Archive for the ‘North Central Valley’ Category

September’s Labors & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, August 26th, 2011

I have two side by side tomato beds and at this point in the season the enormous leaning, reaching plants are woven together –grown well beyond their tall slender bamboo stakes cut for me by a friend. The plants themselves make passage between the two beds difficult enough, but even if I wanted access to gather the beckoning red, ripe fruit, it’s not the fuzzy aromatic foliage that stops me – it’s the spiders. Photo: Tomato beds and bamboo stakes festooned with orb weaver webs. (more…)

Clematis in the North State Garden - an Interview with home-gardener Jeanne Zimmerman

Friday, May 13th, 2011

For almost all of her almost eight decades, Jeanne Zimmerman has been gardening and for a good part of that time she has been growing - and loving - the elegance and hard-to-beat beauty of clematis flowers and vines. “The radiant colors, the long bloom time and the ease of growing them - here and in Minnesota where I learned to garden - make them the perfect garden plant,” Jeanne says warmly. “Besides, they so nicely cover any ugly fence.” From a farming family, and a long-standing member of the Chico Horticultural Society, Jeannie is a natural gardener and naturally generous in sharing her experience and knowledge. “I am no expert,” she is quick to say, while other experienced gardeners and plants people smilingly dismiss this modesty: She is an expert with her clematis, they nod. Photo: Clematis ‘Dr. Ruppel.’ (more…)

April in the Garden & Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, April 1st, 2011

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!

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. It is made possible in part by the Gateway Science Museum - Exploring the Natural History of the North State and on the campus of CSU, Chico. In a North State Garden is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell - all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In a North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is simultaneously universal and positively North State.

Wildflowers as Far as the Eye Can See: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society’s Wildflower Show and Native Plant Sale: Sunday April 17th, CARD Center - Chico

Friday, March 25th, 2011

Renowned American wildflower and native plant advocate Lady Bird Johnson, founder of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in central Texas, once wrote: “Wherever I go in America, I like it when the land speaks its own language in its own regional accent.” But of course in order to hear this language, we need to slow down, stop talking ourselves……and listen. As with any language, if we take just a little time to learn more about it - the language sounds so much more clear and mellifluous to the ear. Photo: Vernal Pool in flower, photo courtesy of Joe Silveiras, all rights reserved 2011. (more…)

Smiling Spring & The March Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, February 25th, 2011

Ahhh, what the Sufi poet Rumi called “Smiling Spring” is upon us – in all her mystery. Like falling in love, spring makes us gardeners both ecstatic and yet restless/agitated. Some of the year’s sweetest and yet most ephemeral blossoms and fruits breeze in and out of our days – wintersweet and witch hazel, the early sweet violets, and winter honeysuckle, asparagus and the tenderest of greens and pea shoots…hmmm. (more…)

November in the Garden & the Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, October 29th, 2010

November in the Northstate Garden sums up everything I love about living and gardening here – richness, abundance and diversity.

November mornings are crisp and dark, November afternoons often offer a warming sun. Light is dappled - revealing the garden and its beauty in subtle and nuanced ways. A visit to Dunsmuir recently to visit the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens with a gardening friend – seeing the fall color deepening in our forests, the fullness of our rivers after late October rains, and the snow returned like a winter dress to the sides of Mount Shasta and further peaks, reminded me that the greater Northstate Garden is one of the best inspirations by far for our own North State Gardens.

In Paradise, Sawmill Creek Farms is harvesting dry beans, and roasting the end of season peppers and garlic to grind into spices; in Manton Redwood Seed Farm is planting in the last of the garlic for early summer 2011 harvest. In Redding, Julie Nelson is considering what to make with her quince harvest. Around the region, persimmons and pomegranates hang fat and iridescent on the branches – sweetening up with the cool nights. I am cutting back the dead and the spent, top-dressing my beds - edible and ornamental - with compost mulch, planting some spring bulbs waiting patiently to go in the ground and dividing perennials such as iris, stachys, day lilies and dahlias to rejuvenate the original plantings. The additional plants I get from dividing, but which I have no room for in my garden I will take care of until spring and then donate them to a garden club, native plant or rose society plant sale as needed.

