Calendar

MARCH 2010

March 3 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society: Regular Member Mtg 7:30 pm Butte County Library, Chico. Regular Member Meeting and Program featuring Doug McCreary PhD speaking on our Native Oak Woodlands. More info: Jim and Catie Bishop: cjbishop1991@sbcglobal.net

March 4 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have 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

March 6 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Gardens at Turtle Bay: Creating a Backyard Habitat 9:00 AM - Noon. Sustainability Series. Native plant gardening and wildlife-friendly landscapes are gaining popularity. These gardens satisfy our desire for drought resistant, lower maintenance landscapes that also offer habitat for wildlife. Spring is a good time to plan native gardens and prepare for the nesting and summer seasons. Our focus will be on native and other plants adapted to our area, backyard bird feeding, and maintenance tips. Join local wildlife biologist Len Lindstrand III for this valuable talk and walk (weather allowing) as we present many concepts, examples, and information and show how to create wildlife habitat right in our own yards. Turtle Bay members and volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3. Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office at 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery) More Info: Call 530-242-3108 or www.turtlebay.org.

March 6 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & 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 Arboretum & Botanical Gardens West Entrance. More Info: Call 530-242-3108 or www.turtlebay.org.

March 6 – Davis: Center for Urban Horticulture The Edible Garden Workshop - public workshop Educational program in the "Your Sustainable Backyard" Series. Spend the day and learn about choosing the vegetable varieties that are right for you, scheduling planting and harvest, garden prep & planting, small space fruit and veggie production. $45 registration fee includes parking, morning coffee and lunch. To register or for more info: http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/public or call Missy Borel: mjborel@ucdavis.edu

March 6 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens VICTORY GARDENING 101 SERIES class#1 10 am & 1 pm. Join us for a series of FREE classes and learn how to successfully grow a year-round vegetable garden and harvest your own food! Growing your own food is healthy and rewarding! Class #1: The Basics; Location: Set-up, Soil prep & Seed Starting. 10AM & 1PM. Registration Required. Class size is limited, Register Early. FREE - more info or to register: 8026 Airport Road Redding; www.wyntourgardens.com or call: 530-365-2256.

March 7 – Redding: Community Teaching Garden at Shasta Community College: Organic Gardening Workshop 1 - 4 pm. $10 fee per attendee. Shasta College Main Campus 11555 Old Oregon Trail meet in room 821. Participants will receive information of techniques in preparing and enriching soil, where to get seeds and plants, developing an efficient watering system and gardening resources. Appropriate for beginners and those wanting to improve their productivity. To register on-line got to: www.shastacollege.edu/EWD and then click on the pathways Catalog. For more registration info call: 530-225-4835. For more general info call: 530-242-2248 or email teachinggarden@shastacollege.edu.

March 7 - Davis: UC Davis Arboretum, Guided Tour: Nursery 2 pm. Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Gardeners thinking about adding new plants to their home landscapes can visit the new demonstration plantings at the UC Davis Arboretum Teaching Nursery during a special tour on Sunday, March 7. The tour will focus on the best plants for our garden climate, including the Arboretum All-Stars, plants selected by the Arboretum’s horticultural staff for their beauty, reliability, heat and drought tolerance, and value in attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. There will be time for questions and answers about participants’ own gardens and any special problems they might have. No plants will be for sale during the guided tour, but visitors will get a special preview of the Arboretum’s spring plant sales, which start March 13. The tour will meet at 2:00 p.m. at the Arboretum Teaching Nursery, on Garrod Drive across from the School of Veterinary Medicine on the UC Davis campus. Free parking is available in Visitor Lot 55. More info: (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

March 8 - Paradise: Paradise Garden Club 1:00 pm Regular Member Meeting and Pot Luck. Terry Ashe Recreation Center 6626 Skyway Paradise, Ca. Program: David Walther of Spring Fever Nursery and Landscaping in Yankee Hill. David, a long time favorite speaker and friend of the garden club will be sharing with us old and new varieties of Hellebores. He will also have Hellebores for sale and give a plug for his Spring plant sale.More Info Call: 530-876-1926

March 9 - Chico: North Valley Orchid Society 7:30 pm - Speaker Charles Sims on "Orchids of Peru" held in the Fireside Room at First Christian Church, 295 East Washington Ave. Charles will be giving a presentation of his varied encounters with orchids on a recent trip to Peru, including visiting/judging two shows and going on two orchid treks at the admittedly mysterious and very impressive ruins of Machu Picchu. He will also talk specifically about some of the orchids found in Peru that we can (try to) grow here. More Info Call: 530-891-4424

March 10 - Chico: Chico Horticulture Society PLS NOTE DIFFERENT MEETING DAY THIS MONTH 9:45 – Noon. Regular Member Meeting and Program. Chico Library 1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. More info: Call 530-892-1545.

