The sign at the entrance to the ornamental garden in Sacramento’s William Land Park reads: WPA Rock Garden, Established 1940. The sign is not original to the garden’s 1940s-era design and construction, it was erected less than 20 years ago by gardener Daisy Mah. In charge of this distinct one-acre garden since 1988, Daisy - a City of Sacramento Parks Department employee - wanted the garden on which she spends hours each day to have an entrance sign with its own name. “When I first began work here more than 20 years ago, people called the garden ‘The Jungle’ or ‘The Maze’ or the ‘Ivy Garden.’” Because many of the surrounding Land Park neighborhood residents regularly visit the garden’s meandering paths and magical plantings, Daisy polled the neighborhood for what the official name of the garden should be. The majority of responses were that the garden should be called “Daisy’s Garden” - but Daisy ultimately settled on the simply stated name and rustic metal and wood sign you see today. Photo: The entrance sign for the WPA Rock Garden at William Land Park in Sacramento. The garden is on 15th Avenue across the street from Fairytale town and beside to the park’s amphitheater.

The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was a Depression-Era work-relief program instituted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1935 as part of his New Deal. The WPA employed out-of-work professionals, artisans, craftspeople, fine artists, and writers to work on projects that to improve towns and cities all over the country. Sacramento’s WPA Rock Garden, a one-acre naturalistic garden set on a sloping hillside between Fairytale Town and the Duck Pond in William Land Park was one such WPA project. Like many WPA projects after the New Deal funding ended, the WPA Rock Garden was left in large part untended for many years. When Daisy took on the job of the garden’s restoration in 1988, the site was overgrown with invasive vinca and ivy. One mature, now-well-tended, tree-like specimen of the original ivy still grows in the garden. Photo: A sketched overview of the WPA Rock Garden’s layout.

Having graduated with a degree in Art from San Jose, Daisy returned to the Sacramento area to be close to her parents - both of whom immigrated to the US from China, her father as a young boy. Daisy became really interested in gardening and horticulture when she and her husband bought their first house in the early 1980s. She subsequently studied Horticulture at the American River College and got her first job with Sacramento’s Parks Department working in the Rose Garden in McKinley Park. When the then-Superintendent of Parks showed her the overgrown WPA Rock Garden, its intriguing space in which you could lose yourself and potentially find secret delights along each pathway and around each corner, was far more interesting to her than the monoculture of the Rose Garden. Photos: A curve in pathway of the WPA Rock Garden, with a close-up of Iochroma cyaneum violacea, attracting multiple pollinators, below.

When Daisy won a $400 scholarship for her horticultural work in 1988, she wanted to use some of the money to give back to the community. She took half of the money and placed an order for flowering perennials from local grower Cornflower Farms with which to begin replacing ivy and restoring the plantings of the WPA Rock Garden. Daisy has been at it ever since: researching plants, propagating those she wants, ordering others, receiving still others from plant people all over the world, and then planting, weeding, pruning, reworking plantings, dragging enormous hoses to water, and generally tending thoughtfully to this lively garden. The result of Daisy’s labors is now a garden where the the public can lose themselves in the magic of a place where they can “satisfy that inner-need to connect with nature and beauty”, even in the heart of the city, remarks Daisy. Photo: A view to a mature crepe myrtle seen through one of the openings in the stone and metal semi-circular seating area in the center of the WPA Rock Garden. This seating area is not original to the WPA-era garden, but was designed by Daisy based on a photo she saw of a Jens Jensen-designed circular seating area. Built by volunteer masons using discarded stone used as ballast on ships and left at the city dump, the seating area is dedicated to a long-time volunteer in the garden: Norma Clevenger. The dedication plaque describes her as “A gardener’s gardener and a fierce liberal!”

Construction of William Land Park began in 1922, when noted Landscape Architect Frederick Noble Evans was Superintendent of Parks for Sacramento. An early graduate of the Landscape Architecture school at Harvard University in Boston, Evans served as Superintendent of the Parks Department for 26 years. It was under his design-eye and leadership that William Land Park was designed and built - including the many WPA- constructed wood and masonry elements, such as a rustic pergola with built-in benches, roadway curbing throughout the park, an amphitheater, the park’s many ponds and lakes, and the WPA Rock Garden. Photo: Another turn in a pathway of the WPA Garden and a late-summer illuminated rose. Two pollinators examine the rose before exploring further.

The Rock Garden’s wandering walkways were laid out by the WPA crew and flanked by local-granite masonry raised beds. The park as a whole was part of a nationwide movement known as the Reform Park Movement and is an example of Naturalistic Park Design. The call for such naturalistic green spaces to be incorporated into densely populated, unrelentingly-grid-patterned cities began in the late 1800s on the east coast in cities such as Washington DC, New York and Boston. These carefully-designed informal and naturalistic green spaces were intended to offer both physical and psychological respite as well as the health benefits of nature to urban dwellers, many of whom could not afford take time off from their industrial jobs, or to get out of the city if they could get time off. New York’s Central Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead, is perhaps the most famous example of the Naturalistic Park Design era. Photo: Along one of the central pathways in the WPA Garden, an industrial-sized hose hugs the side of a stone wall. Most of the plantings that Daisy has put into the garden are hand-watered by Daisy and her volunteers while they are getting established. An automated irrigation system was added to the garden only less than 10 years ago.

