Archive for the ‘In a North State Garden’ Category

So You Want to Kill Your Lawn and Create a Sense of Place - an Interview with Michael Cook

Thursday, September 2nd, 2010

An arid summer is a fact of life for North State gardeners. It’s the dry side of our Mediterranean climate. But ever-increasing awareness around the need for water conservation and creative use and re-use of water (as well as all of our resources including time and money) is a fact of life no matter where you live or garden. Photo: The dry creek bed and its planted edges in Michael Cook’s Sense of Place and Lawnless garden in Chico.

Northern California-based landscape designer Michael Cook recently completed a sweeping overhaul of the front yard of a Chico home at the end of a cul-de-sac in an older Chico neighborhood. And for it he transformed 10,000 square feet, 7,000 square feet of which was sad-looking, resource guzzling and unused sod into a naturalistic, habitat garden of light, movement and beauty - and which requires far less water, far less maintenance time and money. On top of that, the garden also incorporates many of the on-site materials into its design and creatively re-uses rain when it does fall. All told - this approach creates not only a beautiful garden, but a garden with a strong and compelling sense of place - our place - the North State garden. Photo: Garden designer Michael Cook.

When Michael Cook was first approached about working in this Chico garden, the owners made it clear that they both work full-time and commute in and out of the area so they had little time to spend on the garden. Nature lovers both, they also made it clear that they wanted a space that was pollinator friendly, low-maintenance, but lovely. The wanted to have the garden design work for them well into their retirement years and so the garden and its pathways, entrances and exits needed to be fully accessible. They did not ask Michael to remove the 10,000 square feet of sod, but that’s the proposal he brought to them and they were thrilled. Photo: Front pocket garden with ornamental grasses and regionally inspired fence, gates and gabions in Michael Cook’s Sense of Place and Lawnless garden in Chico.

“I started with the idea of a sense of place,” Michael told me as he walked me through the project. “I wanted materials and a plant palette that very clearly spoke to where the garden is located and the agricultural and natural history interests of the owners. I also wanted it to conserve as many resources as possible.” Photo: California fuchsias and Nasella are some of Cook’s plant selections for this Chico garden.

A young married man, Michael is quick to acknowledge that lawn has its place. “Lawns are cooling, that fresh dark green color in the midst of our summers can be very refreshing aesthetically as well,” he said, “but there should be a specific reason for sod - for your kids to play, your pets to play, as a frame or a border to other plantings. You should not just SETTLE for sod because you have no other idea what to do. We are on the edge of a great paradigm shift in terms of how the mainstream of people see their gardens/yards, and projects like this help to push us as a culture closer to that edge of more thoughtful, resourceful and beautiful expectations.” Photo: Front pocket garden with ornamental grasses and regionally inspired fence, gates and gabions in Michael Cook’s Sense of Place and Lawnless garden in Chico.

For the Chico garden project, Michael and his crew, including Alvaro Garcia of Nayo’s Landscaping, started with removal of the old sod, which had been left unwatered for several months before work began. He then began a process of forming swales and topography of the otherwise flat space to create some visual interest as well as good drainage for dryland plants at the tops of the swales and water efficient micro-climates at the lowest points in the swales. It was at this land-forming stage in the garden that Michael installed low-water use drip emitters and landscape lighting. But not too much landscape, lighting: “Just enough to give a sense of safe passage at night. Light pollution with a lot of up-lights, etc. would have been inconsistent with the goals of the garden.” Photo: Gaura and ornamental grasses catch the light and add nice movement and drama in the garden.

“The suggestion of water is always a good idea in a dry garden, and of course this garden will indeed have water sometimes pouring through it during the winter months,” Michael points out. With both the dry months and the wet months in mind, he designed a series of two pools on either side of the entrance ‘bridge’ to the front door of the house. “The bridge helped us deal with the stair issue at the front entrance, and the two small ponds which recirculate water allowed for a feel of water and lush plantings year round in a small and contained way.” Flowing ‘down stream’ from the two self-contained pool gardens, is a long rock arroyo or dry creek bed, which is in fact the outlet for water from the roof which is piped from the roof gutter, under a garden pathway and over to the rock bed. “The winter roof water fills this creek bed, which then filters and allows the water to percolate slowly into the ground, rather than eroding the front garden area and being wasted run-off in the street and into any storm drains.” Photo: Entrance bridge and recirculating water gardens.

The swales and berms and dry creek bed all have a nice curvaceous feel to them and reflect and work visually in harmony with the way the lot sits at the end of its cul-de-sac. As some of the land work was being done, and the many, many tumbled rocks from ancient creek beds were exposed, Michael determined that he would incorporate the rounded rocks into gabions as fence posts throughout the garden. Harkening back to the rounded rock walls that punctuate our countryside in the North State, these gabions look both rustic and agricultural at the same time as they are have a modern, urban feel with their nicely proportioned metal framing - all built by Michael with the help of his father. The now rusted metal rail fencing that marks the front of the garden provides a similar look and feel, and was also designed and constructed by Michael. Metal artist Jeff Howell added other metal touches such as the oak leaf emblazoned metal bands across garden gates. Photo: Rusted metal fence designed and built by landscape designer Michael Cook.

When it came to choosing plants for the garden, Michael knew he wanted to incorporate a lot of natives as well as other year-round Mediterranean/drought-adapted plants. “The key is massing and repeating colors and shapes. When you have such a big space and close to a blank slate - if you are working on lawn overhaul in your garden, putting one of each thing you like will result in a disjointed and choppy feeling. Put 3 to 5 of each plant type in 3 to 5 different areas throughout your space. This will lead to a sense of flow. And spread them out - give them room to breath and show off as specimens.” Michael’s plant choices for this garden, which gets a lot of full sun each day, include: California fuchsia (Zauschnaria), achillea, bunch grasses, such as: Nasella tenuissima, Muhlenbergia, Calamagrostis x acutlflora ‘Karl Foerster’, and Fescue. Photo: Dry creek bed swale and its plantings looking over one end of a little water garden designed and built Cook.

Many gardeners I know have taken the leap and transformed unused sections of lawn into something more. One gardening friend has experimented with a few lawn alternatives, bit by bit over time so that now all of her garden looks decimated at once. She does not love just silver plants, and really wanted a lawn alternative that was a fresh green most of the time. In the front of her subdivision home she removed a large section of sod and planted out a low-growing creeping thyme ‘lawn,’ which takes very little water relative to a traditional sod lawn, needs no mowing and keeps a nice deep green color year-round. In the back of her home, she removed close to a quarter acre of lawn surrounding her swimming pool and planted the space in a spreading and low-growing oregano. The variety she chose was supposed to be a non-flowering selection, and while several of hers are flowering, they still look wonderful and though they started as 2 inch plugs spaced about 18 inches apart on center, they have filled in the space almost completely in less than 6 months. She is watering 1 to 2 times per week this first summer, but intends to cut this back to 1 or 2 times every other week as of summer 2011, when the plants will be nicely established. “The color is that rich green that I wanted, and when the plants are mowed every two to three weeks, the scent is fabulous and the clippings break down into amazing compost,” she enthused. Walking on the oregano in bare feet is also a pretty nice sensation, “although just after it’s been mowed, you can get a woody stem that’s less than ideal,” she admitted. Photo: Lovely and regionally inspired metal work details on entrance gates and gabions.

