In the winter days, I spend my daydreaming time thinking about things I might want to change about my garden, or add to my garden. With such little precipitation in the past few weeks or in the coming few weeks, my mind keeps returning to the loveliness of the design elements and the plant choices in the Oroville home garden created by Catie and Jim Bishop. Thought this was a good time to re-run the piece. Happy winter dreaming and planning for your North State garden!

An Oroville couple brings their love and knowledge of the spare splendor shared by California’s deserts and alpine zones to their home with a low-water, low-maintenance, habitat-friendly, high diversity and high-enjoyment desert garden. Photo: Catie & Jim Bishop’s colorful desert garden in front of their Oroville home illustrates the beauty that a spare, dry garden can provide. Read the rest of this entry »

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 offer me 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/

Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook - become a fan today! Photo: Seasonal paperwhite narcissus, forced to bloom inside for the holidays.

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. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is simultaneously universal and positively North State.

I think many gardener/naturalist types will agree with me when I write that one of the greatest personal results of being a gardener/ naturalist is how these interests and activities tie me into the larger network of life and its many processes. To work in the dirt amongst my flowers or fruit, to play in the duff beneath familiar trees, birds and bugs buzzing about, is to feel grounded, and to be reminded on almost every level of the interconnectedness of all life. Within this sense of interconnectedness, I am allowed a comfortable perception that I belong. I am part of these processes. I have some basic understanding. I have some control. Photo: Jack-o-lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olivascens). According the “Mushrooms Demystified” by David Arora, these mushrooms are common in Northern California “from fall through early spring, especially on oak, manzanita, madrone, and chinquapin.” Said to be luminescent at night, jack-o-lantern’s size and color make them dramatic even without nighttime bio-luminescence. PHOTO BY JOHN WHITTLESEY. Read the rest of this entry »

In the chilly (32 degrees) dark of 5 am this morning, as I gave my dogs their morning biscuits, I admired the form of the ‘Big Dipper’ almost directly overhead. I stood, bundled up, in the center of my starlit back garden - just admiring. Five am at the height of summer, I can be getting my coffee and heading out to begin playing in the garden, but in mid-December, as we near the richly-storied winter solstice - the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere - crisp early mornings make for a great star-gazing; the entire garden is a virtual planetarium. Photo: The Moon and Jupiter in close proximity in the winter night sky. In the Northern Hemisphere, several well-known constellations are associated with winter. While many people of think of the ‘Big Dipper’ as a constellation, it is in fact more accurately an asterism - or part of a constellation or larger group of stars. The ‘Big Dipper’ is a commonly recognizable asterism of the larger constellation known as Ursa Major.

As gardeners, perhaps, we are even more aware than many of the shifts in light and its relative availability throughout the seasons and the year. Cultures across the globe have long celebrated the winter solstice and held it dear as the day on which the dark has reached its peak. As of the winter solstice, with every subsequent day, we are headed back toward the life-renewing light - the full intensity of the Sun’s energy.

Many gardeners time their planting and harvest - both the time at which they plant and harvest as well as what they are planting and harvesting - based on the phases of the moon. They do this in order to take full advantage of the powerful influence of the Moon’s on Earth as seen through tidal shifts, etc. In particular, the gardening/agricultural philosophy known as Biodynamics uses the phases of the moon as one of the critical markers for gardening tasks. According to Biodynamics.com, biodynamics, based on the teachings of Rudolph Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy, is “a type of organic farming that incorporates an understanding of “dynamic” forces in nature not yet fully understood by science. By working creatively with these subtle energies, farmers are able to significantly enhance the health of their farms and the quality and flavor of food. It is ….. A recognition that the whole earth is a single, self-regulating, multi-dimensional ecosystem. Biodynamic farmers seek to fashion their farms likewise as self-regulating, bio-diverse ecosystems in order to bring health to the land and to their local communities.”

In thinking about the solstice and winter night sky in relation to my garden, I wondered about what the solstice actually was. To find out, I turned to friend and colleague Dave Schlom. Dave is a full-time science educator, and longtime host of Northstate Public Radio’s weekly program on planetary (including Earth) science, The Blue Dot Report. This week on In a North State Garden, Dave talks about what a solstice is and how it impacts us.