Walking through Sacramento’s WPA Rock Garden with Daisy Mah in late October, the garden is full of life around each corner. Through many years of work on her part, and on the part of Conservation Corps workers, other park workers, and various local garden club members - the ivy, vinca and other weeds are long gone. They have been replaced over the years by a succession of plantings. Daisy first began restoring the garden with traditional rock garden and alpine plants, but these proved too fragile and tender for a public garden. “The pressure of the public can be pretty hard,” admits Daisy - some plants - especially when they are little and getting established, get stepped on, trash gets left, I’ve even had large plant specimens dug up and carted off!” Photo: Deep blue salvia and bright orange-red California fuchsia contrast and play off one another in late October at the WPA Rock Garden.

The sometimes damaging effects of an admiring public does not seem to deter Daisy’s enthusiasm for providing a space that welcomes the public. One anecdote she shared was that when she had the semicircular seating area in the center of the garden built a few years back to mimic the look and feel of the WPA stone and metal work, she considered having thin wire anchored up the stone pillars so that she could train some vines up the pillars; “But the first day one wire was up, a boy came by and yanked them down. That’s clearly what he thought they were for,” she explained understandingly, “So I rethought the idea of the vines!” Photos: The rustic stone and metal semi-circular seating area in the heart of the WPA Rock Garden. Designed by Daisy, the seating area frames views into other sections of the garden and a place for visitors to meet and gather.

Currently, Daisy focuses on California native plants - including re-seeding annuals and bulbs - as well as sweeping variety of non-native, drought tolerant, climate appropriate Mediterranean plants. Deep blue salvias and red California fuchsias are blooming brightly here, roses and society garlic are blooming there. Although nothing bears labels or tags, which might distract from the sheer experience and enjoyment of the space, the Parks Department does have a pamphlet noting much of the garden’s plantings. Photo: A long view of the succulent bed which Daisy began to experiment with in 2001.

Daisy of course knows them all, and each plant or insect, even visitor holds a story for her. She points out a Gulf Fritillary (Agraulis vanillae), butterfly and notes that the host plant for its larva is the passion vine. She says hello to a man and his dog walking through and the man responds, “Hi, Daisy!” As we wander around corners, sunlight hits foliage and blooms up ahead, drawing you along. Specific plants unfold a variety of stories, and altogether these cumulatively tell not only the story of this garden and this gardener in the past quarter-century, but they likewise illuminate much of the story of horticulture in Northern California over the same time period: “I began gardening - like many new gardeners - with a feeling that I wanted it all right NOW!” remembers Daisy wryly, “But now each plant needs to tell some story or add to the story of the larger garden…This large-leaved Petasites came from Ed Carmen,” she says off-hand, pointing to striking, generously rounded leaves and referring to a well-known Pacific Coast nurseryman and award-winning horticulturalist of the region. “This rose I am not sure of the name - but it’s an old variety that I got from a garden in Oak Park - an older city neighborhood.” Photo: A WPA Rock Garden view and a Gulf Fritillary butterfly on an agave.

In the garden blooms a red flowering maple (Abutilon) that Daisy calls A. ‘Louise Blakey’, but a horticultural friend calls the same plant A. ‘Daisy’s Red’, because it grows in his garden since having received it from Daisy Mah. Photo: Abutilon ‘Daisy’s Red’

Tall trees - Cupressus cashmeriana, Magnolia ‘Vulcan’ and ‘Galaxy’, redbuds, and Arbutus ‘ Marina’, Gingko biloba, deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara)- provide shade and dimension to the space. Some are beginning to color-up with fall’s cooling temperatures and waning daylight. Over such a span of time, Daisy has seen large trees come and go - some have fallen over with age, others she has grown from seed to near-maturity. Hundreds of perennials have been planted, seeded, reseeded, lost and re-found in the 34 individual raised planting areas. Daisy has experimented with an all white-blooming border, she has experimented with fragrance and tough, good-looking succulents. “It’s not hard, it just takes time.” Daisy Mah - 95-pounds of dedication - has given a lot of time and makes the hard-won results look easy. Her efforts are profoundly evident in thriving, interesting plant choices, striking plant combinations and visitors who are positively affected by the garden at all times of year. Photo: Daisy Mah beneath a bunya-bunya tree (Araucaria bidwillii) that she grew from seed in the WPA Rock Garden.

In early 2010 a Cultural Landscape Survey and Evaluation of William Land Park was conducted for the City of Sacramento - evaluation and inventorying the park in order to determine the park’s eligibility for being nominated to be listed in the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources, the California Register of Historical Resources, and the National Register of Historic Places. In October of 2011, the draft of the final report was published and the park - including its unique WPA Rock Garden easily meets criteria for listing in all three registers. According to the report, William Land Park, the largest park in the city of Sacramento, “meets evaluation criteria due to its association with important local trends in the following areas of significance: Community Planning and Development, Government, Entertainment/Recreation, and Landscape Architecture.” Included in these are its elements built from 1922-1969 embodying the Reform Park Movement, Naturalistic Park Design and WPA-construction features. Photo: Shining seed heads along a pathway leading into Daisy and her husband’s home garden in Sacramento.