Another gardening friend, Gwen Quail, is deep into a long process of removing the sod from a sloping hill-side front lawn in a very traditional little development neighborhood. “I wanted to decrease my water use, by half and increase the visual interest of my front garden,” she told me. Trouble is, the sloping and highly compacted soil of her front garden meant that not only did the developer-installed sod do poorly because of low water absorption and high water run-off, but other plants were having a hard time surviving the situation as well. Gwen had the sod removed earlier this summer, and then had a load of rich compost delivered and spread it over the entire area. She has been watering this in lightly in the hopes of lightening the compaction below, but so far to no avail. She has also had three different reputable landscapers give her proposed designs and bids on solving the front slope and compacted soil, and got three very different solutions back - only one of which adequately solved the drainage issues in her mind. Photo: Young ornamental oregano lawn flanking a Chico pool. Lower: Creeping thyme ‘lawn’ in a Chico front garden.

So while Michael Cook’s words of wisdom stand: Don’t settle lawn; additional advice would be, especially if you are taking on the project yourself, consider the technical aspects of the area - including drainage, exposure and your personal goals and be realistic and patient - biting off only as much as you can handle in the time you have. Photo: Upper: Feather grass, gaura and Russian sage along a border in this lawnless Chico garden designed and built by Michael Cook. Lower: Cook chose to include this New Zealand Flax (Phormium spp.) as a nod to the home country of own of the garden’s owners. A dragon fly takes suns himself on one of the leaf tips.

To contact Michael Cook: michaelcook21@yahoo.com


Jewellgarden.com’s new line of lovely little note cards are bite sized and ready to enjoy on-line or at local fine shops near you. As spring turns to summer and summer to fall, look for Edibles in the Garden blank journals, note cards featuring seeds and fruits as well as 2011 calendars and blank journals. A portion of all sales of the Edibles in the Garden note cards goes to Slow Food Shasta Cascade and the many projects it supports. All of Jewellgarden.com’s cards are printed in Chico by Quadco printing using 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based ink.

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.

Posted in California native plants, Central Valley, Garden Design, In a North State Garden, Lawn Care, Pollinators, perennials, seasonal plants | Comments Off

The Ripe Promise of July in the Garden & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Thursday, July 1st, 2010

The first full moon of summer hung in our night skies last weekend - ripe with the promise of the coming full summer season. After our long, cool and damp spring, the North State is slowly heating up - but again nice and slow - the heat so far is being almost gentle with us. With the long spring and easy entry into summer, wildflowers generally associated with spring on the valley flower have given us an extended show, we have enjoyed spring vegetables a little longer as well, and the summer vegetables are are also beginning to show their ripe promise. I have not had a ripe tomato from my garden yet, but my green ones give me much to look forward to and my basil, cucumbers and squash are coming in nicely. Photo: Native Collinsia in bloom in Upper Bidwell Park, late June.

In the edible farm and garden report David Grau of Valley Oak tool and the Chico Organic Gardening Class series writes that “July is the time to work up soil for planting your early winter crops out in August. He points out that cool season crops like broccoli, cabbage, beets, spinach, and onions often go to seed instead of producing a crop in our climate often because they were planting too late the fall before. We don’t naturally think of planting cool season vegetables in July or especially August, but that is the best time. September is too late. Transplants should be planted in early to mid August here in the north valley. The plants need a lot of sunlight to size up before the days turn short and cool in October and November. If you get your plants in late, they will overwinter, but in the spring when they start to grow, they go directly to seed instead of producing nice big heads of broccoli. Broccoli raab is grown for the leaves and small florets, but you won’t get much if the plant is put in late.” Photo: Ripening plums, late June. (more…)

Posted in Cacti & Succulents, California native plants, Durham, Gateway Science Museum, In a North State Garden, John Whittlesey, Local food, North Central Valley, Regional gardening event calendar, edible gardening | Comments Off

Where the Wild (and Cultivated) Orchids Bloom: An Interview with Donna and Dick Murrill of Durham

Friday, June 25th, 2010

The emails started a month ago: the buds are looking close. Then two weeks ago: some are open up Caribou Road outside of Oroville – but peak bloom is still a ways off. And now – I’ve seen a few for myself. As gardeners and plant lovers, there is something so sweet, if a bit anxious, about the waiting period just before the much anticipated blooming of a favorite plant. It’s the same for rose lovers, camellia lovers, and so on. But right now, is the orchid lovers’ moment in the North State. The wild orchids are now blooming, and the bloom period will continue to unfold over the summer months as the high country warms up to the season and catches up to the valley floor. Orchids are happy show offs (like most flowers) - even the more demure ones, such as the native stream orchid. If you are willing to venture out to them along creeks and rivers and water falls, you will not be disappointed. Photo: Stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea) along the Big Chico Creek.

Orchid lovers rank among the most enthusiastic of the single-plant people out there. And with good reason, orchids, or the botanical family Orchidaceae, represent the largest group of flowering plants on earth. The group comprises many genera and literally hundreds of thousands of orchid species grow in the wild or have been hybridized by growers around the world. Most native orchids thrive in the world’s tropical region, but every continent except Antarctica has indigenous orchid species. As usual, we here in northern California are lucky to have quite a few – 30 plus species of orchid are native to California. Photo: Stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea) along the Big Chico Creek.

In terms of natives, Julie Nelson, Forest Botanist for the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, tells me that “Native orchids can be divided into two general habitat groups–wetland species and upland species. The wetland species more reliably come up in the same place every year, in my experience, and are leafy, photosynthesizing organisms. Good examples are the rein orchids, Habenaria spp., that are common in wet meadows in Lassen Park, and the Eddys (and many other places.) Also, stream orchid, Epipactis gigantea, which grows with its feet in the water along streams, including the upper Sacramento, the upper Trinity River, Chico Creek, North Fork Feather River, ect. In the valley, good places to see both stream orchids and California ladyslipper include multiple trails, such as the Feather Falls trail, off of Caribou Road, which is off of highway 70 outside of Oroville.’

“Upland species tend to show up more sporadically and be harder to find; seeing them is always a pleasant surprise! One group of upland orchids has evolved into a specialized way of life called mycotrophy, where the plant’s roots are connected to a fungus that provides nutrition, so the orchid no longer needs any green leaves to manufacture energy. Here’s a link to a description of mycotrophic plants–not just orchids, but several other taxonomic groups have evolved in this direction: http://www.sarracenia.com/faq/faq5980.html ‘

“In montane mixed conifer forest, you can expect to encounter mycotrophic orchids such as the phantom or ghost orchid (Cephalanthera austiniae–dead white all over), several kinds of coralroot (Corallorhiza spp), and also leafy orchids with greenish flowers, growing in older forests with plenty of organic material on the forest floor. Most common is the rattlesnake orchid, Goodyera oblongifolia (I have a mnemonic device for the genus name–the leaves look like they have white tire tracks down the center) and species of Piperia.’ Photo: Stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea) along the Big Chico Creek.

