I like to think that winter’s long, dark nights, its snow and driving rains (when we get them – boy, I hope we get them), and its killing frosts, provide me with absolution from the mistakes, lapses, failures and inadequacies of the previous year in the garden. The dark and cold and leaching work together to provide me with a clean slate and a fresh start. I am resolved this year to keep my garden journal up to date just a little more regularly, to catalogue my photographs a little more consistently so that they can help to complement my journal. I am resolved to get my succession plantings timed a little more accurately, and to not allow my summer vegetable garden to run such riot.
I resolve to improve just a little. I am not aiming for any mental image that I or anyone else might have of perfection, because not only does this not exist, it would be terribly boring and would only serve to squelch innovation and spontaneous garden successes. It would not leave room for the miracles of spider webs by moonlight or mushrooms in the duff beneath the oaks.
It would not leave room for wonder.
So most of all, I resolve to leave a little more room for the miracle of wonder. As the garden’s fruits and vegetables feed the body, and the native plants feed the birds and the bugs, wonder feeds the soul in any garden. Photo: A winter buckeye shining out in the woodlands.
For monthly tasks in and around the garden (other than making and trying to keep up with my resolutions), the stack of eye-catching and heart-warming seed catalogues that follow me from desk to kitchen to bedside table, remind me it’s time to be starting some of our warm-weather seed crops inside, and to in general be planning for late winter and spring vegetable crops. Redwood Seeds based in Manton has their new 2012 Organic Seed Catalogue out, as do Territorial Seed out of Oregon, and Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, among others. Photo:A bluebird on a winter branch. Below, a frozen bird bath. Remember to clean, fill and sometimes crack the ice on your birdbaths in the winter months. Your visiting birds will thank you.
As you will see from the January Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, this dormant stretch of winter is also the time for pruning your summer-bearing fruit trees (but not your citrus), roses and cane fruits for best production, shape, size, and health. It’s also a good time to apply a balanced or low-nitrogen slow-release fertilizer to trees and shrubs to support their winter root growth. Keep cleaning up leaves and debris beneath your roses and fruit trees in order to diminish the chances of overwintering pests and diseases. During long dry spells, such as we have had in December, keep an eye on your plants – especially annuals and those planted in the last year – and deep water as needed. It’s best to water once the day has warmed above freezing so the soil and plant roots can take the water up most efficiently.
In the calendar of regional gardening events, there is plenty of room for both the work and the wonder of gardening and plant love. The On-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com adds events 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. If you have an event you would like listed or if you are aware of a mistake on the calendar, please send all pertinent information to: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com! Thanks!
December 31 – Chico: Butte Rose Society Annual Rose Pruning Demonstration, Historic Stansbury House 10 am. Want to see how to prune roses effectively and correctly and have seasonal fun doing it? Join the BRS for their annual pruning demo in the Historic Stansbury House rose garden. For more information: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/
December 31 – 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
JANUARY 2012
January 1 – NEW YEAR’S DAY
January 1 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society – Field Trip: Banana Belt Upper Bidwell Park 10:00 am Meet at Horseshoe Lake parking lot (E) with lunch and drink. Wear hiking shoes for the scramble up to the north ridge to see the first of the new year’s flowers. With good fall rains, we may see blue dicks, purple mouse ears, goldfields, and some of the last Indian paintbrush and gaping penstemon. If the weather is supportive, we will lunch at an Indian rock shelter equipped with 30 bedrock mortars and running water. Expect manzanita flowers on the return down the park road. About 2 miles overall. Leaders: Wes 530-342-2293 and Gerry 530-893-5123. For more information: http://mountlassen.cnps.org/
January 1 – Redding: Shasta Chapter California Native Plant Society New Year’s Day Hike 10 am meet at Mary Lake and Lakeshore drives.Start the New Year off right with an easy-to-moderate 4-mile walk starting at Mary Lake and proceeding up the Westside Trail. We should see manzanita and Henderson’s shooting stars starting to bloom. We will identify many different plants typical of chaparral and oak woodlands, and get great views of Redding and surrounding areas. Meet at 10 AM at Mary Lake and Lakeshore drives. No dogs, please. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. http://www.shastacnps.org/calendar.html
January 7 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and Friends 10:30 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
January 7 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society Pruning Demonstration 10am – 12pm Redding City Hall, 777 Cypress Ave. Hands-on session. Participants should bring pruner, gloves, and a bucket. For more info: www.shastarosesociety.org
January 7 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Fruit Tree Pruning Workshops 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. January is the month for Pruning Fruit Trees. Learn to properly prune and care for your trees;Proper pruning is essential for improving your trees health, appearance and fruit development. Class size is limited, please call or email (inform@wyntourgardens.com) to reserve your seat. All participants will receive an informative handout and a 10% Coupon. Bare root trees will be available for purchase. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 8 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Care and Planting of Bare Root Trees with George Winter 1 p.m. FREE Join George for a very informative class on how to properly care for your Bare root fruit trees to give them the best start to make them the healthiest they can be. Class size is limited, please call or email to reserve your seat. Bare root trees will be available for purchase. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 9 – Full Moon