Pam Geisel, Statewide Coordinator of the Master Garden Program sends these tips on the home orchard: “For November in the Orchard…it is still not too late to harvest most varieties of olives for curing, especially if you get out to harvest early in the month. The season is late this year so unless we have a hard frost and as long as the olives are still green, go for it. For great FREE 26 page handbook on safe curing olives go to: http://ucanr.org/freepubs/docs/8267.pdf’

“Pomegranate harvest is just beginning. Most people say wait until they crack to begin harvesting, but to avoid rot AND have the highest sugar content, try to harvest just before they crack. The “Wonderful” pomegranate variety is just becoming sweet.’

“Persimmons are also ripening, try them dried, using the Fuyu fruit (the ones that you can eat hard). Slice them into thin slices and allow them to dry either using a food dehydrator or in a warm dry location, such as the over on its lowest setting. The taste is amazing and makes a great snack…even for people that don’t love persimmons!’

“In the orchard later in the month, you can apply a spray of either copper sulfate or calcium polysulfide after the leaves drop on your peaches and nectarines to help reduce fungi that cause the disease called PEACH LEAF CURL in spring and reduce the likelihood of infection. You can also spray cherries and apricots but only use fixed copper or copper Bordeaux (do not apply materials that contain sulfur). This will reduce the likelihood of shot hole disease (Coryneum blight). You can also plan to spray during the dormant season. For excellent information about preparing and using Bordeaux mixtures, check out our Pest Note at: http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7481.html.’

“If you intend to plant bare root fruit trees during the dormant season and your soil has compaction or hard pan/clay pan layers, now is a good time to dig (or drill/pick ax/backhoe etc.) your planting area so that you have a deep wide hole with the compacted layers broken up. Backfill the planting hole with the native soil (no amendments) and allow it to settle for at least 21 days prior to planting your bare root fruit and nut trees.’

“Think about frost protection for sensitive plants. If temps drop below 30 degrees, you could have some tissue damage. Move your container plants to a protected area such as a covered patio or garage (that has light). Wrap tender trees with newspaper, corn stalks or fiberglass insulation or even palm fronds that will insulate them from the cold. This is especially good for young citrus and avocados. Use cardboard boxes to cover smaller shrubs and flowers on those cold nights.” Photo: Members of Chico Horticultural Society at work during a recent potting party, planting up divisions and cuttings for the coming year’s plant sales.

An established regional gardening resource has a new branch. Valley Oak Magazine, had its debut in October and it was every bit as good as you would hope from David Grau, the managing editor. David has been the energizing force behind the Chico Organic Gardening Class series the past two winters, and his endeavor has now grown up and evolved into The Chico Organic Gardening Society (I joined!) and the monthly ValleyOakMagazine.com. Writing in the journal’s first issue, David Grau highlights another local fruit tree guru Carl Rosato of Woodleaf Farm. Carl recommends significant fruit tree pruning mid-October: “For the best results, do your main pruning this month. This is instead of a winter pruning. If you prune now, the tree will have more balanced growth next spring, and not have an overly vigorous “terminal push”. This makes for stronger branches and better fruit set. Carl also does lighter prunings in June and in August.” The whole issue is worth reading.

The foothills have had their first killing frosts, but most of us on the valley floor have not. Don’t be too quick to cut back plants that are still actively flowering – on cold-morning/warm afternoons days the pollinating bees, butterflies moths and hummingbirds are still very active and they will reward your patience. I do have my horticultural fleece row covers and other frost protection ready to go though, to be honest, that first hard frost that knocks back the annual plants (read: tomato, pepper and squash chaos) I have not been able to give up on always comes as something of a relief to me. It’s time.

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 almost 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.

