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September’s Sensual Salvias - an Interview with Mike Thiede, Regional Plantsman

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

Mike Thiede gets excited about plants. “You will never guess what I just found?” he said in all excitement the last time I met with him - and he did not wait for me to answer or guess, but continued on describing to me a plant he’d run across that really shouldn’t have been where he found it. He was thrilled. Mike Thiede is a plantsman - and so plants in general do thrill him. But among all the plants that might thrill him, Mike has a special place for Salvia - the genus of plants most closely associated with his name and hybridizing skills in our region.

Mike is a longtime plantsman in Northern California, former owner of Chico Creek Gardens nursery and consulting Plant Specialist in the Chico area. Close to a decade ago, when Mike became interested in hybridizing, it was the Salvias that thrilled him most. “They are everything a good plant in the garden should be. They have an amazingly long bloom season - it is not uncommon to see your best garden Salvia blooming more than eight months out of the year - from April through November. Most Salvia thrive in our North State sun and heat, they often have a lovely fragrance and many have strong architectural presence in the garden.” Salvia are a full-five-senses experience. What more could you ask for?

Well - there’s plenty more. Mike goes on. Unlike many plant genera, which can be fairly limited in their color palate, Salvia species and their many hybrids are available in just about any color your might want - from pale creamy white, to deep blue, to luxurious purple, to tender pink, to fire-engine red, to nuanced apricots and corals. Salvia can be quite diminutive and almost ground covers, like the spreading royal blue Salvia greggii ‘Sally Greenwood,’ to the sculptural and stately Salvia apiana, also known as Grandfather sage or white sage, which grows to 5 feet tall and wide and the large, thick silver leaves of which were used in smudge sticks by native americans.

With plentiful pollen and nectar, Salvia are also pollinator magnets - which is lovely to behold as the gardener, beneficial for the web of life in our region and beneficial to the life of the rest of your garden. Long bloom time - early season to late season - through dampish cool and searing heat, Salvia attract scores of hummingbirds, butterflies, moths, honey bees as well as native bees and hover flies.

Salvia - known commonly as sage - is the largest genus in the mint family (Lamiaceae) of plants, comprising perhaps upwards of 900 species and many more hybrids. Native to almost every continent, Salvia includes just under 20 species native to California. The Salvia genus does not include the aromatic shrubs known as sagebrush, which are from the Artemisia genus. Ranging from rugged and hardy in some of the most extreme climates in the world, to tender tropicals, Salvia include specimens to fit just about every garden and gardener. For the most part drought tolerant once established, Salvia like a lot of sun and good drainage. They will thrive in lean or fairly rich soil and while they can go without additional nutrition, Mike Thiede did suggest to me (read: scold) that all of the Salvia in my garden could use some cutting back and a little boost of compost or other balanced fertilizer if I wanted them to look their best. By coincidence, a gardening friend recently sent me the link to a good (and funny) article on pruning Salvia by Emily Green in the LA Times. Her advice: BE BOLD. Cut them back - without fear or trepidation and they will thank you for it.

Mike Thiede recommends a mid-summer pruning of flowers that are too leggy or simply done and then a hard late-fall or early-winter (if you are enjoying the seed heads on some of the Salvia clevelandii types) prune for more pronounced shaping. “If you let them get too leggy and woody, it is harder to prune them. Cut back spent flower stalks to below dense foliage and thin - especially the greggii varieties - from the center of shrubby plants.”

A really fun fact for local gardeners? Mike Thiede has in the past 7 to 10 years bred a whole line of Salvia greggii varieties named for some of our favorite local plant celebrities. These include a true deep red, “broad shouldered,” as described by Mike, S. ‘John Whittlesey,’ a royal blue low-growing S. ‘Sally Greenwood,’ a cherry coral red variety named for Courtney Paulson of Magnolia Gift & Garden, S. ‘Courtney’s Coral,’ and another named for Bob Fabish, among others. Many Salvias - including many of Mike Thiede’s Salvia, can be seen growing in the water conservation demonstration garden designed and tended by Lifescapes Landscaping on the corner of Sheridan and 1st Avenue in Chico. Many good Salvia can also be seen at the McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay in Redding.