January 9 – Paradise: Paradise Garden Club Monthly Member Meeting and Program 1 pm. Terry Ashe Rec Center Paradise. For more info: http://paradisegardenclub.org/
January 11 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Fruit Tree Pruning Workshops 10 a.m. January is the month for Pruning Fruit Trees. Learn to properly prune and care for your trees;Proper pruning is essential for improving your trees health, appearance and fruit development. Class size is limited, please call or email (inform@wyntourgardens.com) to reserve your seat. All participants will receive an informative handout and a 10% Coupon. Bare root trees will be available for purchase. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 11 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Walk With Warren 12 noon, Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Join Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum. Explore the pleasures of the winter garden, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $7 in Visitor Lot 55, on Garrod Drive at the School of Veterinary Medicine. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
January 11 – Magalia: Magalia Beautification Association Regular Member Meeting and Program 12:30 Corner of Wycliff Way and Racine Circle, Magalia CA 95954. Luncheon starts at 12:30, business at 1:00. Prospective members welcome! For more info: http://magaliagardeners.webs.com/
January 11 – Sacramento: Sacramento Valley Chapter of the CA Native Plant Society – Regular Monthly Meeting and Program “A Native Plant Nursery Restored – How a Shuttered Nursery Rose from the Ashes of Budget Cutbacks” by Rich Marovich, Streamkeeper 7pm. Shepard Garden and Arts Center. 3330 McKinley Blvd, Sacramento. Rich Marovich of the Lower Putah Creek Coordinating Committee will talk about the unique and innovative partnership between the CA Dept of Forestry and Fire Protection and Putah Creek advocates that brought life back to the L.A. Moran Reforestation Center in Davis, CA. Learn how local volunteers literally reap what they sow as they do everything from seed collection, to creating viable nursery stock, to restoring the Putah Creek corridor with the grown plants. Event is free and open to the public. Refreshments provided. For more information, please call (916) 929-7896 or visit http://sacvalleycnps.org/
January 14 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Rose Care and Pruning 1 p.m. Presented by Dean Davis, Master Rosarian. Learn how to keep your roses happy & healthy. Dean will go over all the basics to grow beautiful roses that will be the envy of your neighbors! Free. Class size is limited, please call or email to reserve your seat. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 14 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Essentials of Micro-Irrigation Workshop 10 am. Turtle Bay Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office at 1135 Arboretum Drive. Now’s the time (before you need it) to find out all you need to know about easy-to-install, low-water usage, manual and automatic micro(drip) – irrigation systems. Join Turtle Bay’s Senior Horticulturist Jim Bailey as he demonstrates and discusses the construction of a complete simple system with emitters, microsprayers, and all the basic necessary components for any micro-irrigation system. Members and Turtle Bay volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3 Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Nursery on immediate left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
January 15 – Redding: Shasta Chapter California Native Plant Society Plant Propagation Session 10am – 12pm Shasta College greenhouses, near the livestock barns. Plant Propagation Session. Two-hour work session at the Shasta College greenhouses. The greenhouses are located at the back of Shasta College, near the livestock barns. Bring clippers or any other tools you might need. Please call Susan Libonati at 530/347-4654 for further information.
January 15 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Fruit Tree Pruning Workshops 1 p.m. January is the month for Pruning Fruit Trees. Learn to properly prune and care for your trees; Proper pruning is essential for improving your trees health, appearance and fruit development. Class size is limited, please call or email (inform@wyntourgardens.com) to reserve your seat. All participants will receive an informative handout and a 10% Coupon. Bare root trees will be available for purchase. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 16 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Rose Care and Pruning 1 p.m. Presented by Dean Davis, Master Rosarian. Learn how to keep your roses happy & healthy. Dean will go over all the basics to grow beautiful roses that will be the envy of your neighbors! Free. Class size is limited, please call or email to reserve your seat. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 18 – Chico: Chico Horticultural Society regular member meeting and Program on Garden Journaling with Photography by Jennifer Jewell 9:30 am gather, 10 am program. Join Chico Hort as gardener, writer and photographer Jennifer Jewell provides some thoughts and tips on improving your gardening efficiency and enjoyment with a little more attention to keeping your journal and using digital photography to help. Butte County Library, Chico. PUBLIC WELCOME. For more info email jennifer@jewellgarden.com
Photo:Taking time to write in a journal can help your gardening – and your peace of mind.
January 18 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society Regular Member Meeting and Program 7 pm. City of Redding Corporation Way, 2055 Viking Way, Building 4, room 401. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. www.shastarosesociety.org
January 19 – Redding: Shasta Chapter California Native Plant Society Regular Member 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 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.