“Several orchid species are relatively rare, including Lady’s slipper orchids (Cypripedium montanum, C. californicum and C. fasciculatum) and are of conservation concern.’

“Native orchids do not transplant well and SHOULD NOT be collected for the home garden.”

Candace Miller of the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens writes: “I recently noticed that the native, terrestrial orchid, Goodyera oblongifolia (Rattlesnake plantain), has moved into one of the DBG flower beds. The plant is still small, so probably won’t be blooming until next year. We do have Platanthera dilatata v. leucostachys (Sierra bog orchid) blooming along the river in the City Park. It normally blooms in June, but many blooms have been delayed because of our late spring. Both of these orchids have small white flowers along the infloresence stem.

Other native, terrestrial orchids that bloom in Siskiyou County are Calyso bulbosa (Fairy slipper) a small plant with a very showy flower, Listera convallariodes (Broad-lipped twayblade), Piperia elongata (Dense-flowered rein orchid), Cephalanthera austinae (Phantom orchid), and Cypripedium montanum (Mountain lady’s slipper). You can find nice pictures and more info about these at Penn Martin’s website www.shastawildflowers.com.

If you can’t get out to see the wild ones, there are plenty to grow and enjoy at home, as Donna and Dick Murrill of Durham can attest. The two of them have been growing orchids as a hobby (or obsession?) since the early 1980s and currently have two greenhouses full of orchids of all kinds, shapes and sizes at the back of their Durham garden. (They also have several tiered light trays throughout their home….but who’s counting?) “We might have 1500 plants?” Donna says, trying to do a quick calculation in her head when I ask. “Dick is the hybridizer, he loves that part – I am the grower and pot washer.” Which with 1500 plants, two greenhouses and the needs of orchids to be watered, fed and repotted about once a year, “pot washer” is no small task. Photo: Dick Murrill left, with an orchid of his own crossing and breeding, and an orchid seed pod which was produced from a cross Dick made of two orchids. He is waiting patiently for the pod to mature so he can grow the seeds along and see what he gets. Orchid seeds are like dust and are some of the smallest flowering plant seeds known.

Donna has been a gardener since her childhood in La Mesa - just about the only time she can remember not gardening was when she was too busy to do so while in college. Dick grew up in the Sacramento area and even during their busiest years with small children and careers - she a microbiologist and lab director working in public health and he a dentist, they gardened and enjoyed their plants. It was on a trip to Puerto Rico in the early 1980s, hoping to learn more about the African violets, that Donna and Dick were bitten by the orchid fever. They just celebrated their 49th wedding anniversary and the orchid passion does not seem to be waning. Photo: Donna Murrill in one of her backyard greenhouses.

Key conditions needed for successful orchid growing include: sufficient year-round high quality light, proper watering, high levels of humidity, sufficient fresh airflow and nutrients. Most orchids are epiphytes and many wild ones live on a woody host, generally the bark of a living or dead tree. Orchids are not parasitic and do not take nutrients or otherwise sap the energy of their host. Home growers of orchids try to mimic this kind of environment. Donna stresses that while getting your conditions right is important, it is also not as difficult as it might seem and most orchids will put up with a pretty wide range of circumstances. Photo: One of the Murrill’s Phalaeonopsis.

Light: Most plants want to be within a foot or so of a well-lit window – east, south or west facing. They do not want to be in the direct sun, but near by.

Water: Water an orchid by running fresh water over the planting medium – generally bark – until thoroughly wet. Once wet, let any excess water drain completely. Orchids do not like to sit in water. Once you have had your orchid(s) for a while, you will have a better sense of how frequently to water – but close observation is the best indicator. When the bark around the plant’s roots seems completely dry, it is time to water again. Donna generally needs to water 2 or more times a week in summer and less (every three weeks?) in winter. Although some plants she hand waters more frequently in both seasons. Photo: One of the Murrill’s Phragmipedium or slipper orchids.

Humidity: Most orchids want a humidity level of around 40%, which can be achieved in many cases by proper watering and then grouping plants together so that they transpire humidity to one another. You can also place your plants onto gravel-filled trays, which you keep filled with water. You need to make sure, however, that the water stays below the top of the gravel so that the roots of your orchids are never sitting in water. Keep the trays and gravel clean.

In our climate, some of the Murrill’s orchids stay outside under cover year round, such as her Cymbidiums orchids. Others, such as the Dendrobiums and some of her Phaleonopsis get to go outside in dappled light in summer and they get sprayed off with a hose.

Air-Flow: With high levels of humidity and plants placed closer together, pests and disease can become an issue. Increased air-flow and good ventilation will help you to avoid these problems. Sometimes a small fan placed near your orchids is all you need. If you think one of your plants has an issue, seek expert advice on an appropriate pesticide or fungicide and always follow the precautions and application instructions.

Fertilizer: The Murrills have a fertilizer proportioner built into their greenhouse irrigation systems. Many commercial orchid fertilizers are available at most good nurseries. Most fertilizers are dissolved in water and then poured over the plants – leaves and all – after a regular watering. The Murrill’s fertilize their plants weekly, making sure to give them a good flush with water after so that salts do not build up.

Temperature: Orchids are generally happy at normal room temperature – between 50 and 80 degrees farenheit.

Donna and Dick emphasize the importance of prevention when it comes to disease and pests: Buy your plants and supplies from a reputable source.

Finally, be patient and have fun - it is the challenge that keeps it interesting and that much more satisfying when all goes well.

North Valley Orchid Society:

“The next North Valley Orchid Society meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 7:30 pm in the Arts and Crafts Room at the Chico Arts and Recreation Department Community Center located at 545 Vallombrosa Ave. in Chico. This is a new meeting place for us! Check out the link at the bottom of this email to see the facility and get directions.

Alan Koch will present the program,” Orchid Growing 101 and Compact Cattleyas”. Cattleyas are what most people think of when they hear the word orchid. Producing large and fragrant flowers with vibrant colors that are commonly used in corsages, Cattleyas are a popular choice for beginners and experts alike. These plants are very sturdy and can take a lot of abuse from those who tend to forget to water. They are also tolerant of several temperature ranges. Miniature Cattleyas are also available, which are great for those with limited space. Alan will also be giving tips on repotting, fertilizing, watering, pest control, and general orchid care.

Alan Koch owns and operates Gold Country Orchids where he specializes in miniature and compact Cattleyas. Alan started growing orchids in 1969 with 3 Cymbidiums given to him by an aunt. While in college, he became interested in other orchids and discovered many would grow outdoors in Southern California. He has moved five times as his orchid obsession has led to the need for more growing space. With the last move, he purchased 10 acres of land in Lincoln, California for his 300,000 orchids. He is recognized as an expert in the Brazilian Cattleya alliance and a trend setter in miniature Cattleya breeding. Alan has been published in the Orchid Digest, and the American Orchid Society magazines. He has also been published in the proceedings of the World Orchid Conference. He is an internationally known speaker. He is a past member of the AOS Judging Committee, and the Research Committee, as well as an Accredited Judge and is Vice-chair and Training Coordinator for the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center. Alan also served two terms on the Orchid Digest Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and is one of the current directors, as well as a Trustee for the AOS.

