Darkness & Light: March in the Garden & North State Calendar of Gardening Events

“There is a certain slant of light/ on winter afternoons/ that oppresses…” wrote the poet Emily Dickinson. But Emily, an avid gardener herself, knew just as surely that this same slant of light – made slightly higher and longer with the lengthening days as we cross the threshold into spring – will lift us.

The luminous insistence of growing things – as described by Ansel Adams – navigates and is oriented by the particular quality of light at any one moment in a day, in a season, in a life. You, me, our gardens, photographers, poets, plants people and pansies – are calibrated to a certain amount of light – and of dark – in order to thrive. We need sufficient amounts of both. We rise and rest with the shifting of the light as with any other essential nutrient. By March 20th, and the moment of the Vernal Equinox, we will be receiving close to 2 hours and 40 minutes more daylight than we received on the Winter Solstice in December – and the whole world will energetically reflect this added luminosity and the benefits gained from the healing of winter’s rest.

Although the first official day of Spring is March 20th – average last frost dates are still a ways away for most of us – mid-April for the earliest of us – so don’t get too excited too quickly. In the North State Garden, March is a great time for continuing to sow cold hardy vegetable seeds or planting out cold hardy perennials and shrubs to begin establishing before true spring. It’s also time for a balanced fertilizer for your trees, shrubs and lawns that are starting to show signs of growth. March 1st is a traditional date on which to feed citrus trees. And just to mess with light and time even more – don’t forget that March 10th, our clocks will spring forward.

Good vegetables to direct seed outside this month include beets, carrots, chard, corn, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, radishes and turnips. Summer blooming bulbs and seed potatoes are also ready put in. When preparing my beds for planting, I dig in well-aged compost that includes the composted manure from my chickens. When preparing to plant, make sure that your soil is neither too wet nor too dry – people often describe the perfect soil texture for seeding as being that of moist chocolate cake. Once seeds are sown, they must be kept consistently damp until they germinate.

The On-line Calendar of North State 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!

MARCH

February 28 – March 3 – Forest Ranch: Permaculture and Regenerative Ag Hands-on Workshop Hosted by Perma-fun-k. We are starting the 2013 season with this double hands on course about: Water shed restoration techniques & concious Earthworks, where we would learn how to use design permaculture techniques and Regenerative Agriculture techniques applied to capture, move and contain water through out our landscapes and in ponds, water tanks, etc… This course will be divided in 2 parts that will complement each other. its a great oportunity to learn hands on how to design and implement your land features to maximise your water shed and productivity. PART 1; Feb 28, March 1st, 2nd & 3rd. Forest Ranch; PART 2; June 8th & 9th. Chico. For more information: http://www.perma-fun-k.com/eventos-events.html

March 1 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: CSU Chico Campus Tree Tours 10 am. Meet at Bidwell Mansion for a 1-1/2 hour walk to see and learn about the old trees around the mansion and on the adjacent campus. Off the 200+ woody plants in the arboretum, we will see almost 100 of the best on these 3 tours. Leader Wes 530-342-2293. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org

March 2 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and His Friends 10:30 am. Join us the first Saturday of every month for an interactive program in the Gardens (or Greenhouse when it rains) for children, their siblings, parents and Grandparents. Join Charlie, our adorable jack rabbit puppet, in various gardening activities. Wear your favorite gardening clothes! Presented by Dennis and Sherrill Bambauer. Free with park admission! Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse)

March 2 – Redding: People of Progress – Replanting the People of Progress (POP) Orchard 10 am – 3pm Enterprise Park below Kids Kingdom in Redding. Join People of Progress and community members re-plant the food bank orchard on Saturday, March 2, 10 am to 3 pm. As you may remember, the People of Progress orchard was burned down last summer. This is a great opportunity to help bring back this important local food source. Bring a shovel and some gloves. POP will provide lunch. Donations are also accepted for trees and supplies. The orchard is located a Enterprise Park below Kids Kingdom in Redding. Please contact Melinda at POP to sign up – 243-3811 or info@peopleofprogress.org

March 2 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens Victory Gardening 101: The Basics 10 am and 1 pm. The Basics: Location, set-up, soil & seed starting. Classes are Free but Reservations are Required. Please call or email to reserve your seat. Wyntour Gardens, 8026 Airport Rd (1 mi. South of the Redding Airport, next to Kents Mkt). 530-365-2256/inform@wyntourgardens.com. www.wyntourgardens.com

March 2 – Chico: CSU, Chico AS Sustainability Free Compost Demonstration 11 – 12 noon, free one hour workshop. Compost Display area, located behind Yolo Hall, past the tennis courts along the railroad tracks. For more information contact AS Sustainability 530-898-6677 or as compost@csuchico.edu.