Let’s start with planet Earth and how it is positioned in space. The equator is what we call the great imaginary line (line of latitude) around Earth’s circumference. The equator lies half-way between the North Pole and the South Pole. Earth’s rotational axis is tilted 23.5° relative to the Sun. The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn are lines of latitude 23.5° north and south, respectively, of the equator (Figure 3). The Sun is always directly above a point between these latitudes. In our winter, the Sun is south of the equator and in our summer it is north. What we in the Northern Hemisphere call the winter solstice, is the day that the Sun is 23.5° south of the equator, or directly above the Tropic of Capricorn. During the summer solstice, the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer, or 23.5° north of the equator. “That is why what we call the winter and summer solstices are perhaps more accurately referred to as the southern and northern solstices respectively,” explains Dave. Photo: NASA’s diagram of Earth’s position relative to the Sun at the time of a Northern Hemisphere Winter Solstice.

“In Latin,” he goes on, the word “’solstice” means ’sun stop’ because as ancient Roman people were tracking the arc of the Sun each day, it was at each ’solstice’ that the Sun seemed to stop in its tracks and begin to move back in the other direction - causing daylight hours to either get longer as after the winter solstice, or shorter, as after the summer solstice. The vernal and autumnal equinoxes occur at those moments twice a year when the Sun is directly over the equator, making for equal hours of daylight and dark. http://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/imagee.htm

Why is it cold in winter and warm in summer in our part of the world? The seasons change due to Earth’s rotational axis being tilted 23.5° relative to the Sun. So, for half of the year (our winter), the Northern Hemisphere is pointed slightly away from the Sun. This angle makes sunlight hit the ground in the North State at a lower angle in winter than in summer. So energy coming from the Sun is spread out - and thereby made less intense - over a larger area on the ground.

Interestingly, notes Dave, while the winter solstice might mark an official beginning of winter, it is only rarely the coldest day of the year. Because the Northern Hemisphere is moving only slowly more tilted away from the Sun’s rays from the summer solstice to the winter solstice, the mass of the Earth receives warmth from the sun each day and only slowly does it begin to lose more each night than it gains each day. Therefore, it takes a while after the winter solstice for the Earth to cool down as far as it is going to in any given winter.

So while the winter solstice does not mark the end of cold, but is closer to the beginning of the cold stretch for our North State gardens, this cold can be beneficial - killing unwanted fungi, pathogens and others pests. (Protect and cover your citrus and other tender plants so that the cold does not kill them.) The winter solstice does however mark the shortest day of the year - and while the cold temperatures and short daylight hours might slow your garden and you down some - things are only getting brighter from here.

Happy Winter in your North State Garden!

For more information on the solstice and stars in the winter night sky, Gateway Science Museum in Chico will be hosting related Education Station activities on Saturday and Sunday, December 17th and 18th, and on the Winter Solstice, December 21st from 1 - 3 pm each day. Docents will model the concept of a solstice, show you projections of constellations in the winter night sky, and give you pin-hole constellations cards to make and take home. Additionally, on the 21st, stories behind the winter constellations will be read in the Newberry Gallery from 1 - 3 pm.

Also, fellow gardener and star watcher, Karen McGrath wrote in to me with the interesting fact that although the winter solstice is the shortest day of the year, the earliest sunsets do not occur on this day! There is an interesting discussion about why at http://earthsky.org/tonight/earliest-sunset-today-but-not-shortest-day, which is a nice additional resource on these types of discussions.

Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook - become a fan today!

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. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is simultaneously universal and positively North State.

Winter. What catches our eyes, ears and interests in the garden this time of year is distinctive. For me, texture, sound, form and movement are what draw me now. Read the rest of this entry »

It is not only the time of year for gift giving, it is also the time for planting and pruning! Roses, fruit trees, perennials, vines - the garden is a daily destination for planting or pruning something. Every year, people ask me for good gift ideas for gardeners. Gardeners might be some of the easiest-to-please gift recipients on the planet, perhaps because they are both romantic and pragmatic by nature. They love most things of beauty, and beauty to them can include the elegance of a new pair of well-made hand-held by-pass pruners. Trust me - these things are beautiful. In no particular order, I can safely recommend the following items for any gardener in your life:

New By-Pass Clippers; a good cleaning and sharpening for all their old (and trusted) pairs of clippers or loppers; any new garden book or gift card to an independent bookseller that carries good garden books; a gift card to any independent nursery in your area (see my links and resources for listings in your area); a new wheelbarrow, good watering can, pair of gardening gloves, or sun hat; a gift certificate from their household to garden guilt-free for one full day without any questions about what might be for dinner (ok, the last one was aimed at my household - think they’re reading?) Read the rest of this entry »

Seasonal precipitation has returned with relative gentleness on the Valley portions of the North State along with some frosts and early enticing snow in the foothills and high country. Our scenic California oak grasslands and wetlands are greening and filling; deciduous blue oaks, sycamores, maples and alders drop their summer biomass and rich, colorful fall changes to winter’s simplicity.