Come with your questions for Alan. We look forward to seeing you at our new location! Please join us. Refreshments will be served.
For additional information, contact Tricia Edelmann @ 891-4224 or Erin Pelfrey [nvos2010@gmail.com].

Directions: www.chicorec.com/Parks–Facilities/Community-Centers/CARD-Community-Center/index.html”

Other internet Orchid sites of note:

http://www.orchidsocietyofcalifornia.com/

http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Orchid_Information

Several books are devoted to native orchids, including these two that are especially useful for our area Julie Nelson told me, which Lyon Books in Chico can order for you:

Brown, Paul Martin. 2006. Wild Orchids of the Pacific Northwest and Canadian Rockies. University Press of Florida; includes southern Oregon so has many orchid species that also grow in northern California.

Coleman, Ronald. 2002. The Wild Orchids of California. Comstock Books.


Jewellgarden.com’s newest note cards are ready to enjoy at local fine shops near you - see Jewellgarden Shop for more info. As spring turns to summer and summer to fall, look for Edibles in the Garden blank journals, note cards featuring fruit and nuts and squash, and 2011 calendars. A portion of all sales of the Edibles in the Garden note cards goes to Slow Food Shasta Cascade and the many projects it supports. All of Jewellgarden.com’s cards are printed in Chico by Quadco printing using 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based ink. Yum.

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.

Posted in California native plants, Central Valley, Durham, In a North State Garden, Orchids, seasonal plants | Comments Off

Humidity-Loving and High-Drama Hydrangeas with Daran Goodsell, Chico

Friday, June 11th, 2010

With this long-lingering and actually humid (muggy even) spring-into-summer transition we are experiencing (and mostly enjoying), the regional hydrangeas are looking their very best. Perfect time to revisit Daran Goodsell’s hydrangea collection in Chico.

I grew up spending several weeks each summer with my parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles in a small town on the rocky Rhode Island coast. In that breezy seaside climate, with sun and salt-air, the July and August roadsides and farmsteads were extravagantly adorned with the big, brash, bold and brazen blooms of hydrangeas. So-called mophead hydrangeas, lacecap hydrangeas and climbing hydrangeas were everywhere nodding their cheerful blue, pink and white heads. Now, mostly through association, hydrangeas are firmly in my top ten favorite garden flowers - they speak to me of summer vacation: of laughter and seashells, ice-cream cones and lighthouses, lightening bugs and late mornings with sandy sheets. Hyrdangeas are - simply put - happy. Photo: Blue lacecap hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) along a stone wall in Little Compton, Rhode Island. (more…)

Posted in Central Valley, In a North State Garden, Uncategorized, hydrangeas | Comments Off

What’s in a Name? & the June Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Over the past few weeks I have had several in-depth conversations about plant names. Specifically, why I chose to include scientific plant names across the front of Jewellgarden’s new note cards and how these names are determined - why are they so confusing? All of these conversations got me thinking about plant names - what purpose they serve, why it is important to me to learn them and thus why they proudly embellishing my new cards. Photo: A black and white note card depicting the California black oak acorn (Quercus kelloggii) from my Natives in the Garden series. (more…)

Posted in Central Valley, Chico, Cottonwood, David Grau, Denise Kelly, Gardening with Kids, Gateway Science Museum, In a North State Garden, Master Gardener Program, McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Narcissus, North Central Valley, Red Bluff, Regional gardening event calendar, UC DAvis Arboretum, Vegetables, Wayne & Laurel Kessler, Wolfgang Rougle, edible gardening, seasonal food, seasonal plants | Comments Off

The Pleasures of the Table: Slow Food Shasta Cascade

Friday, May 7th, 2010

Lunch began with a warm bowl of palest green cream of spring asparagus soup (created from a combination of local asparagus and Berkeley Farms cream), green onions from the garden garnished the top as well as a swirling line of red smoked paprika from Sawmill Creek Farm in Paradise. Crunchy bread from Chico’s Tin Roof Bakery was passed around for dipping, and plates of regional goat cheeses and soft butter filled out the first course. A hearty salad of tender, multi-colored spring greens from the garden was tossed in local olive oil and balsamic vinegar, accompanied by some more goat cheese served as the entrée. Homemade chocolate chip cookies (the carmel-brown, thin crisp kind, which I like) were dessert. Photo: Home grown blueberries.
(more…)

Posted in CSA, Central Valley, Farmer's Markets, In a North State Garden, Local food, Slow Food, Vegetables, Whole Growers, edible Shasta-Butte, edible gardening, seasonal food | Comments Off

April in the Garden 2010 & Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, April 2nd, 2010

April is a busy, busy month in the garden. For most parts of the North State the alternating cool and warm, windy and still, damp and dry will keep us guessing. While there are really no hard and fast rules in gardening, the time for planting trees, shrubs and herbaceous perennials is past – we are too close to hot, dry weather to make it easy or efficient. If you do choose to plant perennials now, pay close attention to their water and shade needs this summer. Photo: Pasque flowers (Pusatilla patens) in bloom very close to the “pascal,” meaning Passover or Easter, season. Right on time.

The very fact of spring, however, makes us gardeners want to plant and so keep your focus on your edible garden and getting ready to plant out your warm season crops like peppers, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers. Average last frost in much of the Valley is about mid-April and so as you start taking tender starts out to the garden pay attention to the weather forecast and cover or bring these tender guys in.

Wolfgang Rougle of Twining Tree Farms outside of Red Bluff, sends this advice to edible gardeners and growers: Take the time now to kill all your weeds because most are about to flower and if you get to it now, you won’t have to do it twice. Chickweed in particular has already seeded; make a note of which beds had the most chickweed and consider not planting there next winter — just let it be chickweed for mineral-rich winter salads! Plant radishes for mid-April, turnips/beets for May, carrots for June. Plan to irrigate them. Your brassicas are probably all flowering; decide which you want to save seed from and destroy or faithfully pinch the blooms from the others, until they stop flowering. Cilantro is bolting but still delicious; break off the bolting shoots (you can eat them) to extend the greens harvest by a few weeks. It is too late to plant peas, sweet peas, and (yes) garlic!!! But a great time to set out transplants or sets of onions; leeks can still be seeded but transplants will do better and be more competitive with weeds. If sowing summer crops indoors, you should have started your okra. Tomatoes/eggplants/basil indoors should have first or second true leaves – a good selection of starts are available at area nurseries and farmer’s markets – and by the end of April to mid-May most of us will be ready to set them all out in the garden. You can start your cucurbits, but remember to sow them in individual cells or containers, not flats.” Photo: Brassicas in bloom at Twining Tree Farm. Pinch back and snack on the flowers or let go to seed and collect seed for next year’s crop.