March 2 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum Guided Tour: Acacia Encounters 2 pm, Arboretum Headquarters. You’ll meet interesting acacias of all sizes on this leisurely guided walk through the Eric E. Conn Acacia Grove. Enjoy their beautiful yellow blooms. The event is free; parking is free on the weekends and available in Visitor Lot 5, at Old Davis Road and Arboretum Drive. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

March 3 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: Yahi Trail, Upper Bidwell Park 9 am. Meet at Horseshoe Lake parking lot E. Bring a lunch, water, sun/insect protection and wear walking shoes. We’ll walk a short distance on the Upper Park Road to the trailhead. Walking along Big Chico Creek, we’ll go upstream as far as time will allow us to return to our cars by about 3:30 pm. We’ll pass through a diverse selection of flora, fauna and geologic features,We’ll see many spring wildflowers and learn how to identify the area’s most common shrubs and trees. Leader Gerry 530-893-5123. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org

March 4 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society Regular Monthly meeting and Program: Dr. Dean Taylor, the Sierra Pacific botany program 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico. Dr. Dean Taylor, consulting botanist for Sierra Pacific Industries will describe the SPI botany program and will discuss some of the ecological features, especially plant diversity, associated with clearcuts. For more information: http://mountlassen.cnps.org/

March 7 – 14 – California ARBOR WEEK Celebrations. California Arbor Week works to unite our members, cities, businesses, and individuals to educate Californians on the value trees provide to building successful, healthy cities and neighborhoods. An important message every day of the year, March 7-14 is a chance for Californians of all ages to celebrate our natural wonders and most treasured resources together. Be a part of California Arbor Week. Plant a tree. Join in a community event. Teach our youth. The California State Assembly and Senate have approved Resolution ACR 10 (Dickinson) establishing March 7-14 of each year as California Arbor Week. The measure urges all California residents to observe the week with appropriate tree planting activities and programs. The resolution (ACR 10) was introduced by Assembly member Roger Dickinson and was sponsored by California ReLeaf. ACR 10 recognizes that trees are a vital resource to our communities and serve as an important link with nature for California’s residents. Trees are a valuable economic asset in our cities and towns and play a role in energy conservation, improving air quality, protecting water resources, providing habitat, and contributing to the overall health of residents. For more information: http://arborweek.org/about/

March 7 & 8 – Chico: CSU, Chico This Way To Sustainability Conference This student-run conference hosts over 100 speakers and 1,400 participants at our CSU, Chico campus. This is an enormous educational opportunity for our students, and yours! Conference Registration is required for all conference events, presentations, keynote presentations, workshops, and receptions. Registration for this conference will open online January 1, 2013. Purpose: Explore approaches that will make a difference for a sustainable future. Our annual conference provides a forum to discuss current issues that are relevant to us all. We seek to develop common ground to help build a sustainable society; one that balances economic needs, social needs and environmental realities. We will address solutions for the global problems we are all now facing. The conference will include workshops, seminars, posters, and facilitated discussions. For more info: http://www.csuchico.edu/sustainablefuture/conference/index.shtml

March 8 – Anderson: Anderson Valley Garden Club Monthly Meeting and Program 12 noon, public welcome. Anderson Valley Garden Club meets the 2nd friday of each month at the Anderson City Hall Community Room unless otherwise stated. Meeting begins at noon. For more information call Nancy: 530-365-2014.