We are in the season of thankfulness.

I am thankful for the dried oak leaves and grass clippings both readily available now. A cozy layer of this mix insulates soil and root systems from the coming temperature and humidity fluctuations, and allows the winter rains to slow-release their nutrients down. If you have been able to get a feeding of 0-10-10 fertilizer onto the soil before topdressing with this mulch - all the better for edibles or ornamentals.

If you can work the soil, December and January are still ideal for the planting of new perennials, shrubs and trees – and bare root season for ornamental and fruit trees as well as perennial berry canes and veg will be getting fully underway by January.

In the seasonal edible garden, now is a good time to direct seed bok choy, broccoli, kale/collards, lettuce, onion sets, peas, radish and spinach. It’s also a good time to direct some annual flowers for next spring and summer’s color, these include: California poppy, larkspur, cornflower and scabiosa.

As you continue to cut back perennials and edibles that have run their course, remember that diligent attention to plant and soil hygiene now will pay-off well in the long run – winter precipitation can also inadvertently spread bacterial and fungal diseases from diseased plants. Carefully clean up the dead and fallen leaves from roses, peonies, iris, cane fruits and any other plants on which you have ever notices black spot, mildew or other issues. Do not compost diseased leaves or woody materials, discard it with your household trash.

Watch the weather forecast closely now and be prepared with frost cloth to cover tender plants.

When pruning, try to leave seed heads, healthy foliage, and winter blooms for the birds and insects to snack on and nest with - weather permitting. You will be as thankful as them. The frolicking of birds, bees and butterflies in the winter garden are some of the many gifts of the season.

Gifts of the season overflow the calendar of gardening events this month. 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!

NOVEMBER

November 27 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Ten Mile House Trail to Big Chico Creek 9:15 am Meet at Chico Park & Ride west parking lot (Hwy 99/32) in time to leave by 9:30 am. Wear hiking shoes and bring lunch, water, sunscreen/insect protection and money for ride sharing. We’ll drive east 9 miles on Hwy 32 to the Green Gate Trail Head. From there we’ll follow an historic wagon road down to Big Chico Creek, our lunch site. On our return we’ll see buckeye and black oak in fruit and stop at a spring where a homestead once stood. Be prepared for a 700′ elevation gain back to the trail head. Four miles round trip. Call leader for alternate meeting location. Gerry 530-893-5123. For more information: http://mountlassen.cnps.org/

November 29 - Red Bluff Garden Club: Monthly Meeting and Program: 1:00 p.m. at the Union Hall, 12889 Baker Road in Red Bluff, California. Public Welcome! For more info: http://redbluffgardenclub.com/Home_Page.html; 530.824-5661 or email dianecleland@att.net.

November 29 - Chico: Butte Rose Society General Member Meeting & Little Rose Show 6 pm gather, 7 pm meeting and program on Seasonal Pruning of Roses. Chico Veterans Memorial Hall at 554 Rio Lindo Ave. For more information: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/

November 26 – 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

DECEMBER

December 1 – Paradise: Saturen Studio Botanical Illustration Classes - Fall Session VI begins 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm every Thursday for 4 weeks: Dec 1 - Dec 22, 2011. 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

December 2 - 4 - Red Bluff: SLOW FOOD SHASTA CASCADE and Holbrook Studios present 2nd Annual Kilnside Christmas Featuring local artisans, cheeses, wines, olive oils and more. Friday 5 - 8 pm, Sat. & Sun. 9 am - 4 pm. 575 Wiltsey Avenue, Red Bluff. For more info: http://www.themuddyhands.com/Christmas2011

December 2 & 3 - Red Bluff Garden Center: Holiday Wreath Class 10am both days. Create a beautiful holiday wreath to take home. Cost is $10. Please call to reserve space. 530-527-0886. http://www.redbluffgardencenter.com/home?GardenCenter=Events

December 3 – Redding: Shasta Chapter California Native Plant Society : Mule Mountain Hike 9 am meet at Redding City Library. This Mule Mountain hike is a repeat of last year’s hike, except that the trail has been completed to the south base of the mountain, with only a steep 300’ off-trail elevation climb to the top. This is a 5-mile, moderately difficult hike. Expect to see typical mixed conifer and chaparral plants including silk tassel, redberry, deer brush, service berry, snowberry and snowdrop bush. Meet at 9 AM at Redding City Hall south parking lot on Parkview Avenue. No dogs, please. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. http://www.shastacnps.org/calendar.html

December 3 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Holiday Wreath Making Workshop 9 am - noon. Floral designer and instructor Darlene Montgomery leads this creative and fun holiday workshop. Each participant will create their own fresh, full-size holiday wreath for the front door or family room. All materials provided. Space is limited to 15 participants, adults and youth ages 16+. Call 242-3108 to pre-register (required). Members $35, nonmembers $40 Visitor Center - JSS Classroom More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

December 3 – 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

December 3 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Holiday Open House and Kids Planting Party Open House All Day. Planting Party 10am - Noon. Join us in celebrating the holiday season with delicious goodies and hot apple cider. One Day Gift Shop Sale. For more info: inform@wyntourgardens.com, 365-2256. 8026 Airport Road Redding.