January 21 – Fairoaks: Fairoaks Horticultural Center Workshop Winter Fruit Tree Maintenance 9 am – noon. Learn about winter fruit tree maintenance with emphasis on pruning concepts and using the least toxic methods to counter fruit tree insect pests and diseases. Watch how to spur prune and cane prune grape vines. Learn the correct procedures for pruning blueberries. For more info: http://ucanr.org/sites/sacmg/Fair_Oaks_Horticulture_Center/Workshop_Schedule/
January 21 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Fruit Tree Pruning Workshops 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. January is the month for Pruning Fruit Trees. Learn to properly prune and care for your trees;Proper pruning is essential for improving your trees health, appearance and fruit development. Class size is limited, please call or email (inform@wyntourgardens.com) to reserve your seat. All participants will receive an informative handout and a 10% Coupon. Bare root trees will be available for purchase. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 23 – Chico: 2012 Chico Organic Gardening Class Series! 1st in a series of 8 Mondays 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Matthews Cafe located at 1600 Mangrove Ave, Suite 175 from 6:30-8:30PM. The cost will be $80.00 for the series in advance or $12.00 per class at the door. Presenters will be professionals within the local organic farming community. Subjects covered will range from new growing techniques to old tricks of the trade. These workshops will be geared to the novice as well as the advanced gardener. For more information and to sIgn up log on through meetup.com
January 26 – 29 – Butte County: 13th Annual Snow Goose Festival It’s a BIG YEAR for the 13th Annual Snow Goose Festival of the Pacific Flyway! Greg Miller is joining our festival this year and causing some BIG excitement for everyone! Greg is one of the famed birders featured in the 2004 book, The Big Year by Mark Obmascik and portrayed by Jack Black in the recently-released movie. Greg will be our Keynote Speaker at the banquet on Saturday night, and is looking forward to coming to Chico and sharing his joy of birding. Over 65 fieldtrips, workshops and presentations will be offered, along with lots of free activities and events for youth and families… something for everyone! Join us for the ever-popular Art Reception and Exhibit of the Pacific Flyway featuring a new downtown location… the Chico Art Center. We’ve also partnered with The Chico Museum, whose exhibit “Amazing Grains: The Story of Rice and Beyond,” will be a show-stoppper for many of our participants. So save the date on your calendar and be sure not to miss out on the Snow Goose Festival’s BIG YEAR this coming January 26-29! Registration opens in December. For more info: http://www.snowgoosefestival.org/
January 28 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Fruit Tree Pruning Workshops 10 a.m. January is the month for Pruning Fruit Trees. Learn to properly prune and care for your trees;Proper pruning is essential for improving your trees health, appearance and fruit development. Class size is limited, please call or email (inform@wyntourgardens.com) to reserve your seat. All participants will receive an informative handout and a 10% Coupon. Bare root trees will be available for purchase. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.
January 28 – Woodland: Ecolandscape 2012 – Conference and Trade Show: Eco-Evolution The New California Landscape Heidrick Ag History Center and Museum 1962 Hays Lane (2 blocks off freeway) Woodland, CA 95776. ‘Leading by Example – Landscaping companies have developed successful business models based on Sustainable Landscaping Practices’. The EcoLandscape Conference will present cutting edge information on ecological solutions for the landscape industry. Open to professionals in the landscape industry, including developers, architects, contractors, designers, nurserymen, parks managers and agency staff; this conference will address trends and technologies for water conservation, storm water run-off problems, resource conservation, pesticide and fertilizer reduction and how to stay profitable. The trade show of exhibitors offering products or services to further ecologically sustainable practices will be your opportunity to reach other professionals in the industry.1962 Hays Lane (2 blocks off freeway) Woodland, CA 95776. For More Info and to register: http://www.ecolandscape.org/eventsConference.html
January 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
January 30 – Chico: 2012 Chico Organic Gardening Class Series! 2nd in a series of 8 Mondays 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm. Matthews Cafe located at 1600 Mangrove Ave, Suite 175 from 6:30-8:30PM. The cost will be $80.00 for the series in advance or $12.00 per class at the door. Presenters will be professionals within the local organic farming community. Subjects covered will range from new growing techniques to old tricks of the trade. These workshops will be geared to the novice as well as the advanced gardener. For more information and to sign up log on through meetup.com
January 31- Red Bluff: Red Bluff Garden Club Regular Monthly Meeting and Program 12:30 gather. 1:00 pm program. Union Hall 12889 Baker Road Red Bluff, CA 96080 For more info: http://redbluffgardenclub.com/Home_Page.html
January 31 – Chico: Butte Rose Society Regular Monthly Meeting and Program 7 pm. General meetings of the Butte Rose Society are held on the last Tuesday of the month January-May and August-November. Meetings begin at 7 pm and are held at the Chico Veterans Memorial Hall at 554 Rio Lindo Ave. Membership is open to all interested in roses, but anyone may attend the General Meetings. Membership is $20.00 per year and provides you with the monthly award winning newsletter and special invitations to members-only events held throughout the year. CONTACT US AT: Butte Rose Society, PO Box 8888, Chico, CA 95927. http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/
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To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com
Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.
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 and 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.