March 9 – Chico: Friends of The Chico State Herbarium California State University, Chico – Workshop: Introduction to Lichen Identification by Tom Carlberg 9 am – 4 pm. For most people lichens are only colorful blotches on rocks or just moss-like stuff on tree branches. But lichens are a unique association between a fungus and an algae. This workshop will explore the basics of lichens in the lab in Holt Hall and also in the field from 9am to 4pm in Holt 129 at CSU Chico. Registration is $100.00 personal, $125.00 business, and $90.00 for members. Please register in advance. For more information about workshop registration please contact the Biology office at (530) 898-5356 or jbraden@csuchico.edu. For more information: www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/Friends.html

March 9 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum Spring Member Plant Sale 9 am – 1 pm.Don’t miss the first plant sale of the spring season! It’s our annual member appreciation sale where members are not only eligible to receive 10% off their plant sale purchases, they also receive a special gift–a coupon for $10 off! This plant sale is for members only, but you can easily join at the door if you’re not already a member! At this sale you’ll not only have access to the area’s largest selection of attractive, low-water, easy-care, region-appropriate plants including Arboretum All-Stars, there will be live music, refreshments and special insider exhibits featuring the future of the UC Davis Arboretum & Public Garden. All sales are held at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Experienced gardeners will be on hand to help you choose the best plants for your garden design and conditions. The event is free; parking is free on the weekends and available in Visitor Lot 5, at Old Davis Road and Arboretum Drive. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

March 9 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Fieldtrip: Grizzly Gulch 9 am meet. This will be a strenuous 51?2-mile hike with a 1,400-foot elevation climb. This walk is just north of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area (parking pass required) and has greatly varied habitats and plant communities. It starts out in a riparian area at the base of a small mountain, transitions through chaparral on a south-facing section, changes to a north face with a canyon live oak forest, and then into a mixed conifer forest with many ferns, liverworts, and mosses. Plants along the trail include mock orange, white alder, silk tassel, clematis, lomatium, larkspur, skull cap, coffee fern, chain fern, currant, gooseberry, and Brewer’s oak. A plant list will be provided. Meet at Redding City Hall’s south parking lot on Parkview Avenue at 9 AM. Bring water and a snack. No dogs, please. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. For more info: www.shastacnps.org

March 9 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens Victory Gardening 101: Planting 10 am and 1 pm. The Basics: Planting. Classes are Free but Reservations are Required. Please call or email to reserve your seat. Wyntour Gardens, 8026 Airport Rd (1 mi. South of the Redding Airport, next to Kents Mkt). 530-365-2256/inform@wyntourgardens.com. www.wyntourgardens.com

March 9 – Chico: CSU, Chico AS Sustainability Free Compost Demonstration 11 – 12 noon, free one hour workshop. Compost Display area, located behind Yolo Hall, past the tennis courts along the railroad tracks. For more information contact AS Sustainability 530-898-6677 or as compost@csuchico.edu.

March 9 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: California Arbor Week Celebrations 11 am – 3 pm. Join us as the California Arbor Week Celebration continues with hands-on activities, demonstrations, and presentations. Learn how to identify wood, measure the height of a tree, and how to protect yourself from fire. Watch a lathe demonstration, try your hand at making paper, and discover careers in the forest industry. Free with park admission! Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse)

March 9 – Chico: GRUB Education Program: Seed Starting with Sherri Scott and GRUB Grown Nursery 2 – 4pm, 1525 Dayton, Road, Chico. Come learn how to start your own seeds at home. We’ll be covering the basics starting with how to read a seed packet and discuss different techniques to achieve optimum temperature, moisture and light needs. We’ll talk about timing and spacing issues I’ve learned in my nursery business as well as information I have gleaned from others. Sources for seed will be covered and each participant will plant their own mixed variety 6-pack to take home. *Plant starts and seeds will be available for purchase. *For more information contact: Sherri (GRUB Education) 530-342-3376 / sherri@grubchico.org

March 10 – Daylight Savings Time – Clocks spring forward one hour

March 13 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum Walk with Warren Noon, Gazebo. Discover blooming redbuds and California wildflowers with Warren Roberts, Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus. The event is free; parking is free on the weekends and available in Visitor Lot 5, at Old Davis Road and Arboretum Drive. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

March 13 – Chico: North Valley Orchid Society regular chapter meeting & Program by Richard Buchter whose topic will be “What Kind of Plant is That?” 7:00 pm at the Butte County Library,1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. Our speaker will be Richard Buchter whose topic will be “What Kind of Plant is That?” If you would like to join us at dinner (Dutch treat) with Richard at the Sierra Nevada Brewery at 5:00 please send an email to jmccrary@digitalpath.net by March 6. For more info: http://www.facebook.com/pages/North-Valley-Orchid-Society/ 541857495834749?fref=ts, or email Judy McCrary: jmccrary@digitalpath.net.