Further Reading: The following books are excellent references for Salvias and are available from Lyon Books in Chico.

“The New Book of Salvias - Sages for Every Garden,” by Betsy Clebsch

“The Gardeners Guide to Growing Salvias,” by John Sutton
Looking for the perfect, thoughtful but sophisticated, local but unique, gifts for the upcoming holiday season? Jewellgarden.com’s collections of note cards, blank journals and 2011 calendars are the perfect choice. Dedicated to the art, craft and science of gardening, produced wholly in the North State on 100% recycled papers, Jewellgarden.com’s line of Natives in the Garden, Edibles in the Garden and the NEW Seed Series of printed products will delight all the gardeners, readers, writers - all enjoyers of life - in your life this year. Available now on-line or at local fine shops near you. All of Jewellgarden.com’s cards are printed in Chico by Quadco printing using 100% recycled paper and vegetable-based ink.

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

To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com

Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

Savoring August & The Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events

Friday, July 30th, 2010

Ahhh, long hot days, coolish nights and the plump, fragrant flesh of tomatoes. August is the iridescent shimmer of sunshine along the edge of the scented foliage of exuberant tomato plants – running wild in the vegetable garden. It is the salads and soups and sandwiches made of this most anticipated summer fruit/vegetable. Photo: Fragrant tomato leaf glistening in the early morning sun.

Photo: The wide variety of tomatoes in my garden this year - seedlings of which I got from Brian Marshall and Nancy Heinzel of Sawmill Creek Farms in Paradise (marshall-n@sbcglobal.net) - if you ask me, the little purple red ones are the very best - Black Plum, they’re called. (more…)

Posted in California native plants, Central Valley, John Whittlesey, Master Gardener Program, McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Regional gardening event calendar, Uncategorized, Wayne & Laurel Kessler, plant nursery, seasonal food, seasonal plants | Comments Off

Heat Loving Succulents

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

With summer’s heat upon us, I am once again amazed at the resilience and beauty of succulents in our North State gardens. I was inspired to revisit this piece on Claude Geffray’s Gardens in Chico.

Look up the word “succulent” in the dictionary and as an adjective you will find something like: juicy, thick and fleshy; from the Latin succus, meaning “juice.” The designation “succulent” describes any plant that “stores water against times of drought in specialized tissues,” according to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens’ Crazy About Cacti and Succulents. Succulents such as jade (Crassula ovata) or Aloes, store extra water in their leaves, others, including most cacti, store water in their stems, and still others store water in their roots or bulbs. While all cacti are succulents, not all succulents are cacti, but almost all succulents are low-maintenance, drought tolerant, relatively pest and disease free and darn good looking - in or out of bloom, year-round. Photo: A view down a covered shade area to one of Claude Geffray’s demonstration succulent and cacti gardens in Chico.

Claude Geffray, a Frenchman by birth, now longtime resident of the North State is founder/owner of Creative Cacti and Succulents, a landscape design business specializing in inspiring succulent and cacti designs, and Geffray’s Gardens, a specialty grower of a head-spinning array of succulents and cacti and based in Chico. Photo: The sculptural leaves of an Agave attenuata .

I have been aware of succulent plants and their specific beauty since I was a girl growing up at 8,000 feet in Colorado and my best friend’s mother – Janet Findling, a woman of the American West born and raised – had a large collection of potted cacti and succulents. My mother was a world-class professional gardener, but she had a decidedly East coast aesthetic and succulents were not for her – Yuccas were yucky and pokey and hostile, in her mind. But my best friend’s mother adored them. She saw in them the sculptural beauty and built-in strength that draws gardeners to them today – from the very small, candy-colored Sedums to the immense and architectural Yuccas and Agaves. To Mrs. Findling – and thousands of gardeners like her today, succulents and cacti were iconic plants of the American West. Thanks to many good books and many good growers, the array of succulents (from around the world) that are available at nurseries and which we can grow in our gardens today is breathtaking. Succulents from Africa, Australia and South America as well many, many good North American natives are now easily available in the trade. Photo: A typical ruffled Echeveria, which needs some protection from winter frosts - simply placing them in pots beneath the eaves of your house or garage should do the trick.