With Spring come her mignons – weeds, aphids, wind and snakes included. Be patient – they will subside into a more relaxed balance soon enough.

While you’re trying to ignore weeds and aphids, April is a busy, busy month for gardening events around the region as well – let me tell you about a few highlights, but be sure to check the on-line calendar of events at jewellgarden.com – events are added close to everyday! 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 are aware of a mistake on my calendar, please send me corrected info: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com! Thanks.

APRIL 2010

April 1 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am- 4pm, located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of Early Girl and Beefsteak tomatoes ($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, umbrella plants, pothos, 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 3 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and Friends 9:30 AM. An interactive program in the Gardens (or Greenhouse in rain) for children, their siblings, parents and grandparents.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 - Oroville: Annual Wildflower and Nature Festival 10 a.m.-4 p.m., at Riverbend Park. Event celebration of spring and wildlife in Butte county. Guided hikes, pony rides, face painting, educational booths, wildlife photogprahy, plant sales, art show and acrylic paintings. Deanna Simmons, 533-2011 or deanna@frrpd.com. Photo: Shooting star (Dodecatheon clevelandii) in bloom in March near Red Bluff.

April 3 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens KID’S EASTER BASKET PLANTING PARTY 10am to noon; kids get to plant an Easter Basket with colorful Pansies, FREE! Wyntour Gardens, 8026 Airport Road(1 mi. S. of the Redding Airport, next to Kents Mkt)Redding, CA Phone 365-2256 visit us on the web @ wyntourgardens.com or email inform@wyntourgardens.com.

April 3 - Chico: CSU, Chico Associated Students: COMPOST WORKSHOP 11am - 12 noon, Free Workshop on Composting at the Compost Display Area on the CSU Campus. Located behind Yolo Hall past the tennis courts along the railroad tracks. Please park in the Nettleton Stadium Parking lot (permit required) and walk to the compost display area. More info, cotnact As Recycling: 530-898-5033, or: asrecycle@csuchico.edu.

April 3 - Weaverville: Trinity Nursery Art Cruise - Art in the Nursery 4 - 7 pm. We will be kicking off the season on Saturday, April 3rd. View lovely art and visit with talented artists in the relaxed outdoor setting of the nursery (weather permitting, of course). Refreshments will be served.We are expecting the following artists in April: Debee Olson, Marge Heilman, Peggy Carr, John Heilman and Betty Pestoni. Please note our Art Cruise hours start and end earlier than those in the Historic District. More info: www.trinitynursery.com

April 6 - Chico: Chico Permaculture Guild presents suburban permaculture expert Jan Spencer 6:30 pm Quaker Meeting House in Chico. Jan is presenting as part of a speaking tour called “Global Trends-Local Choices: Creating a Safer, More Secure, and Greener Community.” Free and open to the public. If you are practicing permaculture, curious to learn more about permaculture, or would like to help your neighborhood and community come together to live in a more sustainable way, you can’t miss this opportunity to see Jan present! Jan’s presentation will touch on a wide variety of topics and issues including economics, “power shift”, social permaculture, changes in urban land use, neighborhood approaches, communities of faith, social cohesion and much more. Jan is making this tour to broaden the civic discussion about choices available given the deepening global trends. The tour’s goal is to motivate action and describe practical tools for helping to bring about a more peaceful and healthy world. For more info about the tour, property conversion, and to see Jan’s web site go to www.suburbanpermaculture.org. Quaker Meeting House is located at the corner of E. 16th Street and Hemlock in Chico, CA. Presented by Chico Permaculture Guild http://chicopermacultureguild.ning.com. Outreach for Chico Permaculture Guild - Kelly Baker –kellybiney@gmail.com

April 7 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society: Regular Member Mtg 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico. Regular Member Meeting and Program featuring George W. Hartwell speaking on Islands in the Lifestream: Uncommon Species in Unlikely Places. More info: Jim and Catie Bishop: cjbishop1991@sbcglobal.net

April 7 - 8 - Redding: Shasta College Reading Series with David Mas Masumoto, well known author of “Epitaph For a Peach” EVENT POSTPONED DUE TO FAMILY MEDICAL EMERGENCY - we will list new date when it is scheduled. More info: Author’s website: http://www.masumoto.com/who/index.htm

April 8 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am- 4pm, located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of Early Girl and Beefsteak tomatoes ($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, umbrella plants, pothos, 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 - 11 - Sacramento: California State Flower and Garden Show, California Exposition. 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 & Garden Show with something for everyone. On April 9th and 10th Pacific Horticulture hosts a panel of garden speakers, including Jennifer Jewell of In a North State Garden at 3 pm on April 10th, with a talk entitled: Preaching the Gospel of the Garden. More info: 1-877-696-6668, Ext 4.; http://www.calstategardenshow.com/ Photo: Korean lilac in bloom in Hamilton City in late March at the home garden of Pam Geisel, Statewide Coordinator of the Master Gardener Program.

April 9 - Chico: Tree tour of the CSU, Chico Arboretum and Bidwell Mansion. 10 am at the Bidwell Mansion Gazebo. One and a half hour easy stroll discussing HORTICULTURAL, BOTANICAL, AND HISTORICAL info about the woody plants and trees in the CSUC-Mansion Arboretum. More info: Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293 or Gerry Ingco 530-893-5213.

April 10 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Essentials of Micro-Irrigation 9 a.m. - noon. Core Gardening Series. Back by popular demand! Learn all you need to know about easy-to-install, low-water usage, micro (drip) irrigation systems. Turtle Bay Horticulturist/Irrigation Specialist Jim Bailey demonstrates the basic construction of manual and automatic systems with emitters, micro-sprays, and all the necessary components. This is a hands-on workshop with an extended time period to allow us to actually put together a sample system. Turtle Bay members and volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3. Meet at Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office - 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery) More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

April 10 - Davis: UC Davis Arboretum, Spring Plant Sale 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Spotlight on outstanding water-conserving plants that require less frequent watering but still look terrific in our Mediterranean climate and make great additions to any Valley-Wise garden. What a great way to make your garden more “green” by saving water. Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 55. More info: (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

April 10 - Chico: CSU, Chico Associated Students: COMPOST WORKSHOP 11am - 12 noon, Free Workshop on Composting at the Compost Display Area on the CSU Campus. Located behind Yolo Hall past the tennis courts along the railroad tracks. Please park in the Nettleton Stadium Parking lot (permit required) and walk to the compost display area. More info, cotnact As Recycling: 530-898-5033, or: asrecycle@csuchico.edu.

April 10 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP Chaffin Family Farms and Table Mountain 12:45 pm meet at Chico Park & Ride for this trip to tour this diversified family farm at the base of and on Table Mountain, where we should see a great display of wildflowers as well! Wear sturdy shows and bring lunch and water. More info: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5213.