March 10 - Magalia: Magalia Beautification Society Regular Member Meeting 12:30 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/

March 10 - Anderson: Redding Bonsai Club Rose Cascade Workshop 7 - 9 pm, cost: $18 Create your own mini bonsai using a Rosa hugonis. Meet at Western Shasta Conservation District 6270 Parallel Road Anderson. Bring chopsticks and bonsai tools if you have them. All other supplies are included in the price of the workshop. Call Cheryl Petty for more info: 530-235-0963, or visit site: www/snowcrest.net/windowboxnursery.

March 11 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have 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

March 12 - 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.

March 13 - Red Bluff: Tehama County Resource Conservation District's workshop, "Water-Wise Landscaping" 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Tehama District Fairground, Jr. Art Building. The workshop is free and open to everyone. This is the second of three workshops in our yard and garden series. Attending all three workshops is not a requirement, so if you missed the first one you are welcome to join us for this one. And for those of you who attended the first workshop, here's your chance to see how our strawberry plants are doing in the "no-till" garden! The "Water-Wise Landscaping" workshop will include presentations on making your yard water-wise, soil type and watering, building up your soil, scheduling irrigation of your landscape, installing irrigation systems, and carbon sequestration. Check your local newspaper for articles on our workshops. This is the second of three workshops the Tehama County RCD is offering on gardening, landscaping, and creating defensible space from wildfire around your home. If you live in Tehama County, on the east side of the Sacramento River, ask about our free Yard & Garden Evaluations. For our west side residents, we have created a list of individuals interested in having an evaluation and we are working on obtaining funding to make the evaluations available. Interested parties are asked to RSVP for the workshop and can receive additional information by contacting the Tehama County RCD at 527-3013, ext. 3.

March 13 - Davis: UC Davis Arboretum, Members Only Spring Plant Sale 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m., Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive, UC Davis Get the first pick of beautiful spring garden plants at the Friends of the UC Davis Arboretum Member Appreciation Plant Sale on Saturday, March 13, 9:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. The event is open to members only; anyone may join at the door, and all members will receive a free plant and a 10% discount on their purchases. Enjoy live music, refreshments, and children’s activities. Expert garden advice is available. 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.

March 13 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens VICTORY GARDENING 101 SERIES class#2 10 am & 1 pm. Join us for a series of FREE classes and learn how to successfully grow a year-round vegetable garden and harvest your own food! Growing your own food is healthy and rewarding! Class two: Planting your Garden: Methods, Spacing, Crop rotation. Registration Required. Class size is limited, Register Early. FREE - more info or to register: 8026 Airport Road Redding; www.wyntourgardens.com or call: 530-365-2256.

March 13 - Redding: Shasta Rose Society 10 AM at Shasta County Library, Redding. Spring Care of Roses - What you should be doing to prepare for the best bloom possible in the rose garden. Bob Parker, Master Rosarian. For More Info: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/ or email: webmaster@shastarosesociety.org

March 13 – Redding: Gringo Dave's Landscape and Irrigation: Rain Garden Design and Installation Workshop All day hands-on workshop on how to design and install a beautiful and effective rain garden. $45 fee. For more information please call: 530-244-7130 or www.gringodave.com.

March 13 & 14 – Sacramento: Robert Hamm Plant Sale at the Gifted Gardener 10 am - 4 pm Rain or Shine. Starter size potted perennials - often hard to find ones - will all be on sale. Included will be: Agastache, iris, rudbeckias, coreopsis, aconitum and summer blooming bulbs. 18th and J Streets Midtown Sacramento - parking is behind the store on 18th street. Proceeds from sales go to benefit charitable efforts of Sunburst Projects.org For more info: gardennotes@sbcglobal.net

March 14 - Chico: Chico Organic Gardening: Beekeeping Workshop 1:30 - 3:30 at the Chico Grange; $10 fee per person payable at the door. In this how-to workshop with Lee Edwards you will learn what you need to know in order to set up a hive and enliven your own garden with bees. The season to start your own bee hives is now. 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.