NOVEMBER 2010 - CALENDAR OF REGIONAL GARDENING EVENTS

November 3 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society, Regular Member Meeting 7:30 pm Butte County Library. Regular member Meeting and Program featuring “How Do Many Seed Plants Get Around…Without the Help of People?”, by Rob Schlising, retired professor of Biology from CSU, Chico. Public welcome! More information contact President Janna Lathrop: jlathrop4mlc@comcast.net

November 3 – Chico: Gateway Science Museum: Museum Without Walls Lecture Series #1 7:30 - 8:30 pm Fire in the Forest by Kathy Gray, California State University, Chico. Chico Area Recreation District (CARD) Center 545 Vallombrosa Avenue. A donation of $3 per adult is requested. More Info call: 530-898-4121

November 3 – Chico: The 8th Annual Chico Organic Farming and Food Conference, Chico State University Farm 8:30 AM to 3:00 PM. As in previous years, this is the day before the beginning of the This Way to Sustainability Conference at Chico State University. This year it will comprise concurrent workshops and presentations in the organic vegetable field, at the organic dairy, and in the pavilion. Topics will include organic crop and dairy management, insect ecology, soil quality, farm financial management, and community food and nutrition programs. The conference is free and open to all members of the campus and community. Students, staff, faculty, farmers, ranchers, and gardening enthusiasts are encouraged to participate! For more information, schedule, and directions, go to http://www.csuchico.edu/~laltier/8thAnnualAgenda.pdf To RSVP or questions, contact Lee Altier by email to LAltier@csuchico.edu or phone (530) 636-2525

November 5 - Chico: Chico State Campus Tree Tours with Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco 10 am - 11:45 am. Meet in front of Bidwell Mansion in Chico, on the Esplanade for this informative walks to see and hear about the marvelous old trees on the mansion grounds and adjacent university campus. Over 200 species of woody plants. Many of these trees date back to the original landscaping by Bidwell in the late 1800s. Parking is free. Leaders: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293; Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123

November 6 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay Trees in the Landscape Series Workshop 9:30 am Fall is a great time for planting trees in Shasta County, and having a good start is imperative to the long term health of your tree. Turtle Bay’s lead gardener and A News Cafe’s “Tree Goddess”, Marie Stadther, will share tips for developing healthy, well-established trees through proper planting methods, root pruning, fertilizing, mulching and follow-up care. Receive actual hands-on experience planting a tree with Marie in the Botanical Gardens. All tools and gloves will be provided. Come prepared to work outside. (Class will be rescheduled in the event of rain). Tree Pruning will be offered early next year as a follow-up to this workshop. Members and Turtle Bay volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3 (unless otherwise noted) Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) Take N. Market Street and turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Nursery on immediate left.

November 6 – Redding: Community Teaching Garden: Saving Your Seeds 10 a.m. to noon Presenter: Jim Collins. Fee: $15. Autumn and Winter are the time to think about successfully saving and storing your seeds and planning your spring garden crops. This workshop will introduce the basic methods for saving seed, what kinds of seed can be saved, where to obtain them, how to ensure seed/crop quality and purity as well as proven harvesting, drying and storing techniques. Room 812 Shasta College Main Campus. For registration information, call 530-225-4835

November 6 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: FALL TREE & SHRUB CARE 11am – Learn what to do now, to improve the health and vigor of your trees, fruit trees and shrubs for next spring. George will demystify the use of dormant sprays, fertilizing and other methods for promoting a healthier yard and garden. This class is Free, please call for reservations. 8026 Airport Rd Redding, CA 96002-9445 (530) 365-2256

November 6 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Native American Uses for California Plants 11 a.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road, UC Davis Without a grocery store, where would you find food? Without a drug store, how would you treat your illnesses? For centuries, Native Californians have made skillful use of many of the local plants we take for granted, actively managing the landscape for long-term sustainable yields. The UC Davis Arboretum will present an engaging, family-friendly tour exploring Indian uses of plants for food, medicine, construction, and ritual on Saturday, November 6, at 11:00 a.m. The free tour will leave from the Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, across from the Mondavi Center on Old Davis Road on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 1 and the parking garage south of the Mondavi Center. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

November 7 - DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME ENDS: Clocks fall back one hour.