Claude Geffray’s interest in succulents began in his early twenties when, as an art student in San Francisco, he bought a succulent plant at a flea market. Coming from France, Claude had not seen many plants like this before and its shape and texture caught his artist’s eye. As a group, succulents and cacti have held his fascination ever since. Wanting to settle down from the pace of the city, Claude moved to Chico in 1985. By 1988 he had started his small specialty nursery, Geffray’s Gardens, which is now a premier retail and wholesale provider of cacti and succulents for “interiorscapes, landscapes, and specialized xeriscapes gardens for the Northern California region.” Photo:French-born Claude Geffray at one of his Open Garden days this past summer.

I have heard Claude speak to groups of gardeners about growing, caring for and arranging succulents and cacti - his soft french accent roundly describing the plants of which he is so fond. I have visited his nursery and gardens on open days and each time I have come away with treasures more numerous than I care to admit. The wonderful thing is, the plants I bring home from Geffray’s Gardens don’t die. Which, if you happened to have been seduced by the loveliness and drama of wonderful cacti and succulents from - perhaps - slightly more glamorous environs and vendors in the Bay area or in Southern California, you will know that plants from these locales often don’t take well to the North State - it’s too hot, it’s too cold, it’s too dry, it’s too shady, it’s too windy. It’s not the Bay area or Southern California. When you visit Claude’s displays, it will be clear to you if you live in the Valley or foothill portions of our region that if he has it covered, you should probably have it covered, if it is growing outside for all the heat and cold to bear down on in his garden, then you are pretty safe to plant it outside as well. Photo: A selection of the many colors and shapes of succulent treasures in just one of Claude Geffray’s hoop houses at Geffray’s Gardens in Chico.

Succulents and cacti are available for almost all elevations and gardening zones. Hens-and-chicks (Sempervivums) happily flourished, put off pups (as it is called when a rosette-forming succulent plant has a little baby-version of itself appear and grow along its side), and even bloomed at close to 6,000 feet with plenty of winter snow in my last garden, and there are a handful of Agaves and many Opuntias, Yuccas and Hesperaloes that will thrive in the high country as well. But watch for the gardening zone marked on your plant and if you garden in zone 4 and you’re smitten with a zone 8 succulent - put it in a pot and move it into a protected position or indoors for the winter. For some good succulent how-to books, see this week’s Book Recommendations below. Photo: A pathway through one of the succulent and cacti demonstration plantings at Geffray’s Gardens.

Many things endear succulents to a gardener, not the least of which is that they are almost foolproof - perhaps the greatest cause for failure is OVER WATERING or not providing them with enough drainage, which amounts to the same thing. In general, most cacti and succulents - once established - only want water when they have dried out, once a week, or maybe twice in summer sun. They dislike too much water pooling around their crowns and so, especially in areas of heavy winter rain or wet snows, a mulch of fast draining gravel or sand will be appreciated. Originating from areas where water conservation is necessary for survival, succulents tend to like lean soil, very little if any supplemental food (if you have your plants in containers, Claude recommends half concentration fertilizer every other month during the bloom season), they are not susceptible to most pests or diseases, and they are easy to propagate - they practically root themselves from almost any cutting (or inadvertently broken-off-segment). Try it. Cut off of piece of your succulent, let it sit for a day or so allowing the cut to “heal” over, then stick it in the ground. Water it in a few days. Voila! New succulent. Literally. Photo: Left: Agave victoriae-reginae, Right: Echeveria imbricata in bloom.