Walking through the historic ornamental WPA Rock Garden in Sacramento’s William Land Park with the quiet- strength of gardener Daisy Mah leading the way, it is clear to me that the reasons for the garden’s construction originally are just as true today as they were 80 years ago: everyone benefits physically and psychologically from fresh air, green plants, and even momentary transport and escape from the lock-step, grid-patterned-daily-life-tensions that many of us face. “I grew up as the youngest of six siblings,” shares Daisy. “My father left China and its abject poverty for a better life in the US, and as a result, our garden growing up was an important resource for the edibles it could provide. Ornamental gardening was not seen as valuable. As an older man, my father visited my ornamental garden, exploring and enjoying the beauty and the life. He said to me after: ‘Your garden makes me feel like a rich man.’” Photo: Daisy’s light-hearted laughter filling a corner of the WPA Rock Garden, a garden she has grown and tended for more almost a quarter of a century.

Daisy Mah’s contributions to gardening in Northern California through her 23 plus years of work at the WPA Rock Garden adds richness to the lives of all of us who walk the garden’s pathways - be it a quick morning walk or a leisurely afternoon wedding. Photo: A sweep of purple society garlic (Tulbaghia violacea )catch the mid-day sun at the WPA Rock Garden.

A fixture of Sacramento’s plant community, Daisy is an active garden designer, horticultural speaker, and member of the Perennial Plant Club of Sacramento. She has designed a traditional Chinese Garden in Locke, California in the Delta region near where she grew up, as well as a Healing Garden at Sacramento’s Sutter Hospital. Additionally, she has been instrumental in the implementation and design of round-a-bout gardens in several of Sacramento’s urban neighborhoods. Besides the WPA Rock Garden, Daisy oversees long stretches of roadside gardens throughout William Land Park and several island gardens in the park’s various ponds and lakes. Photo: A working pot standing guard at the entrance to Daisy’s home garden. Known as Chinese egg pots, these ceramic vessels “were once used for shipping thousand-year old eggs, which my uncle in San Francisco incorporated in Chinese pastries. My uncle has died and eggs are now shipped in styrofoam,” she related.

More of my environmental writing can be found in the Chico News & Review, and Pacific Horticulture. Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook. Photo: One of the William Land Park’s island gardens that Daisy tends in addition to the one-acre WPA Rock Garden. Lower picture shows the colorful, heat-loving bloom in one of Daisy’s roadway plantings in the park: blue salvia, salvia clevelandii, yellow single-flowering marigold and red cosmos.

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.

This article originally appeared in the Butte Rose Society’s October 2011 Newsletter. Love roses? The Butte Rose Society’s annual rose show - A Festival of Roses is Oct. 22, 2011 from 1 - 4 pm at Our Divine Savior Social Hall, 566 East Lassen Avenue in Chico. Admission is free. For more information contact: www.butte-rosesociety.org.

Roses are like people – some just have nicer hips than others. Some have pretty faces, some have great legs, great shoulders. Some have good hips - especially in October. And I like good hips. To me, they speak of strength, fertility and beauty. (more…)

Autumn’s arrival for me is accompanied by a renewed sense of community. Perhaps it is the return of regular school schedules, and the return of regular monthly meetings for garden clubs and organizations. Perhaps it is the primal sense of oncoming winter and a need to come together and prepare. Perhaps it’s the anticipation and energy of the harvest – from the vast chartreuse rice fields and the statuesque almond, olive and walnut orchards running through our region, to the end-of-summer tomatoes, peppers, beans, and squash finishing up in our home gardens and now filling our kitchen counters, freezers and shelves. Cool, even cold, nights and days with a prospect of rain are returning. We are gathering, and we are planning and planting for the seasons to come. Photo: Rice fields, Central Valley in October. (more…)

In much of the North State - several weeks of rain or snow gave way to SUNSHINE for the closing days of March and the opening days of April and it could not have been more welcome. I was assured by the powers that be (in this case, weather forecasters) that March would go out like a lamb and so it did. My winter greens are already bolting - and the arugula and some of the chard is now flowering, although my cabbages are headed up nicely this spring. My asparagus is in fern. I am preparing to plant the veggie starts and seed potatoes I have as soon as I can find time - particularly the onion sets and herbs from Shambani Organics and a handful of seeds (carrots and lettuces and summer kale) I got from Redwood Seeds. For valley-dwellers, close to average last frost, we can begin to dream about the summer garden in earnest - but WAIT FOR IT - impatience will only mean you start or purchase starts for your tender warm season crops twice (or thrice depending on just how impatient you are). Tomato, pepper and eggplant starts will be available from growers at nurseries and farmers markets this month, and so enticing. But until the soil has warmed enough to feel comfortable to your bare forearm and the evening temperatures have risen consistently, the plants will not put on much growth anyway. So take this time to weed, to save or sow seed, to prepare and amend soil with compost and to enjoy this lovely - often foolish - season of April that we’re in while we’re in it. The coming season will be upon us soon enough.

Now is also a good time to learn - check out the remarkable offerings of classes and plant and gardening related events happening all around us - it will be like preparing the soil of your mind for the garden of your life. If you are interested in our regional events, be sure to check the On-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com regularly – events are added all the time. I do my very best to keep the calendar up to date and accurate, please confirm all events with the event host’s contact information. If you have an event you would like listed or if you are aware of a mistake on my calendar, please send me corrected info: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com! Thanks.

