSTRUCTOR: Ben Saturen. More info please email: b.saturen@yahoo.com
May 6 – Chico: SIERRA CASCADE NETWORK FOR A HEALTHY CALIFORNIA 1 – 4 pm, Enloe Hospital Conference Center, Esplanade, Chico. Please join in a forum on healthy school food, school gardens and farm to school initiatives around our our region. For more information email Gina Sims at: gmsims@csuchico.edu.
May 6 – Orland: Friendly Garden Club Regular Monthly Meeting 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Monthly on the first Friday Carnagie Center, 912 3rd St., Orland CA 95963 more info: please email: FriendlyGardenClub@hushmail.com
May 7 – Davis: California Center for Urban Horticulture: Your Sustainable Backyard: Roses: : Our 4th annual Rose day will feature educational presentations, tours of our 8 acres of roses and a fabulous rose sale. Just in time for Mother’s Day! For more information or to register, go to: http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/events/roses-2011 or email Missy Borel: mjborel@ucdavis.edu
May 7 – Colusa: Garden Club of Colusa – Colusa County May Surprise! Garden Club of Colusa County plant sale in the park at 9:00 a.m., the Friends of the Library Wine and Cheese Tasting in the park at 1:00 p.m., the Pacific Flyways Annual Quilt Show at the historic courthouse at 10:00 a.m., a horse and carriage to convey people between the two sites, a horseshoe tournament in the park, and the presentation of the annual awards for historical preservation by local citizens in the gazebo at the courthouse at 12:00 noon. It will be a day packed with fun and will benefit the community support efforts of the various groups.
May 7 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society: A Day In the Rose Garden 10:00AM to 4:00PM at 3120 Inverness Redding 96002 admission is free. Come spend “A DAY IN THE ROSE GARDEN” A beautiful garden with all kinds of plants and other interesating items. Featuring plant sales, boutique, rose petal jelly, raffle. Get answers to gardening questions by master gardeners and consulting rosarians. Light refreshments will be served. Admission Free. Contact; Carole Schmitz 530-242-1901 or mandcschmitz@gmail.com. For more information: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html
May 7 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Water-Wise Plants for a Mediterranean Climate 10 am – Noon. Much of California, including Redding, has a Mediterranean climate – hot dry summers and cool wet winters. Garden plants that originate from this type of climate grow much better in Redding than those that hail from the more humid areas of Europe or Eastern North America. Mediterranean style gardens also seem to fit hand-in-glove into our regional landscape – and use less water! We’ll discuss the myriad plant choices available, and other Mediterranean garden elements. FREE for Members, $3 for Nonmembers. Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
May 7 – Chico: 28th Annual St. John’s Garden Tour 11:00am to 4:00pm. Always anticipated as a great gardening season kickoff – this year’s tour includes 5 Wonderful Gardens. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the church the day of the tour, include a delicious lunch, and are available at 13 locations in Chico, Durham and Paradise. For more information: rbmj1616@aol.com
May 7 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and Friends 11 am. Presented by John & Betty Fitzpatrick. An interactive program in the Children’s Garden (or Greenhouse in rain) for children, their siblings, parents and grandparents. Join Charlie, our adorable jack rabbit puppet, in various gardening activities. Wear your favorite gardening clothes! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
May 7 – Whitmore: Tuscan Heights Spring Lavender Plant Sale 10 am – 5 pm. 12757 Fern Road EAST Whitmore, California. We are dedicated to bringing you the highest quality organic plants, products and essential oils. Registered Organic with: The Shasta County Department of Agriculture / #45-0050 and Certified Naturally Grown with CNG.org. For more Info: 530-472-3066
May 7 & 8- Red Bluff: Red Bluff Garden Club – 50th Annual Flower Show 10 am – 6 pm Sat, 10 – 5 Sun. Tehama District Fairgrounds, 650 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff, CA. The show will feature displays of flowers and floral arrangements. There will be floral design and propagation demonstrations. A plant sale is planned. The event is free. For more information: www.redbluffgardenclub.com
May 8 – Redding/Weed: Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society: Annual Mother’s Day Wildflower Show 10 AM to 4 PM at the Siskiyou Golden Fairgrounds in Yreka (first northbound exit off of I-5). Sponsored by Shasta Chapter CNPS and Klamath National Forest. Hundreds of native plants and wildflowers will be on display. This is a fantastic display and a special place to take Moms (and it’s free!). If you would like to volunteer to help with the exhibit (Saturday or Sunday), or sell books and posters, please contact Jay & Terri Thesken at 221-0906 or Marla Knight at 468-1238.