An important thing to ask as you search for the perfect succulent or cacti for your garden is this: Where did this plant come from? Sadly, many cacti and succulent are collected illegally from the wild, which does not improve our gardens but rather diminishes the beauty and integrity of our wild lands. Make sure that the plants you are choosing have been grown responsibly and legally. Photo: Cascading Echeveria in a pot on a covered patio.

Claude sells his plants, his specially formulated cacti and succulent planting mix and his bold and interesting container designs year-round at Chico’s Saturday Market. He also holds Open Days at the nursery a few times a year. Not only do you get to peruse the wonderful hoop houses full of succulent treasure, but you also get to walk Claude’s succulent and cacti display gardens - well worth a wander. They give you a good idea of the outdoor drama that these plants provide as well as which ones are hardy. Photo: A row of potted Flapjacks (Kalanchoe thrysiflora) in a Chico garden.

More Info: Geffray’s Gardens also has Black Bamboos, Sago Palms, Hardy Palms, and miscellaneous plants on sale. Hardy Cacti and Succulents can be bought bare root from the growing beds, or in different size containers. They also offer an assortment of clay and ceramic pots as well as our own cactus mix. Geffray’s Gardens is located on Carper’s Court, in Chico. From Esplanade take East Avenue toward Hwy 32. Turn right on Alamo, cross Henshaw, go another 150 yards, and find Carper’s on your right. There will be signs in the adjacent streets. Photo: A tray of small succulent plugs at Geffray’s Gardens.

For further information and dates for upcoming open garden days, please call Claude at 530 345 2849.

Here are a few good books on selecting and growing cacti and succulents. All of my reading recommendations are available in stock (or by special order for the more expensive ones) at Lyon Books in Chico. You can order on-line and Lyon Books is happy to ship. You can also try our wonderful public libraries for these books: Photo: A display garden at Geffray’s Gardens.

A few years ago I read Debra Lee Baldwin’s book entitled Designing with Succulents, and became completely inspired. The book took my schoolgirl-crush on succulents and showed me that it could survive the step-up to a long-term adult relationship. Designing with Succulents convinced me that succulents are not only wonderful as showcase elements in ones or twos, but that you can in fact landscape an entire garden with lush, colorful succulents as the very backbone of your design. The trouble was that a lot of the plants featured in the book were not hardy for me. Photo: Calandrinia grandiflora in a Bay area garden. This wonderfully flowering plant is hardy in the north valley, but will need some protection from very hard frosts.

Then alpine plant expert Gwen Kelaidis, based in Denver, published Hardy Succulents, Tough Plants for Every Climate (Storey Publishing, 2007). It covers a wide range of cacti and succulents good for colder or more extreme climates and gives good advice on how to make the most of microclimates. My favorite photos in the book are those with snow capped cacti. Photo: Mature Agaves punctuate and frame a classical threshold between one garden space and another at the famous Lotusland gardens in Santa Barbara.

Debra Lee Baldwin has recently published Succulent Container Gardens (2009, Timber Press), which is also excellent.

Another good book is The Garden Succulents Primer (Gideon Smith, Ben-Erik van Wyk; Timber Press, 2008), an extensive listing of succulent plant genera and families, with identification and cultivation information.

Many good succulents and cacti are native to our region, are available from accredited growers and are worth trying in your garden. To learn more about these, try looking through: Cacti, Agaves and Yuccas of California and Nevada (Cachuma Press, 2008). Photo: Northern California native canyon Dudleya (Dudleya cymosa).

For the academic and devout, the truly awe-inspiring tome to own would be The Cactus Family (Edward Anderson; Timber Press, 2001). Almost everything you would ever want to know about Cacti is here. And, as a bonus, you could use it as a booster seat for the smallest of your family.