APRIL 2011

April 1 - 3 - Oroville: 2011 Northern California Wildflower Weekend Sponsored by the California Garden Clubs, Inc. Come celebrate the beauty of Northern California’s wildflowers! Where: The fabulous Feather Falls Casino and Lodge in Oroville, California Featuring: An array of fascinating talks by subject matter experts. Guided tours to a nearby wildflower viewing site (bring your camera!) Guided armchair tours (in indoor comfort) A vendor area. One dinner and two box lunches. Housing, dining. Note: A portion of the proceeds go to fund a school garden in Concow, California, hard hit by wildland fire in 2008. More information and to register, go to: http://www.norcalwildflowers.org/

April 2 - Friends of the Chico State Herbarium - Workshop: Soils, Landforms, and Vegetation of Bidwell Park with Andrew Conlin 9 a.m - 3:00 pm Meet in Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park Parking Lot B (by the Easter cross). Bidwell Park provides a great outdoor classroom to explore the relationships between landform, soils, and the vegetation occurring on those soils. The geological processes that shape the land and create soil can be revealed by walking through this dramatic landscape. Differences in vegetation often correspond to differences in soil characteristics. Soil Scientist Andrew Conlin will once again lead a 2 part field tour in Bidwell Park. The registration fee is $35.00 per person (kids under 12 free when accompanied by an adult). Please register in advance; class size is limited to 30 participants (class cancelled without at least 8 participants). For more information about workshop content please contact Rod Lacey at vektor2016@yahoo.com. For more information about workshop registration please contact the Chico State Herbarium office at biol@csuchico.edu or (530) 898-5356. or biol@csuchico.edu.

April 2 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Plant Sale: Storer Garden Spotlight 9 am–1 pm, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Central Valley gardeners can enhance their gardens with beautiful spring plants from the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum plant sale on Saturday, April 2, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The sale will feature hundreds of different kinds of plants, most of which have been grown in Davis and will thrive in Central Valley conditions, including newly-introduced and unusual garden plants that are hard to find or not available in commercial nurseries. This sale has a special focus on plants from the Storer Garden, the Arboretum’s demonstration garden of drought-tolerant flowering shrubs and perennials, with an emphasis on carefree, low-maintenance gardening. Many of the Arboretum All-Stars, the Arboretum’s top recommended plants for Central Valley gardens, will be for sale. Master Gardeners and Arboretum experts will be on hand to advise on the best plants for shoppers’ garden conditions. At the Plant Doctor booth, plant pathology graduate students will diagnose plant pests and diseases—shoppers can bring samples of problem plants in a sealed plastic bag for advice. The UC Davis Environmental Horticulture Club will be there selling annuals and starts for summer vegetable gardens. Anyone can join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum at the door and receive a 10% discount on purchases and a free plant. The Arboretum Teaching Nursery is located on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lots 50 and 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

April 2 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Compost 101 - The Mysterious Life of Compost 10 am - Noon. It’s alive! From the humble beginnings of kitchen and garden scraps, good compost takes on a life of its own. Join Ken Waranius, the ‘Compost Tea Guy’ as he unravels the mysteries of turning those garden & kitchen leftovers into black gold for your garden’s soil! FREE for members, $3 for Nonmembers. Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

April 2 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and Friends 11 am. Presented by John & Betty Fitzpatrick. An interactive program in the Children’s Garden (or Greenhouse in rain) for children, their siblings, parents and grandparents. Join Charlie, our adorable jack rabbit puppet, in various gardening activities. Wear your favorite gardening clothes! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

April 3 & 4 - Yankee Hill: Spring Fever Nursery Open Hellebore and More Days Sunday, April 3 at 9:00am - Monday April 4 at 4:30pm. 5683 Wendy Way Yankee Hill CA. For wonderful hard to find perennials and interesting plants of all manner - definitely make the trip. The gardens and the nursery should be prime. For more information email: springfever@digitalpath.net

April 6 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of Cal Native Plant Society: Regular Member Meeting & Program by Ecologist Summer Kemp-Jennings presenting on: What is the fate of a silent forest? The effects of bird loss on plant life in the Northern Mariana Islands 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico. Since the accidental introduction of the brown tree snake on Guam shortly after World War II, the Pacific island has experienced a decimation of native bird populations, while nearby islands free of the snake have managed to retain avifauna diversity. Since studies have estimated 28-56% of bird species on oceanic islands will be extinct by 2100, Guam serves as an imperative resource for studying the importance of birds in forest ecology. This presentation will take us on a trip through the tumultuous journey of Guam’s scenic forests in the past century. The intertwined relationship birds share with plants through seed dispersal and food web interactions will be highlighted. As a native to the Chico area, Summer Kemp-Jennings has always had a love for the bounty of amazing plant life surrounding her. Some of her favorites include the spring wildflowers and majestic redwoods. Her recent interests include plasmodial slime molds and ocean ecology. This past summer, she received a Research Experience for Undergraduates grant from the National Science Foundation to spend three months contributing to the Ecology of Bird Loss research project in the Mariana Islands, as well as implementing an independent research project on seed dispersal. Since her return, Summer has continued seeking other opportunities such as interning for a Butte College project called BWELL to create a bioswale for parking lot runoff, and interning for Chico State graduate student Melissa Ha studying competition between pollinators in Clarkia wildflowers. Summer hopes to transfer to the University of Oregon in the fall of 2011 to complete her bachelor’s degree in ecology, and then continue her education further. For more information: http://www.cnps.org/cnps/chapters/newsletters/pipevine.pdf