April 11 - 12 - Yankee Hill: Spring Fever Nursery & Gardens Open Days 9 am - 4 pm Rain or Shine - Come visit our beautiful gardens!!! See where we grow & propagate our perennials. Some hard to find, some heirloom, & some you’ve never seen before. Directions from Hwy 99: Take Butte College exit, east on Durham- Pentz, past Butte College, past Clark Road (blinking red light), right on Pentz (a stop sign), left on Hwy 70 (another stop sign), right on Lunt (no stop sign), hard left onto Yankee Hill Rd., right on Pinebrae, left on Wendy Way. 3rd gate on left. Park on the right. Parking is somewhat limited; carpool if you can. Overflow parking on roadside. Because there are pokey plants in the garden (and others that are easily injured), we would ask that you call to schedule a separate visit with your small children. Please, no dogs. Thanks!; nursery accepts cash or check. 5683 Wendy Way Yankee Hill. F More information: 530-990-1556.

April 12 - Paradise: Paradise Garden Club 1:00 pm Regular Member Meeting and Pot Luck. Terry Ashe Recreation Center 6626 Skyway Paradise, Ca. Program: Nancy McLain of McLain’s Bonsai Nursery. Nancy will be demonstrating how to bonsai and create a miniature nature garden. Possible sign-ups for a Bonsai workshop (small fee) at her home nursery will be discussed. More Info Call: 530-876-1926.

April 14 - Sacramento: Fair Oaks Horticulture Center/Sacramento County Master Gardeners OPEN GARDEN DAY 9 am - noon. Drop by to see our gardens on your own. Talk to Master Gardeners as they work. Ask questions, because every drop counts, we offer advice to grow by! Fair Oaks Park, 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd. Fair Oaks, CA 95628. More info call: 916-875-6913.

April 14 – Magalia: Magalia Beautification Association 12:30 Regular Member Light Lunch and Program followed by Regular Meeting. Racine Center, 14109 Racine Circle (on the corner of Racine Circle and Wycliff Way, Magalia. More info: www.magaliagardeners.webs.com/ or Call 530-873-3273.

April 14 - Chico: Gateway Science Museum MWOW Lecture Series: Bugs in the System 7:30 PM at the Chico Area Recreation District (CARD) Center, 545 Vallombrosa Ave, Chico. Tonight’s Program: Bees through the seasons by Laurel Hill-Ward, California State University, Chico. A donation of $3 per adult is requested. Students with ID are free. More info: www.gatewayscience.org. Photo: Bug in the system, a leaf borer in the tip of a young peach tree branch.

April 15 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of Early Girl and Beefsteak tomatoes ($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, umbrella plants, pothos, 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 15 – Redding: Shasta Chapter Cal Native Plant Society Regular Member Mtg PLS NOTE NEW TIME AND LOCATION 7pm, Shasta College Health Science & University Programs building in downtown Redding, 1400 Market Street, Community Room 8220 (Southwest corner of Market & Tehama Streets). PROGRAM: Join us for a raincheck program by Michael Kauffmann, a science teacher, author of the hiking guidebook Conifer Country, and plant enthusiast from Eureka, about the Conifers of Northwest California. Michael will talk about the stunning conifer diversity fostered in our region, including the Shasta-Trinity Forest, the Klamath Mountains and the North Coast. Michael’s photographs, maps, and poster will offer us a peek at the wilderness that our Chapter enjoys. Michael’s website is www.conifercountry.com. 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. More Info: www.shastacnps.org.

April 15 - 17 – Redding: Shasta Chapter Cal Native Plant Society Shasta College Spring Plant Sale This 3-day spring extravaganza will be at the greenhouse/horticulture area of Shasta College. We will be selling our spring-blooming native plants, so call Susan Libonati at 530/347-4654 to volunteer for a few hours to help out. Sale: 8:00-5:00 Thursday and Friday; 9:00-3:00 Saturday.

April 17 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP to Propylite Hills in the Sutter Buttes 7:30 am RESERVATIONS REQUIRED $15 per person. Meet at Chico Park & Ride for this 5-mile hike lead by Daniel Barth over decomposed volcanic rock called ‘Propylite’ that forms rounded hills that boast great views and the possibility of a wonderful wildflower display. Wear sturdy shows, weather appropriate clothing, bring lunch, water and money for ride sharing. More info: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5213.

April 17 – Grass Valley: Redbud Chapter of the California Native Plant Society GENERAL INTEREST Name that Wildflower! workshop 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Twin Cities Church, community classroom. Address: 11726 Rough & Ready Highway, Grass Valley. Workshop Fee: $25 for members of California Native Plant Society and $35 for nonmembers. Fee includes beverages, snacks and lunch. Pre-registration is required. Class limited to 25 people. Contact: Karen Callahan, penstemon@nccn.net or 530-272-5532. Immerse yourself in wildflowers for the day. Learn how to identify major plant families in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Spend the morning with plant specimens observing special features–hairy nectar runs, freckles, colored anthers, banner petals or seed pods. Become acquainted with various flower shapes: funnels, tubes, bells, bowls, stars, saucers and disks. In the afternoon, we’ll use our newfound knowledge out in the field to identify wildflowers. We’ll explore the unusual wildflower area next to the Church facility known as Kenny Ranch or “Hells Half Acre”. We’ll identify multiple wildflowers in bloom. Back by popular demand, professional botanists Linnea Hanson and Jenny Marr are teaching this workshop. Linnea works for Plumas National Forest, and Jenny works for the California Department of Fish and Game. The main reference guide for the workshop will be our Redbud Chapter’s beautiful new book: Wildflowers of Nevada and Placer Counties, California. The book is organized by plant families and will fit right into the workshop plan. Copies of the book will be available for purchase during the workshop in case you don’t already have one of your own. We’ll also use the Peterson Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers by T. Niehaus and C. Ripper. Bring your hand lens, too. We’ll have microscopes set up to give us a unique view of the plant world! Photo: California native flannel bush in bloom in Chico in late March.

April 17 - Chico: Eco-Fest 2010 CSU, Chico All Day. Kendall Lawn, West of Laxon Auditorium on the CSU, Chico Campus. The Environmental Action and Resource Center (E-ARC) will be hosting its 13th annual Ecofest on April 17 on the Kendall Lawn. We are all very excited to have another great event this year, with plenty of music, dancing, food, speakers, and enough diverse booths including GRUB and the Chico Permaculture Guild, for everyone. If you would like to sell something, prepare food, share information, create a fun and interactive booth, or simply represent your organization, you can do it all on this fun-filled day. Take this opportunity to celebrate Earth Month with great music and a ton of great people. If you are interested in participating, please contact:Brooke Langer, Environmental Action and Resource Center, BMU 301(530) 898-5676 earc@csuchico.edu

April 17 – McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Vegetable Gardening 10 a.m. - noon. Core Gardening Series. Join local organic gardener Cleo Lane for a lively discussion of vegetable gardening in our rigorous climate. Topics will include seasonal planting, growing more tomatoes, gardening with children, pollinators, pests and diseases, and organic methods. Turtle Bay members and volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3 Meet at Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office - 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery) More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery

April 17 – Chico: Chico Horticulture Society: Great Nutrition and Fresh Food Choices Workshop for Families and Kids! 10:30 – 12:30. Where: 555 Rio Lindo, Chico (The Bloodsource Building); presented by Jona Pressman, Nutrition Program Manager for Butte County Food and Nutrition Program. The focus of the workshop is how to help families make food choices which can improve the nutritional quality of their meals. The workshop is designed to be interactive with children with hands on activities. They will also prepare and eat food as part of the learning process. The Chico Horticultural Club will talk about how home gardening can be a great family activity and can help families improve the quality of their food. We will provide a tomato plant to take home, along with instructions on planting and caring for the plant. Event is free, but Pre-registration is required for this workshop and minimum age is 6 years old. When you register we ask you to provide the children’s names and ages that will be attending. The registration deadline is Tuesday, April 13. To register please call Ana LaRossa at 892-1545.