And finally, The Garden Conservancy has a wonderful workshop - Making Room for Succulents in Your Garden - coming up on July 16th:

WALNUT CREEK
2010 Ruth Bancroft Horticultural Series
Make Room for Succulents in Your Garden

Friday, July 16 | 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
The Civic Arts Education Center, Walnut Creek
Co-sponsored by the Garden Conservancy and The Ruth Bancroft Garden

Morning Talks | Picnic Lunch | Lunchtime visit to The Ruth Bancroft Garden | Afternoon Talks | Reception in extraordinary Lafayette garden

The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a garden of succulent plants that are masterfully intertwined with other plants. As garden makers we may not know how to introduce the architecture of these special plants into our gardens. This seminar begins with succulents but mixes them with a broad palette of other trees, shrubs, and perennials that provide backdrop or bring an intensity of their own. Our speakers will set your mind on fire with a wonderful assortment of plants and design ideas. The synergy of the conversation will be top notch!

Lectures/Speakers include:

RBG Beauties: “fat plants” you’ll love!
Brian Kemble, The Ruth Bancroft Garden, Walnut Creek, CA

Succulent Stars: where to get them, how to use them, how to take care of them
Robin Stockwell, Succulent Gardens: The Growing Grounds, Castroville, CA

Perennial Bedfellows: perennials that embrace succulents
A conversation amongst:
Deborah Whigham, Digging Dog Nursery, Albion, CA
Brian Kemble and Robin Stockwell

Partners in Design: small trees and shrubs that offset succulents.
A conversation between:
Davis Dalbok, Living Green Plantscape Design, San Francisco, CA
Flora Grubb, Flora Grubb Gardens, San Francisco, CA

Drama in the Landscape: Using Succulents in Broad Strokes
Jarrod Baumann, Zeterre Landscape Architecture, Saratoga, CA

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

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

To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com

Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.

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

Posted in Cacti & Succulents, California native plants, Display gardens, Uncategorized, plant nursery, seasonal plants, specialty perennials | Comments Off

Humidity-Loving and High-Drama Hydrangeas with Daran Goodsell, Chico
Friday, June 11th, 2010

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

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

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

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.

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

To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com

Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.

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

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

Northstate Public Radio’s I-5 LIVE! Call-in Special on Edible Gardening and the Spring Vegetable Garden - Follow Up Information
Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

It’s mid- February and even in the colder sections of the North State the time is now for planning and even planting your spring and summer vegetable seeds and starts – inside and out. On Monday evening February 15th, I hosted a special edition of I-5 LIVE on Northstate Public Radio (91.7 fm KCHO in Chico and 88.9 fm in Redding) from 8 to 9 pm to chat about edible gardening and getting ready for the spring vegetable garden.

My guests for the evening were David Grau, owner of Valley Oak Tool, former market gardener and organizer of the Chico Organic Gardening Series; also, Wayne Kessler, co-owner with his wife Laurel, of Shambani Organics, a specialty herb and vegetable start grower based in Shingletown, California.
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Posted in David Grau, Landscaping with Fruit, Shambani Organics, Uncategorized, Vegetables, Wayne & Laurel Kessler, edible gardening, seasonal food | Comments Off

Gateway Science Museum - Grand Opening February 27, 2010
Friday, February 12th, 2010