April 7- 10 - Sacramento: California State Flower and Garden Show Cal State Shows is very pleased to announce the new California State Flower, Food & Garden Show to be held at Cal Expo, Sacramento. This Show is driven by the passion and enthusiasm of gardeners from all over the State. Highlighting the diversity, scope and interest of the California gardening community, this will be a true Flower, Food & Garden Show with something for everyone. For information regarding the California State Flower, Food & Garden Show please call:1-877-696-6668, Ext 4.

April 7 – Paradise: Saturen Studio Botanical Illustration Classes - Session III begins 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm every Thursday for 4 weeks, April 7 - April 28. 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

April 7 – Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org

April 8 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - CSU, Chico Bidwell Mansion Tree Tours 10 am meet at the Bidwell Mansion Parking lot (525 Esplanade, Downtown Chico) Join us for a 2 hour informative walk to see and hear about the 200 species of woody plants, many dating back to John Bidwell’s time. Leaders, Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293

April 9 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Workshop: Your Sustainable Backyard: Landscaping in California 8 a.m.–3 p.m., ARC Ballroom, LaRue Road, UC Davis. Plant sale: 3–5 p.m., Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Fee: $35, includes morning coffee and lunch. Home gardeners are invited to a special workshop on Your Sustainable Backyard: Landscaping in California with Debra Lee Baldwin, photojournalist and author of “Designing with Succulents,” and Bob Perry, landscape architect and author of the new “Landscape Plants for California Gardens.” These plant experts will discuss sustainable landscaping and the unique plants best adapted to California gardens. Following the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to shop for plants at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The workshop, sponsored by the California Center for Urban Horticulture, will take place 8 a.m.–3 p.m. at the ARC Ballroom on the UC Davis campus; the special plant sale will be 3–5 p.m. at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The fee for the event is $35 and includes morning coffee and lunch. For more information, contact Missy Borel at 530-752-6642 or mjborel@ucdavis.edu, or visit ccuh.ucdavis.edu.

April 9 - Vina: Nature Conservancy Hike on Vina Plains Preserve 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM During the spring the Vina Plains Preserve comes alive with colorful wildflowers which carpet the grasslands and ring the vernal pools in spectacular bands of color. The pools support many rare, threatened or endangered species and attract a large array of waterfowl and shorebirds that feast on small crustaceans that fill the pools this time of year. The one mile hike is relatively flat, but the surface will be uneven, and may be wet and slippery in places, depending on the weather. The hike will be led by California Native Plant Society botanists, who are extremely knowledgeable about the flora of the site. All events are held rain or shine, with the exception of a serious downpour. Sturdy footwear/hiking boots are a requirement. The weather may be hot, or humid and wet, so wear layered clothing, and bring waterproof clothing and a hat. Carry plenty of drinking water, and bring a lunch. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Space is limited to 25 persons, so visitors are advised to book early. To book a reservation or receive more information, contact Jackson Shedd of The Nature Conservancy at (530) 588-8013 or jshedd@tnc.org.

April 9 - Los Molinos: Nature Conservancy Hike in Dye Creek Canyon 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM The four to five mile hike follows the course of Dye Creek itself, which cuts through a pristine setting of volcanic buttes, hills and extensive blue oak woodlands, before flowing into the Sacramento River. Expect spectacular views, spring flowers, occasional wildlife sightings, such as golden eagles and woodpeckers (binoculars enhance the experience). You’ll also have a rare opportunity to explore a cave thought to be frequented by Ishi, the last survivor of the Yahi Indian Tribe. Please note: A good level of fitness and agility is required to complete the hike. Hikers will have to traverse a creek and navigate steep, rocky terrain. All events are held rain or shine, with the exception of a serious downpour. Sturdy footwear/hiking boots are a requirement. The weather may be hot, or humid and wet, so wear layered clothing, and bring waterproof clothing and a hat. Carry plenty of drinking water, and bring a lunch. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Space is limited to 25 persons, so visitors are advised to book early. To book a reservation or receive more information, contact Jackson Shedd of The Nature Conservancy at (530) 588-8013 or jshedd@tnc.org.

April 9 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Vegetable Gardening 10 am - Noon. Join local organic gardener Cleo Lane for a lively discussion of vegetable gardening in our climate with a focus on: seasonal planting, growing more tomatoes, gardening with children, pollinators, pests and diseases, and organic gardening methods. FREE for Members, $3 for Nonmembers. Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

April 9 - Chico: Butte County Master Gardeners: Nurturing Soil, Waste Reduction, Wildlife Habitat Workshop: 10 am - 12 noon. Free Sustainable Gardening Education Workshop series at the Patrick Ranch in Chico hosted by the Butte County Master Gardeners. You will be introduced to the principles of water and energy conservation, waste reduction, nurturing your soil, water and air quality, and how to create wildlife habitat. CAll to register: 530-538-7201, email cebutte@ucdavis.edu; or visit: www.cebutte.ucdavis.edu Patrick Ranch is located at 10381 Midway Chico , Ca