March 15 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: CSU Chico Campus Tree Tours 10 am. Meet at Bidwell Mansion for a 1-1/2 hour walk to see and learn about the old trees around the mansion and on the adjacent campus. Off the 200+ woody plants in the arboretum, we will see almost 100 of the best on these 3 tours. Leader Wes 530-342-2293. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org

March 16 – Chico: Friends of The Chico State Herbarium California State University, Chico – Workshop: Mushroom Foraging and Identification Workshop 9 am – 5 pm. Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. Back by popular demand! This workshop will be useful for beginners as well as for people with some knowledge of mushrooms and is co-sponsored by the CSU Chico Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve. This workshop starts with an introduction to mushrooms, then collecting in the field and finally identifying the mushrooms that are found. We need enough rain for the spring batch of mushrooms to come up for this workshop to happen. The instructor, Philip Carpenter, has extensive knowledge of mushrooms and has been a member of the Fungus Federation of Santa Cruz since it was organized in 1984. This workshop will meet at the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve from 9am to 5 pm. The registration is $100.00. Please register in advance. For more information about workshop registration please contact the Biology office at (530) 898-5356 or jbraden@csuchico.edu. For more information: www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/Friends.html

March 16 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Fieldtrip: Boulder Creek/Churn Creek Riparian Plant Walk 10 am meet. This will be an easy, short, one- to two-mile walk in a riparian area in northeast Redding along Churn Creek and Boulder Creek. We will identify various riparian trees, shrubs, vines, and wildflowers in the area, and a plant list will be provided. Meet at the Boulder Creek School on Springer Street in Redding at 10 AM. No dogs, please. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. For more info: www.shastacnps.org

March 16 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens Victory Gardening 101: Watering, Fertilizing, Composting & Pests 10 am and 1 pm. The Basics: Watering, Fertilizing, Composting & Pests. Classes are Free but Reservations are Required. Please call or email to reserve your seat. Wyntour Gardens, 8026 Airport Rd (1 mi. South of the Redding Airport, next to Kents Mkt). 530-365-2256/inform@wyntourgardens.com. www.wyntourgardens.com

March 16 & 17 – Chico: GRUB Education Program: Ecological Farming with Paul Kaiser of Singing Frogs Farm *space limited, pre-registration required* Ecological Farming is producing food in a manner that increases the vitality and resiliency of the natural systems upon which our food production and livelihoods depend. Presenter Paul Kaiser’s Singing Frogs Farm produces well over $50,000 in gross sales of vegetables per acre per year through an intensive, compost based, hand managed, vegetable production system that relies on and benefits the environment. In this two-day, hands-on workshop, we will cover hand-building and hand-managing no-till, permanent field rows, farm-based compost, intercropping and double-cropping systems, and more! For more information contact: Sherri (GRUB Education) 530-342-3376 / sherri@grubchico.org

March 17 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: C&R Ranch, Paskenta 9 am. Meet at Chico Park & Ride west lot with lunch, water, hiking shoes and money for ride sharing. The C&R Ranch is nestled in the inner coast range foothills west of Paskenta. We’ll walk through blue oak and valley oak woodlands and grassland, enjoying the North Valley panorama. Several restoration efforts are underway at the ranch. Call leader Marjorie for alternate meeting place, 530-343-239. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org

March 18 – Cottonwood: Cottonwood Garden Club regular monthly meeting 10 am – 12 noon. Potlucks follows meeting. For more information please call: 530-347-1281

March 20 – Vernal Equinox

March 20 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society Regular monthly meeting & program 7 – 8 pm. City of Redding Corporation Yard, 2055 Viking Way, Building 4, Room 401, Redding, California. The meetings are held for the purpose of presenting an educational program by an authority on roses and their cultivation. Meetings are open to the public. For more info: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html.