The Gateway Science Museum is opening to the public on Saturday February 27th – with a ribbon cutting at 10:00 am and grand opening celebration activities for adults and children alike throughout the day - throughout the whole museum. Photo: The Gateway Science Museum’s logo is derived from the skylight at the top of the front tower of the new building’s entrance. That tower represents a volcano - such as the historic Mt. Yana or Lassen Peak or Mt. Shasta, which have been ‘wayfinders’, or directional markers, for people in the North State for 1000s of years.
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Posted in California native plants, Chico, Display gardens, Ecoregions, Gateway Science Museum CSU, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Flowers for the Table: Working with Garden Flowers for Home Arrangements, with award-winning Floral Designer, Gerry Gregg, AIFD
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Fresh cut flowers from the garden are arguably one of the garden’s greatest joys. The are lovely, they feel luxurious and all in all they are economical. I am a cut-whatever’s-blooming-put-it-in-a-vase kind of person, and when they are available, I like to put little vases anywhere I can - on my bedside table, my childrens’ dressers, the dining room table, the counter by the kitchen sink - anywhere I can see them and smile for their being there. I am not particularly fussy: I try to remember to trim the leaves from the bottom of the stems, I sort of adjust the blossoms based on their color and height so that they come together in a generally pleasing way - and I am very happy. However, when I see the work of a good floral designer, I instinctively know the difference between my casual grouping of flowers and their artistic crafting of an arrangement. I am always amazed at how many GOOD florists are in our region, but I distinctly remember the sensation when I walked into the Enloe Foundation Gala earlier this year in Chico. I saw the soaring and floating floral displays and thought: Now that is the work of an artist. Photo: Cut flowers fresh from the garden - waiting to be arranged.

Gerry Gregg, AIFD, co-owner with his wife Carol of the The Flower Market in Chico was the designer responsible for those floral arrangements. Gerry is long-time and award-winning floral designer who regularly participates in international shows and publications with his floral designs, including the annual Las Floristas Headdress Ball at the Hotel Beverly Hills in Beverly Hills, California. Gerry is originally from the Chico area and after several years of living in more urban environments, returned to the area in the last year with his wife Carol to open their own business. Photo: Gerry Gregg, AIFD - at The Flower Market in Chico.
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Posted in Floral Design, Flower Shows, Uncategorized | No Comments »

May in the Garden, Fascinating Ferns and Monthly Calendar of Regional Gardening Events
Friday, May 1st, 2009

May is upon us – gardeners and school children are pulled into that final vortex of activity that leads to summer. Many flowers are blooming and the natural world in almost all zones is awake and lively. No wonder that so many traditions exist surrounding the arrival of May: Maypoles, May trees, May baskets. Bringing in the May, Crowning of the May. It all sounds as good as the month generally looks and smells and tastes – delicious, fresh, hopeful. The lilacs, azaleas, peonies and iris are out where I garden - as are the clematis and the roses – ahhh, the roses. Are you rose people happy now after months of roselessness? I know I am. Photo: A deeply fragrant Bourbon Rosa ‘Madame Isaac Pereire’ blooming beside a tall-form Euphorbia.

Now is the time for planting heat-loving summer annuals, vegetables and herbs, for those of us in the higher elevations the average last frost dates are almost here, and hardy perennials and shrubs can still be planted. But for all regions of the North State, remember the later that you plant perennials, shrubs and trees, the less established they will be by the heat of summer, the harder that heat will be on the plants, and the more you will have to water and care for them. But in gardening and in life, sometimes you have to do things even when the timing is not quite right. Most of us are probably beginning to water more regularly. Spring’s unsettled weather is a good time to run through your irrigation, checking for leaks, and making sure all your plants are getting the water they need. Deadheading and weeding are once again regular garden tasks. Photo: A spring fiddle-head unfurling from a woodland fern.

You know how you have crushes on certain plants at different times throughout the seasons? The Year – the month? Your Life. My current plant “true-love” is a fern. Any fern, really. So while my roses and clematis, my lilacs and peonies are singing me their Spring siren song – it is the form and foliage of the many ferns we can grow in the North State that I am finding fascinating right now. I recently had the privilege of a guided tour around the a fern collection of plantswoman Emilie White – a long-standing and revered member of the Chico area horticulture world. Photo: The red-tips of a young fern frond.

Emilie and her husband Ken have been gardening on their Chico city lot since 1984. City lot sized though the garden is, many distinct garden areas have been created over the years. Large trees have come and gone and lawn area has come and gone creating different planting opportunities. Emilie is an active member of the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, the Butte Rose Society and in 2009 is a co-President of the Chico Horticulture Society. Her collection of ferns are just one of her many interesting garden plant collections. “I love the shapes of the ferns, their subtle colors and the way their often evergreen structures hold parts of the garden up when so many other plants are dormant.” Photo: The distinctive coloring of Variegated Shield Fern (Arachniodes simplicior ‘Variegata’).