April 9 - Chico/Oroville: Butte County Master Gardeners: Tomato sale! 10 am - 4 pm. Chico Location: UGarden Connection, Entler Avenue; Oroville Location: Advanced Soil and Garden, across from Walmart. p to 15 popular and hard-to-find varieties will be sold including: Giant Belgium, Black Cherry, San Marzano, Sweet 100, Celebrity, Mortgage Lifter, Roma, Big Boy and more. A special thanks to our Tomato Plant Sponsors - Advanced Soil and Garden Supply, Gary Ibsen’s TomatoFest, Kellogg Garden products and Garden Connection. Call for more info: 530-538-7201, email cebutte@ucdavis.edu; or visit: www.cebutte.ucdavis.edu.

April 9 - Davis: California Center for Urban Horticulture: Workshop: Your Sustainable Backyard - Landscaping in California. 8am - 3 pm we will have knowledgeable plant experts educating us at ‘Landscaping in CA’. We’ll define and discuss sustainable landscaping and review the unique plants best adapted to California gardens. Photojournalist and Author of Designing with Succulents, Debra Lee Baldwin, will join us in addition to Landscape Architect and Author of the new Landscape Plants for California Gardens, Bob Perry. Following the workshop, the UC Davis Arboretum will be hosting a special plant sale at their Teaching Nursery! $35 fee. For more information and to register go to:http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=6115

April 9 - San Francisco: Garden Conservancy Afternoon Talk: Exploring the Gardens of Wonderland: Horticulturist Robert Hornback: 3 pm Walt Disney Family Museum: San Francisco, CA Follow horticulturist Bob Hornback through the Gardens of Wonderland and learn about the Queen of Hearts and her roses and the Garden of Live Flowers. We will discuss Walt Disney’s interest in Lewis Carroll’s book and John Tenniel’s illustrations and how the book was adapted into the classic film Alice in Wonderland. Illustrated talk A screening of the film Alice in Wonderland will follow the talk. Walt Disney Family Museum 104 Montgomery Street The Presidio, San Francisco Fee: $10 members of the Garden Conservancy and the Walt Disney Family Museum $12 nonmembers Online registration will be available at the Walt Disney Family Museum website. For more info: www.gardenconservancy.org

April 10 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: State Park at Sutter Buttes, Peace Valley and Vicinity 8:30 am meet at Chico Park & Ride West Lot or Arco Gas Station in Live Oak at 9:15 am. Limit 30 persons. Simultaneous walks are scheduled for this new state park, which is accessible for guided groups only. Jim Dempsey will interpret a more strenuous route over surrounding ridges to better see plant communities and panoramas. Bring Lunch, water, hat, hiking shoes and money for ride sharing. To sign up contact Woody Elliot, email preferred: woodyelliott@gmial.com. or phone: 530-342-6053.

April 10 - Redding: Shasta College Community Teaching Garden - Planting a Medicinal Herb Garden 10 am - 12 noon. Community Teaching Garden, Shasta College Main Campus; Presenter: Kalan Milhous Redwood, of Redwood Seeds. Fee: $15.00 For more information: http://www.shastacollege.edu/teachinggarden/

April 10 - Redding: Shasta College Community Teaching Garden - Seed Saving and Improvement 1pm - 3pm. Community Teaching Garden, Shasta College Main Campus; Presenter: Jim Collins. Fee: $15.00 For more information: http://www.shastacollege.edu/teachinggarden/

April 13 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Walk with Warren: California Wildflowers 12 p.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road, UC Davis. Join Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum’s native plant collections on Wednesday, April 13. Enjoy the early spring weather, learn about the Arboretum’s collections, see spring wildflowers in bloom, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, located on Old Davis Road at Mrak Hall Drive, across from the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $6 in Visitor Lots 1 and 2 and the Mondavi Center parking structure. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

April 14 – Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org

April 14 - 16 – Redding: Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society: Shasta College Plant Sale: This 3-day spring extravaganza is from 8 AM to 5 PM on Thursday and Friday, and 9 AM to 3 PM Saturday, and will be held at the greenhouse/horticulture area of Shasta College. We will be selling our spring-blooming native plants, so call Susan Libonati at 347-4654 or Jay & Terri Thesken at 221-0906 to volunteer for a few hours to help out.

April 15 - San Francisco: Garden Conservancy Day Long Seminar: The Way We Garden Now: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm Golden Gate Club, The Presidio San Francisco. A day-long seminar on sustainability, aesthetics, and gardens with integrity. $135. Program and Speakers: Stephen Orr, garden writer, New York City, on Tomorrow‘s Garden; Mark Simmons, ecologist, Austin, on Urban Transformations through Horticulture and Ecology; Rosalind Creasy, garden and food writer, Northern California, on Edible Landscaping; W. Gary Smith, landscape architect/artist, Toronto, on Local Sensibility: a Sense of Place in the Garden; Christine Ten Eyck, landscape architect, Phoenix/Austin, on Harsh Beauty: the aesthetic of a tough environment. The individual talks will be followed by a panel with the speakers and moderator. Seminar Description: Gardens that adhere to some principles of design, maintain solid ecological infrastructure, reflect their region through horticulture and materials, and are beautiful in the eye of their creators and visitors, we can call gardens with integrity. This seminar brings together a garden writer, a landscape architect, an artist and garden designer, and an ecologist to remind us not to forget “beauty” as we create outdoor places that entertain us, relax us, and allow us to convene with nature and ourselves. A local designer, horticulturist, and garden activist will join our speakers for a lively discussion of collective vision following the talks. Location: Golden Gate Club Presidio of San Francisco 135 Fisher Loop San Francisco, CA 94129. For more information or to register go to: www.gardenconservancy.org

April 16 – Chico: The California Nut Festival: 11 am - 4 om Patrick Ranch Museum, Midway, Chico CA. Tickets now available - $25/person. Tickets for children 7-12 available for $10 at the event. Children 6 and under are free! For more information: http://www.californianutfestival.com/.