April 17 – Sacramento: Old City Cemetery Historic Rose Garden Open Garden and Rose Sale 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Garden Tours, Rose Sales, Sale of Rose-related items, Silent Auction of special items and Door Prizes.The Rose Garden should be at peak bloom at this time, so come join in the fun, tour the garden and visit with your rosy friends. Sacramento Historic City Cemetery is located on Broadway at 10th Street, between Muir Way and Riverside Boulevard in Sacramento, California. Park across the street and enter at the main gate on 10th Street and Broadway. Photo: So-called “Riverside” landscape rose - tough as nails, blooms most of the summer with no supplemental irrigation - light fragrance. Shown here in bloom in Hamilton City in late March.

April 17-18 – Sacramento: Sacramento Orchid Society Show for more info: www.sacramentoorchids.org

April 18-19 - Yankee Hill: Spring Fever Nursery & Gardens Open Days 9 am - 4 pm Rain or Shine - Come visit our beautiful gardens!!! See where we grow & propagate our perennials. Some hard to find, some heirloom, & some you’ve never seen before. Directions from Hwy 99: Take Butte College exit, east on Durham- Pentz, past Butte College, past Clark Road (blinking red light), right on Pentz (a stop sign), left on Hwy 70 (another stop sign), right on Lunt (no stop sign), hard left onto Yankee Hill Rd., right on Pinebrae, left on Wendy Way. 3rd gate on left. Park on the right. Parking is somewhat limited; carpool if you can. Overflow parking on roadside. Because there are pokey plants in the garden (and others that are easily injured), we would ask that you call to schedule a separate visit with your small children. Please, no dogs. Thanks!; nursery accepts cash or check. 5683 Wendy Way Yankee Hill. More information: 530-990-1556.

April 18 - Redding: Shasta Chapter Cal Native Plant Society Plant Propagation/Clean Up Session 10 AM - 12 PM at the Shasta College greenhouses. The greenhouses are located at the back of Shasta College, near the livestock barns. We will be sprucing up from the previous days’ Spring Plant Sale, weeding, and potting up nursery starts and rooted cuttings. Bring rooted plants, clippers and any other tools you might need.Please call Susan Libonati at 530/347-4654 for further information.

April 18 - Chico: Chico Organic Gardening: Heirloom Tomatoes and More with Brian Marshall and Nancy Heinzel 1:30 - 3:30 at the Chico Grange; $15 fee per person payable at the door. Growing heirloom tomatoes and other vegetables With Nancy Heinzel and Brian Marshall of Sawmill Creek Farms - they will have plants for sale. Hosted by Chico Organic Gardening and Valley Oak Tool. To register follow links at: www.valleyoaktool.com; More info: hazel@valleyoaktool.com 530 342-6188. Photo: Garden tomatoes.

April 21 - Chico: Gateway Science Museum MWOW Lecture Series: Bugs in the System 7:30 PM at the Chico Area Recreation District (CARD) Center, 545 Vallombrosa Ave, Chico. Tonight’s Program: Top 20 questions I get at the Insect Zoo by Patrick Schlemmer, San Francisco Zoo. A donation of $3 per adult is requested. Students with ID are free. More info: www.gatewayscience.org

April 22 - 40th Anniversary of EARTH DAY!

April 23 - 25 - Loomis: Loomis Basin Iris Tour and Festival Leave winter behind and embrace the spring with free tours of three iris venues in the Loomis area; High Hand Nursery, Horton’s Iris Farm and Yarda’s Ditch Water Iris Farm. Start at High Hand Nursery to pick up your map and grab a gourmet picnic lunch prepared by the High Hand Café. Stroll through High Hand Nursery and purchase irises in bloom, or order specialty irises from Horton’s or Yarda’s. Check out the iris judging at High Hand Nursery, where growers enter their pride and joy and hope to be picked the best of the best. Each of the venues will be at their most beautiful and the weather should be warm and mild. For further information call High Hand Nursery at (916) 652-2065. Photo: Lovin’ the time of irises.

April 24 - Chico: 4th Annual Growing Healthy Children Walk & Run Celebration 8 am - Bidwell Park 1 Mile Recreation Area - 1 mile/5 k and Kid Sprint Events Race Starts Promptly at 9:00. First 300 kids registers get a free t-shirt! The whole Family is welcome at this FREE event! Preregister by April 21st and pick up your race day packets and T-Shirts on April 22nd and 23rd at Fleet Feet in Downtown Chico between 10 am and 6 pm. For more information or To get a registration form please email: Mnaiman28@yahoo.com.

April 24 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP to Dye Creek Preserve The Nature Conservancy 8:30 am Meet at Chico Park & Ride’s West Parking Lot. This 4 to 5-mile hike follows the course of Dye Creek where it passes through a pristine setting of volcanic buttes, hills, and blue oak woodlands before flowing into the Sacramento River. A good level of fitness is required. Wear sturdy shows, weather appropriate clothing, bring lunch, water and money for ride sharing. More info: Woody Elliott 530-342-6053.

April 24 - Davis: UC Davis Arboretum, Spring Plant Sale 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Spotlight on plant combos for terrific container gardening—inspiring ideas with combinations of All-Stars and others high-impact plants. Many of our suggested combos will highlight groupings you might see in the Arboretum’s popular Terrace Garden. Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 55. More info: (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

April 24 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay 9:30 am. A Walk with the Horticulture Manager, Lisa Endicott. Bring your notebooks and cameras for this participant-driven program. We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! There’s something new to see every month! 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 24 - Redding: Whole Earth and Watershed Festival 10 am - 3 pm, Redding City Hall and Sculpture Park FREE ADMISSION. www.wholeearthandwatershedfestival.org

April 24 - Chico: CSU, Chico Associated Students: COMPOST WORKSHOP 11am - 12 noon, Free Workshop on Composting at the Compost Display Area on the CSU Campus. Located behind Yolo Hall past the tennis courts along the railroad tracks. Please park in the Nettleton Stadium Parking lot (permit required) and walk to the compost display area. More info, cotnact As Recycling: 530-898-5033, or: asrecycle@csuchico.edu.