Not all of Emilie’s ferns are evergreen, and of her 21 distinct varieties, many are California natives and so apt to be dormant in summer and active in winter. Almost all of Emilie’s ferns are in dappled light beneath larger trees or shrubs. She feeds her entire garden with alfalfa pellets in late winter/early spring, top-dresses with home-made or organic compost up to twice a year, and will sometimes giver her ferns a dose of fish emulsion. “Don’t be too tidy. Let the natural duff of leaves and pine needles self-mulch around your ferns. Dead head fronds as needed - like a haircut,” she says. But even a veteran gardener like Emilie will sometimes lose a fern and not know why. “And then sometimes you think you’ve lost one - and a tiny fiddle-head will appear out of what looked like dead root ball.” Emilie does not water in winter unless absolutely necessary and waters approximately two times a week in summer. Photos: The fiddle-head of a Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum) and the silvery foliage of a Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium nipponicum ‘Pictum’)

According the American Fern Society: “Ferns have been with us for more than 300 million years and in that time the diversification of their form has been phenomenal. Ferns grow in many different habitats around the world. The ferns were at their height during the Carboniferous Period (the age of ferns) as they were the dominant part of the vegetation at that time. Most of the ferns of the Carboniferous became extinct but some later evolved into our modern ferns. There are about 12,000 species in the world today.” Photo: Emilie White near one of the many ferns in her garden.

“Ferns and fern-allies are more complicated in structure than most people would suspect. Their structures, though similar in some ways to those of flowering plants are different enough to warrant a distinctive terminology.”

“The frond is the part of the fern that we see as we wander through the woods it is the “leaf” of a fern. It is divided into two main parts, the stipe (leaf stalk or petiole) and the blade (the leafy expanded portion of the frond). The blade may be undivided to finely cut, each degree of division having a specific term. Fronds vary greatly in size, from tree ferns with 12 foot fronds to the mosquito ferns with fronds only 1/16 of an inch long. Rhizomes would be comparable to “stems” in the flowering plants. Fronds arise from the rhizome. The sporangia are the reproductive structures of the ferns and fern allies. They are miniature sacks or capsules that produce the dustlike spores that are the “seeds” by which ferns are propagated. The arrangement of sporangia varies greatly in ferns. Most ferns that we would see as we walk through the forest would have their sporangia on the underside of the frond, arranged in an organized pattern usually associated with veins in the pinnule (leaf). The “seeds” of the ferns and fern allies are called Spores. Ferns drop millions, often times billions of spores during their lifetime but very few ever land in a spot suitable for growth.” Photo: Sporangia patterns on the tips of a Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum raddianum ‘Pacific Maid’). Maidenhair Ferns hold their spore packets on the front of their fronds rather than the back like most ferns.

Ferns can be propagated by growing the spores along or by rooting bulbils. Northern California has many native ferns including Western or Giant Chain fern (Woodwardia fimbriata), Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), California Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum jordanii), Five-Fingered Fern (Adiantum aleuticum), Gold-back Fern (Pentagramma triangularis) and Indian’s Dream or Serpentine Fern (Aspidotis densa). Many good books are available about ferns including Native Ferns, Moss & Grasses, by William Cullina (Houghton Mifflin, 2008), and The Encyclopedia of Garden Ferns by Sue Olsen (Timber Press, 2007). The North State has many good fern viewing locations including the Serpentine outcropping in Magalia and along what’s known as Fern Bank before the golf course in Chico’s Upper Bidwell Park. Photo: Sporangia pattern on a Holly Fern (Cyrtomium falcatum).