April 17 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society: WILDFLOWER SHOW and NATIVE PLANT SALE! 12 - 5 pm CARD Center, 545 Vallombrosa, Chico. Tickets are $4 for adults; children are free. The week of April 17-23 has been designated California Native Plant Week by the state legislature. The Wildflower Show is a wonderful opportunity to see a breathtaking display of 200 species of (mostly) native plants from Butte, Glenn, Tehama, and Plumas Counties on display. The Native Plant Sale is not to be missed for hard-to-find interesting native plants. Great resource books and posters will be on sale, and many fun activities for children (and adults!) will include a microscope station. This year’s show will also feature three speakers: Wes Dempsey, Professor Emeritus of CSU, Chico will show more than 30 local native plants used by the Maidu tribe, John Whittlesey, owner of Canyon Creek Nursery & Design will present on how to transform your unwanted lawn into a native plant garden of color and delight, and Rob Schlising, Professor Emeritus of CSU, Chico will talk about how pollinators and plants work together to make seeds. This show was a treat for me and my two school-aged children last time! For more information email: wildflowermaven@comcast.net

April 17 – Chico: Chico Organic Gardening Class: Brian Marshall and Nancy Heinzel of Sawmill Creek Farm 1:30 - 3:30 Chico Grange. Brian and Nancy will share their vast experience growing heirloom and hybrid tomatoes. The class will have an opportunity to purchase certified naturally grown tomato, eggplant, and pepper plants. For more information or to register, go to: http://valleyoakmagazine.com/about/monthly-publication/organic-gardening/chico-organic-gardening-society-cogs/chico-organic-gardening-class.

April 18 - Full Moon

April 19 - Chico: Slow Food Shasta Cascade Regular Monthly Meet and Eat 6:30 pm. Chico Grange 2775 Nord Avenue Chico, CA 95973 (530) 895-1976. For More Information, email Kathy Moore: mundanerealism@yahoo.com

April 20 - Redding: Shasta Rose Society: Regular Member Meeting & Program Verbally Judging the First Little Rose Show of the Season 7 pm City of Redding Corporation Yard, 2055 Viking Way, Building 4, Rm 401. For more information: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html

April 21 – Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of veggies, and flowering plants ($2.00/pack), a lot of fern varieties in hanging baskets and in 4”- 8” pots. We also have a wide selection of foliage houseplants that would suit a houseplant lover. i.e. ornamental banana trees, begonias, hostas, ficus trees. The prices range from $2.00-$9.00. PROCEEDS BENEFIT THE SCHOOL HORTICULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PROGRAMS. If you have any questions feel free to call: Quinn Mendez @ 891-3026 ext 381 or email: qmendez@chicousd.org

April 21 – Redding: Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society: Regular Monthly Meeting and Program with Eric Knapp on Natural Variation in Plant Populations 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). Program: Eric Knapp, Research Ecologist with the US Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station in Redding, will give us a presentation on Natural Variation in Plant Populations, using beautiful photographs from his many trips in the California outdoors. Eric holds a BA in Biology, an MS in Agronomy, and a PhD in Genetics from UC Davis. Eric is also an avid hiker, backpacker, mountaineer and photographer with published work in the California Wilderness Record and Backpacker Magazine, in addition to his many scientific articles. 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.

April 23 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Pulga to Mayaro 9 am meet at Chico Park & Ride West Lot. SimDrive along the PG&E poleline road above Feather River. We will hike a short way down to the site of the 1940s resort of Mayaro . The road is rough and mostly 1 lane. Al pulga we start in the serpentine and then finish in the granite above Mayaro. Skullcap, monkey flowers, fritillaries and many others to be seen. Leaders: Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123; and Wes Dempsey: 530-342-2293. Bring Lunch, water, hat, hiking shoes and money for ride sharing.

April 23 - Weaverville: 3rd Annual Plant & Seed Exchange 11:00 am – 4:00 pm. Young Family Ranch, 260 Oregon St., Weaverville. Free Admission. Bring plants, seeds and garden books to exchange. If you don’t have anything to exchange, come anyway for the fun activities and free stuff. Workshops on Soils, Native Plant Propagation and Creative Planters & Container Gardening. Kids gardening activities will include plant pot decorating and terrariums or mini-greenhouses from recycled materials. Other activities include a “Garden Tip” raffle, a lasagna garden demonstration, plant propagation information and pizza from the Ranch’s cob oven. Sponsored by the Trinity County Resource Conservation District. For more information, contact Donna Rupp at 623-6004 or check www.trinityroots.org after 4/1/11 for a full schedule.