May 11 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Walk with Warren: California Wildflowers 12 p.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road, UC Davis. Join Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum’s native plant collections on Wednesday, April 13. Enjoy the early spring weather, learn about the Arboretum’s collections, see spring wildflowers in bloom, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, located on Old Davis Road at Mrak Hall Drive, across from the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $6 in Visitor Lots 1 and 2 and the Mondavi Center parking structure. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
May 12– Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org
May 14 – Red Bluff: Sacramento River Discovery Center Watershed Festival and Plant Sale! 9 am – 1 pm 1000 Sale Lane, Red Bluff. Plant Sale in the Native Plant Discovery Garden. Also: 5K-10K Walk Run, Entertainment, Family Fun, Art Sale, Information &Resources, Live Music, Bake Sale, Silent Auction, Games, Basket Weaving, Crafts For more information call 530-527-1196 or e-mail: ccramer@tehama.k12.ca.us
May 14 – Chico: Butte Rose Society Member’s only (you can Join by May 7th!) Rose Garden Tour A full morning of touring some of the areas finest private rose gardens, culminating in a feast of a lunch in the final garden. While Members only are allowed to attend, if you join and pay your $20 by May 7th, you are eligible! The membership fee is well worth it for just the tour alone, but the society meetings and programs throughout the year are equally outstanding. For more information: email Bill Reynolds: Bill Reynolds or visit http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/
May 14 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: End of Season Plant Sale: 9 am–1 pm, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. It’s not too late to get some beautiful plants and find some great bargains at the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum end-of-season clearance plant sale on Saturday, May 14, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The sale will feature hundreds of different kinds of plants, most of which have been grown in Davis and will thrive in Central Valley conditions, including newly-introduced and unusual garden plants that are hard to find or not available in commercial nurseries. This sale has a special focus on gardening for the senses, featuring plants for color, texture, and fragrance. Many of the Arboretum All-Stars, the Arboretum’s top recommended plants for Central Valley gardens, will be for sale. Master Gardeners and Arboretum experts will be on hand to advise on the best plants for shoppers’ garden conditions. At the Plant Doctor booth, plant pathology graduate students will diagnose plant pests and diseases—shoppers can bring samples of problem plants in a sealed plastic bag for advice. The UC Davis Environmental Horticulture Club will be there selling annuals and starts for summer vegetable gardens. Anyone can join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum at the door and receive a 10% discount on purchases and a free plant. The Arboretum Teaching Nursery is located on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lots 50 and 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
May 15 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society – Field Trip: Maidu Plants for Medicine, Crafts and Food – Upper Bidwell Park 9 am meet at Horseshoe lake parking lot in Upper Park. About a 1.5 mile hike to see about 30 of the plants the local Indians used. Soak plants for suds and glue, gray pine for food and skin salve among others. Over at 12 noon. Bring water and wear a hat! Leader: Wes Dempsey: 530-342-2293.
May 15 – Chico Area: 1st in a Series of a 5-Weekend Foodshed Tour: Chaffin Family Farms Butte County is lucky to have so much good food grown and produced in this area. During a series of 2 hour tours of 5 farms in our local foodshed, you will grow a greater understanding from where your food comes and why these farmers and producers work so hard to bring it to our tables. The series will conclude at the GRUB farm with a picnic after the tour that members will create with the delicious foods from the farms we visited. Chaffin Family Orchards May 15, Miller’s Bake house, May 22, Pyramid Farms June 5, Massa Organics June 12, GRUB (tour and picnic) June 26. $15 per tour or meal or $75 Package Deal: all 5 tours+meal. Kids under 6 free, 6 and over $8. Times for each tour are varied and are posted on the website. We will carpool; meet at the GRUB Co-op. Pre-register at grubchico.org or by calling Stephanie at 530-354-1646 Maximum of 40 people per tour.
May 15 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum Guided Tour: Romance and legend – Roses of the Storer Garden 11 am Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Join docent Pam Kazmierczak for a fun walk through the history of the rose. Pam will lead a guided tour of the roses of the Arboretum’s Storer Garden–chosen for their suitability for Central Valley conditions–and discuss the history and geography of wild roses leading up to today’s cultivated varieties. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lots 50 and 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
May 17 – Chico: Slow Food Shasta Cascade Regular Monthly Meet and Eat 6:30 pm. Chico Grange 2775 Nord Avenue Chico, CA 95973 (530) 895-1976. For More Information, email Kathy Moore: mundanerealism@yahoo.com
May 18 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society: Regular Member Meeting & Program Verbally Judging the First Little Rose Show of the Season 7 pm City of Redding Corporation Yard, 2055 Viking Way, Building 4, Rm 401. For more information: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html
May 19 – Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org
May 19 – Redding: Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society: Regular Monthly Meeting and Program 7 PM at the Shasta College Health Science & University Programs building in downtown Redding, 1400 Market Street, Community Room 8220 (clock tower building at the north end of the Market Street Promenade; enter on south side of the building). A Board meeting will be held before the regular meeting, at 5:30 PM at Angelo’s Pizza Parlour in the Foundry Square, 1774 California Street, Redding.