April 24-25 - Redding: Home & Garden Show 10 am - 6 pm Saturday, 10 am - 5 pm Sunday, Redding Convention Center. $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, children 12 and under free. For more info: www.homeshowredding.com/Spring_Home_Show.htm

April 24-25 - Chico: Chico Bonsai Society’s Annual Spring Show 11 am - 5 pm on the 24th, 10 am - 5 pm on the 25th, Admission is Free. CARD Community Center 545 Vallambrosa Avenue in Chico. Show will feature Bonsai Display, Suiseki (Viewing Stones), Continuous Bonsai Demonstrations, Saikei (miniature landscapes, plant clinic, plant sales, Raffle, Door Prize. More Info: Pat Gilmore: 530-343-3447.

April 25 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Native Plant GARDEN TOUR Tickets are $8 and available at: Mendon’s Nursery, Floral Native Nursery, Little Red Hen Nursery, Lyon Books, and The Plant Barn. Featured gardens will include Jennifer Jewell’s home garden. Join the fun and help out this major fundraiser for the CNPS Mt. Lassen Chapter. More info: Jim and Catie Bishop: cjbishop1991@sbcglobal.net or Suellen Rowlinson suellen@garlic.com. Photo: View up a walkway in Jennifer Jewell’s home garden, featured on this year’s Mt. Lassen Native Plant Garden Tour.

April 25 - Redding: Shasta Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP 8 am Redding City Hall Parking lot. Join Jay & Terri Thesken for a long, all-day, 8.5-mile wildflower hike on the Yana Trail in the Sacramento River Bend BLM area north of Red Bluff. River terraces topped with wildflowers, oak woodland, and the meandering Sacramento River characterize this beautiful area. Meet at 8 AM at the Redding City Hall parking lot, on the back (south) side of the building, next to Parkview Avenue. City Hall address is 777 Cypress Avenue. Bring good hiking boots (be prepared to hike!), water and lunch. Call Jay or Terri Thesken at 530/221-0906 for more information.

April 25 - 26 - Yankee Hill: Spring Fever Nursery & Gardens Open Days 9 am - 4 pm Rain or Shine - Come visit our beautiful gardens!!! See where we grow & propagate our perennials. Some hard to find, some heirloom, & some you’ve never seen before. Directions from Hwy 99: Take Butte College exit, east on Durham- Pentz, past Butte College, past Clark Road (blinking red light), right on Pentz (a stop sign), left on Hwy 70 (another stop sign), right on Lunt (no stop sign), hard left onto Yankee Hill Rd., right on Pinebrae, left on Wendy Way. 3rd gate on left. Park on the right. Parking is somewhat limited; carpool if you can. Overflow parking on roadside. Because there are pokey plants in the garden (and others that are easily injured), we would ask that you call to schedule a separate visit with your small children. Please, no dogs. Thanks!; nursery accepts cash or check. 5683 Wendy Way Yankee Hill. F More information: 530-990-1556.

April 27 – Red Bluff: Red Bluff Garden Club Regular Member Meeting 1:00 pm at 12889 Baker Road in Red Bluff. Program is Garden Photography, Speaker Lee Hebner, Crown Camera. For more info: www.redbluffgardenclub.com.

April 27– Chico: Butte Rose Society Regular Member Meeting 7:00 - 9:00 pm Meeting and Program. Chico Veterans’ Memorial Hall on Rio Lindo Avenue. More info: Call Neva Youngs 345-8005.

April 28 - Chico: Gateway Science Museum MWOW Lecture Series: Bugs in the System 7:30 PM at the Chico Area Recreation District (CARD) Center, 545 Vallombrosa Ave, Chico. Tonight’s Program:Biological diversity - What’s extinction got to do with it? By Jenny Marr, California Department of Fish and Game. A donation of $3 per adult is requested. Students with ID are free. More info: www.gatewayscience.org

April 29 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am- 4pm, located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have pony packs of Early Girl and Beefsteak tomatoes ($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, umbrella plants, pothos, 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 30 – Davis: Center for Urban Horticulture, Sustainable Backyard Series: Roses. Topics covered will include budding & grafting, pest ID and management, beginner’s pruning, advanced pruning, new variety introductions, and landscape design with roses. To register or for more info: http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/public or call Missy Borel: mjborel@ucdavis.edu.

April 30 - Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Festa Botanica! 4-8 pm, Member Party and Presale - Come on out to enjoy the McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay for their annual Festa Botanica! A Garden Celebration and Marketplace! with plant sales, garden tours, vendors, crafts, music and plant experts. Karen McGrath Garden Design and Jewellgarden.com host a wine bar and silent auction. The garden/plant oriented marketplace of close to 2 dozen booths will be IN the Nursery. 1100 Arboretum Drive, Redding. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery.

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In a North State Garden is a weekly Northstate Public Radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in Northern California 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.

Posted in Botanical Illustration, CSU, California native plants, Central Valley, Chico, Chico High Agriculture Department, Compost, David Grau, David Walther, Display gardens, Fieldtrips, Flower Shows, Garden Clubs, Gateway Science Museum CSU, In a North State Garden, Local food, McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, North Central Valley, Red Bluff, Redding, Regional gardening event calendar, Spring Fever Nursery, UC DAvis Arboretum, Uncategorized, Wyntour Gardens, Yankee Hill, edible gardening, plant nursery, seasonal food, seasonal plants | Comments Off

February 2010 in the Garden & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, January 29th, 2010

Wow – How about that rain and snow? And more is on the way. Which is wonderful for our plants, soils and watersheds, but when it comes in long stretches of gray days, it can play havoc with my mood (and the power in much of our region). Even a few minutes of fresh air and weak sunshine does me a world of good. You don’t want to walk on planted ground when it is very wet if you can help it, because you will compact the soil to the point of harming its structure. But you can get out and walk on unplanted ground – such as paths. I got so stir crazy in the latest long gray stretch that in the pouring rain I rebuilt my whole compost system and weeded all my pathways. Weeds come out of wet soil so nicely – slick as snot as my father likes to say. Photo: Gray skies hand low and tulle fog fills in the valleys looking southwest from Mt. Shasta in January. (more…)

Posted in California native plants, Central Valley, Chico, Garden Societies, Gateway Science Museum, In a North State Garden, McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Regional gardening event calendar, Vegetables, plant nursery, seasonal plants | Comments Off

Gifts from the Garden & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, December 4th, 2009

I’m not much of a cook, not much of a seamstress, jewelry-maker, painter or musician. I’m a gardener and so when it comes to homemade gifts this time of year, I turn to the garden. Luckily, it’s not even essential that I’m much of a gardener for gifts from the garden to be easy, inexpensive and elegant. Photo: A simple wreath made from Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolepsis indica), of which I have a lot in my garden, inherited from previous non-gardeners. For most of the year, I unkindly think of Indian Hawthorn as highway landscaping. That said, it is an excellent broadleaf evergreen for winter structure in the garden and winter crafts such as this wreath. Not as fragrant as English box, Indian Hawthorn is not as fussy either.
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