December 3 - Los Molinos: SLOW FOOD SHASTA CASCADE and Kitchel Family Organic Farm present 2nd Annual Holiday Local and Fair Trade Gift Faire 1:00pm - 4:00pm BUY/SELL/TRADE Kitchel Family Organic Farm 25255 3rd Ave. Los Milinos Please call if you are interested in booth space! 384-1966

December 3 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Planting for Pollinators and Other Beneficial Insects 2 p.m., Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. People thinking about adding to their home landscapes can tour the new demonstration plantings at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery on Saturday, December 3. The guided tour will focus on the best plants for our garden climate that attract and provide habitat for butterflies, hummingbirds and other native pollinators. The tour will meet at 2:00 p.m. at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour, and free parking is available in Visitor Lot 55, on Garrod Drive across from the nursery. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

December 3 & 4 - Durham/Chico: Patrick Ranch Winter Holiday Fair and Sale: Opening Reception 4 - 8 pm Friday December 2nd with wine, live music and appetizers; Saturday 10 - 5pm, Sunday 10 - 4pm. Seasonal holiday arts and crafts and fun. Glennwood Historic Farmhouse tours will be offered Saturday and Sunday. 10381 Midway, Chico. For more information: 530-570-7343.

December 4 - Redding: Growing Local Shasta Alternative Christmas Fair First United Methodist Church, 1825 East Street, Redding. For more info email growinglocalshasta@gmail.com

December 4 - Chico: The Plant Barn: Annual Wreath Classes Two classes being held, you must call to reserve space in this annual, festive tradition of friends, fun and the fashioning of holiday wreaths. 530-345-3121. 406 Entler Avenue, Chico.

December 4 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Lower Bidwell Park Old Forestry Station 10:00 am Meet at the Cedar Grove parking area (just west of the Chico Creek Nature Center at 1968 E. 8th St) for a 2-hour stroll through the old (1888) California Board of Forestry plant introduction and nursery station. Many fine old specimens of American persimmon, Japanese zelkova, cork oak, black ash, and 65 others from around the world still survive. The Bidwells gave these 29 acres to the state for testing woody plants for their use in horticulture, medicine, forestry, and landscaping. Over at noon. Leaders: Wes 530-342-2293 and Gerry 530-893-5123. For more information: http://mountlassen.cnps.org/

December 4 - Chico: Magnolia Gift & Garden: Holiday Open House Benefit for the Butte Humane Society and Featuring the Yule Logs! 2 - 4 pm. Join us for holiday cheer and music, a garden of gifts and delights at the same time helping to support our four-footed friends at the Butte Humane Society this holiday season! Simon (the divine canine representative at Magnolia) Says Santa (who’s a dedicated winter gardener) will be pleased. Magnolia Gift & Garden 1367 East Avenue 530-894-5410. http://magnoliagardening.com/

December 4 - Los Molinos: SLOW FOOD SHASTA CASCADE and Blush Catering present A Moveable Feast: 3 - 9 pm. Arc Pavilion. 2040 Park Avenue, Chico, California.Open Boutique, 3-5 p.m. (free admission). Dinner, 5-9 p.m. Tickets $40 at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/211986 Appetizers and No Host Bar with Local Wine and Beer Makers, 5-6:30 p.m. Blush Catering and Slow Food Shasta Cascade cordially invite you to join us for an interactive dining experience this holiday season. The meal will highlight products from Chaffin Family Orchards, GRUB, Morse Farms, North Valley Farms Chèvre, and Turri Family farms. Come meet the farmers as we dine together to celebrate community and the North State’s seasonal bounty. Prior to the dinner there will be an open boutique showcasing several of the participating farmers and Slow Food USA’s “Ark of Taste” program. Other eco-friendly local products will also be available for sale. Boutique admission is free. Ticket sales will be available only until Saturday, December 3rd at 5:00 p.m. Get your tickets early, these events sell out! Check out Blush’s website! http://www.blushcatering.com/