March 20-24 – San Mateo: The San Francisco Flower & Garden Show 10am – 7pm Wednesday through Saturday, 10 am – 6 pm Sunday. View the 20 gorgeous international display gardens and the 30 small space gardens.Shop the plant market – doubled in size this year and packed with plant goodies. Learn from the experts on our seminar stages, participate in a DIY demo filled with practical tips, become an organic gardener in 40 minutes and learn how to grow those veggies. For tickets and more information: http://www.sfgardenshow.com

March 20 – Chico: Chico Horticultural Society Chapter meeting, and Program 9:30 am gather at Chico Public Library corner of 1st and Sherman, Chico. 10 am Program Begins. The public is welcome and meetings are free. If you have questions call Ana at 892-1545, or email Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.

March 21 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Regular monthly meeting & program Ken DeCamp, professional photographer extraordinaire, for a photo presentation of plants and wildflowers in the north state and southern Oregon, entitled Wildflower Odyssey. 7 – 9 pm. Shasta College Health Science & University Programs building, downtown Redding, 1400 Market Street, Community Room 8220 (Southwest corner of Market & Tehama Streets). Join Ken DeCamp, professional photographer extraordinaire, for a photo presentation of plants and wildflowers in the north state and southern Oregon, entitled Wildflower Odyssey. Ken specializes in botanical photography and creates our beautiful posters for the Mother’s Day Wildflower Show in Yreka. Ken retired from the US Forest Service, where he worked for 35 years, and now travels widely and has photography and graphics assignments throughout our area, the United States, and in foreign countries. Meet at 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.For more info: www.shastacnps.org

March 23 – Mt. Shasta: Spring Hill Nursery & Gardens Workshop: Pruning Fruit Trees with orchardist Alex Hogstrum 10am – 1 pm. Free. Professional Orchardist Alex Hogstrum demonstrates how, when, why and what to prune on fruit trees for maximum care and abundant harvest. Please bring a chair. Spring Hill Nursery & Gardens, 1234 Nixon Rd, Mt Shasta CA. For more information: 530-926-2565; http://springhillnurseryandgardens.com/Spring_Hill_Nursery_and_Gardens/Welcome.html.

March 23 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Fieldtrip: Crystal Creek Ditch Trail 9 am meet. This is a beautiful walk in a riparian area overlooking Crystal Creek. This easy, level, two-mile walk runs along an old water ditch in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. The water ditch was built in the 1860s to provide water to irrigate the orchard and pasture at the Camden House on Clear Creek. CNPS led this walk last year on February 11 when many plants were not blooming. This return visit should see more plants in bloom. Ferns along the trail include coffee fern, goldback fern, bird’s-foot fern, sword fern, five-finger fern, lady fern, and chain fern. We’ll also see scouring rush, three different dogwoods, five conifers, and many wildflowers. This walk has a variety of plants, starting out in mixed conifer, oak, and chaparral, and changing to riparian habitat. We will identify trees, shrubs, and ferns along the trail, and a plant list will be provided. Meet at Redding City Hall’s south parking lot on Parkview Avenue at 9 AM to carpool. No dogs, please. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. For more info: www.shastacnps.org

March 23 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Essentials of Micro-irrigation 10 am – 12 noon. 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 Linda Russo as he demonstrates 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 Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office – 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery). Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Nursery on immediate left.

March 23 – Paradise: “A Seat at the Table” Barn Dance and Dinner Benefit 6:00 pm doors open, Paradise Senior Center. Paradise Rotary will provide a no-host bar. A pasta primavera dinner follows at 7:00, prepared by chef Scotty Parker, formerly of the Ahwahnee Lodge at Yosemite, and desert courtesy of Noble Orchards. Then at 8:00 local favorites the Revells take the stage. Silent Auction throughout the eventing. “A Seat at the Table” is a non-profit organization working to help end hunger on the ridge by helping to improve access to fresh, healthy produce. Tickets for the benefit are $20 per person, and available for sale at Fir Street Gallery, Noble Orchards, Yowzer’s Printing and the Senior Center. For further information, please call Nancy or Brian at 877-5734, or visit the A Seat at the Table events page on Facebook.