May 21 – Yuba City: Sutter Buttes Garden Club – Garden and Home Tour: We welcome all of our gardening friends and guests to spend the day visiting a variety of beautiful homes and their gardens. Each garden will showcase an artist, craftsman, or hobbyist displaying their special interest. Renowned local floral designer, Bob Bigham, will feature an exquisite floral arrangement uniquely paired to each home. A delicious box lunch, prepared fresh that morning, is included in the ticket price, and will be served from 11:30a.m. -1:30 p.m. During this time, you may shop for objects d’art at our club “Boutique”. Fresh floral bouquets will be available for purchase. A program and map to the homes will be ready for pickup at 9:30 a.m. the morning of Saturday, May 21st.. St Andrew Presbyterian Church will be the locale for both home site directions and lunch. The address is 1390 Franklin Road, two blocks west of the Hwy 99/Franklin road intersection, in Yuba City, at the corner of Franklin and Littlejohn Roads. Public restrooms are located inside the building. All homes will open at 10 a.m., with closing scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available for $25 each, with checks made payable to Sutter Buttes Garden Club and mailed to P.O. Box 1152, Yuba City, CA 95992. Questions may be directed to JolyneWilliams, 530-673-4313, jdwilliams@syix.com. The Sutter Buttes Garden Club is dedicated to the beautification of our community through education and projects. Proceeds from this fundraiser will help continue our efforts. Come, join our club for a wonderful spring day … rain or shine, you will have a truly unique experience!
May 21 – Fair Oaks: Fair Oaks Horticulture Center – Workshop: Creative Solutions 8:30 am – 11:30 am. Veggies in containers, on trellises, and how to water them. Choosing ornamental plants: All-Stars, natives, and more. Learn Master Gardeners’ favorite gardening ideas. For more Information: http://ucanr.org/sites/sacmg/Fair_Oaks_Horticulture_Center/Workshop_Schedule/
May 21 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Buscando los raíces: A Spanish-language tour of California native plants: 11 a.m., Wyatt Deck, Old Davis Road, UC Davis Arboretum. The Arboretum Ambassadors, environmental leadership interns at the UC Davis Arboretum, will present a special Spanish-language guided tour on Saturday, May 21 focusing on the Arboretum’s collection of California native plants. Participants will learn about California ecology and traditional uses of native plants. All ages are welcome. The free tour, led entirely in Spanish, will start at 11:00 a.m. at the Wyatt Deck, located on Old Davis Road next to the redwood grove in the UC Davis Arboretum. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 5 at Old Davis Road and A Street. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
May 22 – Chico Area: 2nd in a Series of a 5-Weekend Foodshed Tour: Miller’s Bake House Butte County is lucky to have so much good food grown and produced in this area. During a series of 2 hour tours of 5 farms in our local foodshed, you will grow a greater understanding from where your food comes and why these farmers and producers work so hard to bring it to our tables. The series will conclude at the GRUB farm with a picnic after the tour that members will create with the delicious foods from the farms we visited. Chaffin Family Orchards May 15, Miller’s Bake house, May 22, Pyramid Farms June 5, Massa Organics June 12, GRUB (tour and picnic) June 26. $15 per tour or meal or $75 Package Deal: all 5 tours+meal. Kids under 6 free, 6 and over $8. Times for each tour are varied and are posted on the website. We will carpool; meet at the GRUB Co-op. Pre-register at grubchico.org or by calling Stephanie at 530-354-1646 Maximum of 40 people per tour.
May 26 – Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org
May 28 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk With Lisa Endicott, Horticultural Manager 11 am. Bring your notebooks and camera! We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
May 28 – Chico: Butte Rose Society General Member Meeting & Little Rose Show 6 pm gather, 7 pm meeting and program begin. Chico Veterans Memorial Hall at 554 Rio Lindo Ave. For more information: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/
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In a North State Garden is a weekly Northstate Public Radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in Northern California. It is made possible in part by the Gateway Science Museum – Exploring the Natural History of the North State and on the campus of CSU, Chico. In a North State Garden is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell – all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In a North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here.