Emilie’s garden contains many of these ferns and was featured on the Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society Garden Tour in 2008. Her garden will be featured on the upcoming Chico Horticulture Society’s Members-Only garden tour on Saturday May 16th. Many garden tours and events are on the calendar in May. On Saturday May 2nd, St. John’s Episcopal Church holds their 26th Annual Garden Tour, lunch and garden boutique. For tickets on Saturday go to the St. John’s Parish Hall at 2341 Floral Avenue. On Sunday May 3rd, the Cohasset Annual Plant Sale will be held at the Cohasset Community Association Building, the McConnell Arboretum and Gardens is hosting several interesting plant talks in May including a presentation on Water-Wise Plants for Mediterranean Climates on May 23rd. Photo: The rosy fronds of a Rosy Five-Fingered Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum hispidulum).

Although this next event is not until June, I am so excited to let other plant enthusiasts know that world-renowned plantsman Dan Hinkley, founder of famed (and now the former) Heronswood Nursery in Kingston Washington, will be speaking at the High-Hand Nursery in Loomis on June 13th and 14th. He will give a lecture on both Saturday and Sunday - tickets are $5.00. Tickets are also available ($65) to join Hinkley and others for dinner on Saturday the 13th in High-Hand’s conservatory restaurant. Tickets include dinner and Hinkley’s newest book The Explorer’s Garden: Shrubs and Vines from the Four Corners of the World(Timber Press, 2009). If you have never read anything by Hinkley or heard him speak, this is truly a rare opportunity to hear one of the brightest (and wittiest) people in the plant world speak about his adventures. Additionally, I personally feel the need to support a plant person of this calibre venturing into the “interior” of Northern California and beyond the predictable venues in San Francisco and along the coast. Perhaps it is the start of a trend? Next stop Yuba City? Chico? Red Bluff? Redding? The sky’s the limit. As a prelude to the event, Hinkley will be a guest on In a North State Garden later in May.

For a fuller listing of regional gardening events in May, June and beyond visit the In a North State Garden Events calendar. Have an event you would like to get listed? Send me an email: jennifer@jewellgarden.com. Until next week - enjoy May in your North State garden!

In a North State Garden is a radio- and web-based outreach program of the Gateway Science Museum - Exploring the Natural History of the North State, based in Chico, CA. In a North State Garden celebrates the art, craft and science of home gardening in California’s North State region, and is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell - all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In A North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio KCHO/KFPR 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 positively North State.

Posted in California native plants, Chico, Compost, Evergreens, Magalia, McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Regional gardening event calendar, Roses, Uncategorized | Comments Off

California Native Plant Society Conservation Conference Jan 17 - 19th, Sacramento
Friday, January 9th, 2009

The California Native Plant Society is hosting a Conservation Conference; Strategies and Solutions, January 17 – 19th at the Sacramento Convention Center and the Sheraton Grand Hotel. On January 20 and 21, immediately following the official meeting, 13 native-plant related workshops are also being held. Regular registration ends Monday January 12th. Photo above: Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica, Sunset zones 4-9) is a native, evergreen shrub that grows from 3 - 15 feet tall, has attractive berries and takes pruning well for smaller garden situations. Its evergreen foliage with frost adds nice winter interest to a mixed border.

I recently talked with Catie and Jim Bishop of Oroville about the upcoming conference. Catie and Jim are on the Chapter Board of the Mount Lassen Chapter of the CNPS and are on the CNPS state Chapter Council. They are both longtime gardeners and plant enthusiasts themselves. Their interest in native plants and conservation grew exponentially after moving, in 1990, to their one-acre foothills property outside of Oroville, where they are working to garden with and regenerate the native Blue Oak Woodland habitat. Based on a good deal of work in National Forests over the past decade, they will be making a presentation on the fens (montane peatlands) of Northern California at the upcoming conference. Photo Above: Catalogue of Offerings at the Conservation Conference, focusing on Strategies and Solutions for conserving our California native plants and their habitats.
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Posted in California native plants, Central Valley, Chico, Ecoregions, Evergreens, Garden Societies, Redding, Uncategorized, Wildlife Friendly gardening, about, garden publications | Comments Off

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