December 7 - Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society Regular Monthly meeting and Program “Evolutionary Development, Classification, & Name Changes in the California Flora” by Dan Potter 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico. Dan Potter is a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis and Director of the UC Davis Center for Plant Diversity, including the University’s herbarium. The names of plants have been in flux for centuries. They have occurred at an accelerated pace in recent years, due to advances in our understanding of evolutionary relationships based on analyses of DNA. The results are sometimes striking. Dan’s presentation will be a great chance to learn the ins and outs of plant naming, to become more confident with sometimes daunting terms.For more information: http://mountlassen.cnps.org/

December 10 - Full Moon and Terre Madre Day

December 10 - Corning: SLOW FOOD SHASTA CASCADE and Lucero Olive Oil celebrate Terre Madre Day with First Annual Winter Crush 10 am - 4 pm 1st Annual Winter Crush at Lucero Olive Oil Saturday Dec. 10 - 10:00am to 4:00pm 2120 Loleta Avenue, Corning Fresh Citrus Olive Oil, Cooking Demo’s by Farwood Bar & Grill (Orland) & GR Gibbs (Redding), Food Tastings, Live Music… For more information go to lucerooliveoil.com andslowfood.com/terramadreday.

December 10 - Sacramento: Sacramento Master Gardeners: All Dried Up - Master Food Preserver Demonstration 10 am - Noon. Basic introduction to safe dehydration techniques. This is a free class. Location: 4145 Branch Center Road Sacramento, Ca 95827 http://ucanr.org/sites/sacmg/?calitem=132072&g=21788

December 10 - Chico: The Plant Barn: Holiday SALEABRATION 10 am - 5pm Holiday-style flower floozie fun! Appetizers, local artists, Wine and Olive Tastings and Random Sales all Day. 530-345-3121. 406 Entler Avenue, Chico.

December 10 - Chico: Chico Horticultural Society: Annual Holiday Greens Workshop 2 - 4 pm. Bring Family, bring friends and share the holiday spirit. Annual Chico Hort Holiday Greens Workshop: Saturday December 10th from 2 - 4 pm, at the Chico Library General Meeting Room. We will have demonstrations on hand-making your own holiday wreath, swag or centerpiece using seasonal greens, berries and cones. The cost of the workshop is $12 and includes all the materials (forms, greens, wire, ribbon) and help needed to a make one 12″ round wreath, one hearty door swag, or one stunning holiday centerpiece. Registration Required. To register to participate, please contact Jennifer Jewell at 588-6369 or jennifer @jewellgarden.com, in your message please indicate how many are in your party, which item each person would like to make, and a good contact for you for confirmation. Money will be collected at the door on the day of the event.

December 14 – 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 on Wednesday, November 9. Enjoy the crisp fall weather, explore the pleasures of the autumn 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.

December 17 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Under the Redwood Canopy 2 p.m., Wyatt Deck, Old Davis Road, UC Davis. Enjoy the peace and silence of the redwood grove on a misty winter day and learn about the complex and fascinating ecosystem of the redwood forest during a free guided tour at the UC Davis Arboretum on Saturday, December 17. This walk will provide a brief introduction to the ecology and history of the coast redwood and the plants that grow under the redwood canopy. The tour will meet at 2:00 p.m. at the Wyatt Deck, located on Old Davis Road next to the Arboretum redwood grove on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour and 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.

December 19 - Chico: In a North State Garden: Special I-5 LIVE! The Wonderful World of Mushrooms 8 - 9 pm. Join host Jennifer Jewell and mushroom-enthusiast guests Don Simoni of Mushroom Adventures, and Beth and Stephan Wattenburg in Forest Ranch to chat about the seasonal appearance of these wonderful structures throughout the North State. What do they tell us? How to begin to id them? Where to go see them, how to make a spore print, and some favorite recipes preparing them. KCHO 91.7/KFPR 88.9 fm in Chico and Redding.

December 21/22 - WINTER SOLSTICE 12:30 am Eastern Standard Time

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

December 31, 2011 - January 1, 2012 HAPPY NEW YEAR. May be peace be yours in the coming year.

Jewellgarden.com’s collections of note cards and blank journals make wonderful gifts. Dedicated to the art, craft and science of gardening, produced wholly in the North State on 100% recycled papers, Jewellgarden.com’s line of Holiday, Natives in the Garden, Edibles in the Garden, and Seed Series of printed products will delight all the gardeners, readers, writers - all enjoyers of life - in your life this year. Available now on-line. All of Jewellgarden.com’s cards are printed in Chico by Quadco printing using 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based ink.

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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 in the North State region? 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. 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. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is simultaneously universal and positively North State.