November 7 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Deer Creek Trail 8:30 am Meet at Chico Park & Ride west lot (Hwy 32/99). Bring lunch, water, insect/sun protection, and money for ride sharing. This is a gentle two-mile hike down to the falls and fish ladder where we will have lunch. Big leaf maple and dogwood should be in full color along with Indian rhubarb and spicebush. Sierra mint, and California fuchsia should still be in full bloom. Leaders, Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293

November 8 - Paradise: Paradise Garden Club monthly meeting Potluck lunch at 12 noon, bring your table setting and a dish to share. 1:00 pm program by Jennifer Jewell on the Seeds that Surround us - the Remarkable beauty of the seeds and seed pods of native plants. Terry Ashe Recreation Center, 6626 Skyway, Paradise.

November 8 - Chico: North Valley Orchid Society General Member Meeting 7:30PM CARD Center “Arts & Crafts Room” 545 Vallombrosa Ave., Chico Speaker will be Nick Burnett of Sacramento- “Species You Can Grow”. More Info: http://www.northvalleyorchidsociety.com or NVOS2010@gmail.com

November 10 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Walk With Warren 12 p.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Arboretum Join Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum on Wednesday, November 10. Enjoy the crisp fall weather, explore the pleasures of the autumn garden, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $6 in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

November 10 - Magalia: Magalia Beautification Society Regular Member Meeting 1:00 pm POA Racine Center at Wycliff Way and Racine Circle in Magalia; 12:30 for lunch, 1:00-3:00 for business. For more information: http://magaliagardeners.webs.com/

November 13 - Chico: Friends of the Chico State Herbarium Workshop: Home Composting and Vermiculture 9 am - 4 pm Taught by Master Composter Ward Habriel, learn the basic what, where and when of home composting in the morning session, followed by an afternoon session of worm composting also known as Vermiculture. Please register in advance. For more information about fees and registration please contact the office at (530) 898-6121 or NS@csuchico.edu.

November 13 – Chico: Gateway Science Museum Museum Educational Days : 10-12 Pine Needle Basket Weaving demonstration; 1-3 Pine Needle Basket Weaving Class (limited to 10 registrants- email gateway@csuchico.edu or call 898 4121 to enroll; must be 16 or older). as part of activities related to the current exhibits. Gateway Science Museum: 625 Esplanade (near Bidwell Mansion), Chico. For more info call: 530-898-4121

November 13 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: WIRE BASKET WORKSHOP 11am – Plant a wire basket with Ellen, using her unique lasagna layering method. Past classes have used, wire baskets, wrought iron bird cages and even a topiary horse! We will have wire baskets available for purchase, or bring one from home. All participants will receive 10% off on all supplies purchased for the class. Please call for reservations. 8026 Airport Rd Redding, CA 96002-9445 (530) 365-2256

November 14 - Chico: Wes Dempsey Tour/Field Trip: Maidu Medicine Walk 9 am - 12 noon. Meet at the Horseshoe Lake parking Area E in Upper Bidwell Park. Wear Hiking shoes and bring water. About 30 of the plants that the local Maidu Indians used for medicine, food, and crafts will be shown and discussed. Leader: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293

November 16 - Chico: Chico Horticulture Society Regular Member Meeting, Plant Sale and Holiday Boutique - including Jewellgarden.com’s lines of 2011 calendars, note cards and journals 9:45 – Noon. Regular Member Meeting and Program on Preparing Your Garden for Winter. Chico Library 1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. More info: email President Jon Bennet at: ChicoGardenClub@yahoo.com.