March 24 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Plant Propagation Session 10 am – 12 pm. Join us for our regular 2-hour work session starting at 10 AM at the Shasta College greenhouses. The greenhouses are located toward the back of Shasta College, near the livestock barns. We will be potting up new rooted materials from our December-January cuttings. Bring clippers and any other tools you might need. Please call Jay & Terri Thesken at 221-0906 for further information. For more info: www.shastacnps.org

March 24 – Chico: Butte Environmental Council “Breaking Bread, Breaking Ground, A Gathering in Support of Community Gardens 4:30 – 7:30 pm. The Butte Environmental Council and Cultivating Community will be hosting Breaking Bread, Breaking Ground II: A gathering in support of community gardens. The meal is a local gourmet Mexican meal prepared by Donna Garrison, who coincidentally won the Humboldt Community Garden salsa completion last year. David Guzzetti will be providing a Flan Cake desert. There will also be a silent auction, and No-Host Bar. Musical performers include Los Caballitos de la Cancion, who will get us into fiesta mood! Tickets are $25 each and you can reserve a space by calling the BEC Office at 891-6424. Please make checks to BEC. Our address is 116 W 2nd St Ste 3, Chico, CA 95928. The event is Arc Pavilion 2020 Park Ave Doors open at 4:30, dinner at 5:00.

March 26 – Chico: Butte Rose Society Regular Monthly Meeting and Program 7 pm Public Welcome! At the Chico Veterans Memorial Hall on 554 Rio Lindo Ave in Chico, California. Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Butte-Rose-Society/189382585776 Or contact us by US Mail at: Butte Rose Society, P. O. Box 8888, Chico, CA 95927 For more info: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org

March 27 – FULL MOON

March 29 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: CSU Chico Campus Tree Tours 10 am. Meet at Bidwell Mansion for a 1-1/2 hour walk to see and learn about the old trees around the mansion and on the adjacent campus. Off the 200+ woody plants in the arboretum, we will see almost 100 of the best on these 3 tours. Leader Wes 530-342-2293. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org

March 29 – Chico: GRUB Education Program: Vegetable Rotation Design – enhancing year to year planning with Lee Altier 3:30 – 4:30 pm. Designing a plan to move your vegetables around your garden or fields from year to year can deter pests and enhance a plant’s use of nutrients. In this workshop at the Chico State Organic Vegetable Project we will discuss how to create a rotational pattern that optimizes plant productivity and soil health. Participants will work on planning and evaluating designs appropriate for their own gardens and fields. For more information contact: Sherri (GRUB Education) 530-342-3376 / sherri@grubchico.org

March 30 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Fieldtrip: Crystal Creek Vista Trail 9 am meet. This is an easy four-mile walk through riparian, black oak woodland, and chaparral on a trail above Clear Creek at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. The changing face of the trail presents a diversity of plant species. Possible flowers blooming include Henderson’s shooting star, manzanita, pipevine, Pacific snakeroot, grand hound’s tongue, and snowdrop bush. Most of the walk is level; however, there is about a 400-foot elevation climb. A plant list will be provided. Meet in the south parking lot behind Redding City Hall on Parkview Avenue at 9 AM. No dogs, please. Rain cancels. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. For more info: www.shastacnps.org

March 30 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk with Horticultural Manager Lisa Endicott 10:30 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.

March 9 – Chico: CSU, Chico AS Sustainability Free Compost Demonstration 11 – 12 noon, free one hour workshop. Compost Display area, located behind Yolo Hall, past the tennis courts along the railroad tracks. For more information contact AS Sustainability 530-898-6677 or as compost@csuchico.edu.

March 31 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: Spotted Fawn Lilies and McNab Cypress in Magalia 9 am. Meet at Chico Park & Ride west lot with lunch, water and hiking gear. We’ll hike down a rough trail 1-1/2 miles to the West Branch of the Feather River for lunch. On the serpentine slope are McNab cypress with carpets of yellow and white fawn lilies in one of the most spectacular spring flower displays in the are. Call leader Gerry for alternate meeting place, 530-893-5123. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.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.