April 26 - Chico: Butte Rose Society General Member Meeting & 1st Little Rose Show of the Year 6 pm gather, 7 pm meeting and program begin. Chico Veterans Memorial Hall at 554 Rio Lindo Ave. For more information: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/

April 27 – Redding:

April 29 - 30 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Turtle Bay McConnell Arboretum Spring Plant Sale Turtle Bay/Arboretum Member Party & Pre-Sale is Friday, 5 to 8 PM, and the General Public Sale is Saturday, 9 AM to 2 PM, at the Arboretum, 1100 Arboretum Drive, Redding. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

April 30 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Plant Sale: Plant Sale: Gardening for the Senses 9 am–1 pm, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Central Valley gardeners can enhance their gardens with beautiful spring plants from the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum plant sale on Saturday, April 30, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery. The sale will feature hundreds of different kinds of plants, most of which have been grown in Davis and will thrive in Central Valley conditions, including newly-introduced and unusual garden plants that are hard to find or not available in commercial nurseries. This sale has a special focus on gardening for the senses, featuring plants for color, texture, and fragrance. Many of the Arboretum All-Stars, the Arboretum’s top recommended plants for Central Valley gardens, will be for sale. Master Gardeners and Arboretum experts will be on hand to advise on the best plants for shoppers’ garden conditions. At the Plant Doctor booth, plant pathology graduate students will diagnose plant pests and diseases—shoppers can bring samples of problem plants in a sealed plastic bag for advice. The UC Davis Environmental Horticulture Club will be there selling annuals and starts for summer vegetable gardens. Anyone can join the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum at the door and receive a 10% discount on purchases and a free plant. The Arboretum Teaching Nursery is located on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lots 50 and 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

April 30 - Los Molinos: Nature Conservancy Hike in Dye Creek Canyon 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM The four to five mile hike follows the course of Dye Creek itself, which cuts through a pristine setting of volcanic buttes, hills and extensive blue oak woodlands, before flowing into the Sacramento River. Expect spectacular views, spring flowers, occasional wildlife sightings, such as golden eagles and woodpeckers (binoculars enhance the experience). You’ll also have a rare opportunity to explore a cave thought to be frequented by Ishi, the last survivor of the Yahi Indian Tribe. Please note: A good level of fitness and agility is required to complete the hike. Hikers will have to traverse a creek and navigate steep, rocky terrain. All events are held rain or shine, with the exception of a serious downpour. Sturdy footwear/hiking boots are a requirement. The weather may be hot, or humid and wet, so wear layered clothing, and bring waterproof clothing and a hat. Carry plenty of drinking water, and bring a lunch. Please arrive 15 minutes early. Space is limited to 25 persons, so visitors are advised to book early. To book a reservation or receive more information, contact Jackson Shedd of The Nature Conservancy at (530) 588-8013 or jshedd@tnc.org.

April 30 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk With Lisa Endicott, Horticultural Manager 11 am. Bring your notebooks and camera! We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

MAY 2011

May 1 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Dale and Hog Lakes Ecological Reserves 9 am meet at Chico Park & Ride West Lot. These lakes are vernal pools on BLM grasslands, NE of Redbluff located on Tuscan volcanic soils. Meadowfoam, monkeyflowers, canchalagua, and many more. Leaders: Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123; and Wes Dempsey: 530-342-2293. Bring Lunch, water, hat, hiking shoes and money for ride sharing.

May 5 – Paradise: Saturen Studio Botanical Illustration Classes - Session IV begins 3:30 pm to 5:30 pm every Thursday for 4 weeks, May 5 - May 26. 10 yrs to Adult. Create scientific illustrations of exotic flowers, leafy foliage, tantalizing fruit, and seeds – even carnivorous species. Draw flora to scale, add texture, shadows, and balance as you transfer visual references to paper. Sharpen your drawing skills and pencils as you learn techniques that create 3-dimensional drawings that appear to pop out of the paper! Terry Ashe Recreation Center in Paradise, California Paradise Recreation and Park District (PRPD) Supplies list available at PRPD office. FEE: $30.00 INSTRUCTOR: Ben Saturen. More info please email: b.saturen@yahoo.com

May 7 - Redding: Shasta Rose Society: A Day In the Rose Garden 10:00AM to 4:00PM at 3120 Inverness Redding 96002 admission is free. Come spend “A DAY IN THE ROSE GARDEN” A beautiful garden with all kinds of plants and other interesating items. Featuring plant sales, boutique, rose petal jelly, raffle. Get answers to gardening questions by master gardeners and consulting rosarians. Light refreshments will be served. Admission Free. Contact; Carole Schmitz 530-242-1901 or mandcschmitz@gmail.com. For more information: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html

May 7 – Chico: 28th Annual St. John’s Garden Tour 11:00am to 4:00pm. Always anticipated as a great gardening season kickoff - this year’s tour includes 5 Wonderful Gardens. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the church the day of the tour, include a delicious lunch, and are available at 13 locations in Chico, Durham and Paradise. For more information: rbmj1616@aol.com

May 8 – Redding: Jewellgarden.com Shop for fine note cards, journals, calendars and prints. Follow Jewellgarden.com/In a North State Garden on Facebook - become a fan today!