November 17 - Redding: Shasta Rose Society - Regular Member Meeting and Mini-Rose Show, Public Welcome! 7:00 p.m. City of Redding Corporation Yard On Viking Way. More Info: http://www.shastarosesociety.org

November 19 - Chico: Chico State Campus Tree Tours with Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco 10 am - 11:45 am. Meet in front of Bidwell Mansion in Chico, on the Esplanade for this informative walks to see and hear about the marvelous old trees on the mansion grounds and adjacent university campus. Over 200 species of woody plants. Many of these trees date back to the original landscaping by Bidwell in the late 1800s. Parking is free. Leaders: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293; Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123

November 20 – Redding: Community Teaching Garden: Composting and Worm Culture 10 a.m. to noon Presenter: Ken Waranius. Fee: $15. Workshop will cover how to make quality compost in your own backyard including and introduction to worm culture. Room 812 Shasta College Main Campus. For registration information, call 530-225-4835

November 20 - Redding: Wyntour Gardens: LIVING CENTERPIECE WORKSHOP 11am – Create a beautiful living centerpiece for your holiday table or to give as a hostess gift! Join Wendy, our Head Designer as she shows you how easy it is, to create a one-of-a-kind centerpiece to enjoy throughout the holidays. Participants will receive a 10% discount on all supplies purchased. 8026 Airport Rd Redding, CA 96002-9445 (530) 365-2256

November 21 - FULL MOON

November 21 - Chico: Old Plant Introduction Station Walk with Wes Dempsey and Gerry Ingco 9:30 am. Meet at the Mendocino Genetic Research center (from Skyway drive South on Dominic Drive to Morrow Lane, left to Kramer Lane, south to Parking by gate). Established in 1904, woody plants form all over the world were planted here by the USDA to test their use in medicine, agriculture, and forestry. Many of the original trees still survive. You will see lacebark pine, shantung maple, mourning cypress, Chinese wingnut, giant bamboo, several species of pistachio, and more. Parking is free. Leaders: Wes Demspey: 530-342-2293; Gerry Ingco: 530-893-5123

November 22 - Garden Club of Colusa County: General Member Meeting and Presentation on Natives in the Garden with Jennifer Jewell 6:30 - 8:30 pm More information: 530-458-2227 jimncyn66@comcast.net

November 24 - Chico: Chico Horticulture Society Evening Gardeners 6:30 pm. Evening Gardeners Program. Chico Library 1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. More info: email President Jon Bennet at: ChicoGardenClub@yahoo.com.

November 25 - Thanksgiving Day

November 27 – 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

November 27 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: The Oak Lifecycle 11 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Arboretum The UC Davis Arboretum contains one of the nation’s largest collections of oak trees. In fall the oaks are ending their cycle, preparing to drop their seeds, and hunkering down for the winter. Learn more about the stages in the life of an oak during a free guided tour of Shields Oak Grove on Saturday, November 27. The tour will leave at 11:00 a.m. from the Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

November 28 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society - Field Trip: Ten Mile House Trail to Big Chico Creek 9:30 am Meet at Green Gate Entrance to Upper Bidwell Park (drive east on Hwy 32, nine miles from Chico’s Hwy 99/32 interchange.) Bring lunch, water, insect/sun protection, and money for ride sharing. Wear hiking gear. We will follow an old road down to the creek (700 foot drop) for 1. 5 miles past buckeye and black oak in fruit and stop to see if the persimmon tree at the spring is ready to harvest. Leaders, Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 and Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293

In the Garden: note card, journal and 2011 calendar collections. Support In a North State Garden AND Delight the gardeners, readers, writers and food lovers in your life with thoughtful, sophisticated and artfully unique note card sets, journals and calendars from Jewellgarden.com. Dedicated to the art, craft and science of gardening, produced wholly in the North State on recycled papers, Choose from Holiday Cards (shown above) Natives in the Garden, Edibles in the Garden and the NEW Seed Series. Available now on-line or at local fine shops near you. All of Jewellgarden.com’s cards are printed in Chico by Quadco printing using recycled paper and vegetable-based ink in many cases.

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.

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…)

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…)

The Tree Goddess: Marie Stadther, Lead Gardener and Tree Educator, McConnell Arboretum & Botanical Gardens - Redding

Friday, April 23rd, 2010

Imagine if you will a world without trees. Virtually no trees. What would it look like? Feel like?

Vast. Spare. Hot. Cold. Windswept.

Desert landscapes, grassland prairies and plains come to my mind. In their own way these almost tree-less landscapes are majestic - hauntingly lovely, evocative and home to some fascinating plants - but still: tree-less.
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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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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

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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.