March 14 - Davis: UC Davis Arboretum, Guided Tour: Signs of Spring 2:00 p.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road, UC Davis Spring is here, and the natural world is bursting with new life and renewal. Visitors can enjoy the signs of spring on an informal walk in the UC Davis Arboretum on Sunday, March 14, at 2:00 p.m. The tour will focus on the California native plants of the Mary Wattis Brown Garden. The tour guide will point out new growth, swelling buds and flowers, and discuss the bird, bat and insect pollinators that keep the whole ecosystem humming. The tour will begin at the Buehler Alumni and 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 and free parking is available in Visitor Lots 1 and 2 and the Mondavi Center parking structure. More info: (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

March 17 - Redding: Shasta Rose Society Regular Member Meeting and Program 7:00 p.m. at City of Redding Corporation Yard, 2055 Viking Way, Building 4, Room 401, Redding. For More Info: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/ or email: webmaster@shastarosesociety.org

March 18 – 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 Native American Gennie Seely from Shasta Lake City for an interesting presentation on Native American uses of our native California plants. Gennie is from the Wiyot tribe at Humboldt Bay, and was a middle school teacher in Shasta Lake City for 35 years. Gennie has a great appreciation of the outdoors, has taught survival techniques in the wild, and is very knowledgeable of her heritage and our native plants. 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.

March 20 - VERNAL EQUINOX - Welcome Spring!

March 20 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP 9 am Meet at Chico Park & Ride for this trip to see the Spotted Fawn Lilies and the McNab Cypress in Magalia. Alternate meeting time 9:45 at the Coutelenc Road Parking lot across from the old Magalia train depot. You will see masses of these lovely lilies (Erythronium multiscapodium) as well as frillaries and more. Wear sturdy shows and bring lunch and water. More info: Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293 or Gerry Ingco 530-893-5213.

March 20 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens VICTORY GARDENING 101 SERIES class#3 10 am & 1 pm. Join us for a series of FREE classes and learn how to successfully grow a year-round vegetable garden and harvest your own food! Growing your own food is healthy and rewarding! Class three: Watering, Fertilizing, Composting & Pests. Registration Required. Class size is limited, Register Early. FREE - more info or to register: 8026 Airport Road Redding; www.wyntourgardens.com or call: 530-365-2256.

March 20 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & Gardens at Turtle Bay: Homeowner's Guide to Tree Care 10 AM to Noon. Trees in the Landscape Series. Trees are the largest and oldest plants in a landscape. Providing beauty and shade, they are undoubtedly an important investment of time and money for homeowners. Join us in this third class of our new series, Trees in the Landscape, as Lead Gardener Marie Stadther and Paul Stockton, local specialist in the field of Integrated Pest Management (IPM), discuss tree selection, correct planting, pruning, disease control and care of older trees. This is an updated, extended version of last year’s class. There will be a break at noon for participants to get lunch. Turtle Bay members and volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3. Meet at the Arboretum & Botanical Gardens Office at 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery) More Info: Call 530-242-3108 or www.turtlebay.org.

March 20 - Davis: UC Davis Arboretum, Guided Tour: Meet Some California Natives 11:00 a.m., Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, Old Davis Road, UC Davis California is home to more than 5,000 species of plants native to the state. Many of these native plants respond to our cool, wet winters by bursting into spectacular bloom in the early spring. Standouts in the spring native plant garden will be the focus of a tour at the UC Davis Arboretum on Saturday, March 20 at 11:00 a.m. The tour guide will point out the beauty and variety of these plants and discuss how well they can fit into any home landscape. The tour will begin at the Buehler Alumni and 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 and free parking is available in Visitor Lots 1 and 2 and the Mondavi Center parking structure. More info: (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.

March 20-21 - Chico: Soroptimist Home, Garden & Antique Show 10am–5pm Silver Dollar Fair Grounds in Chico - lots of good garden and landscaping exhibitors and vendors including the Mount Lassen Chapter of the Cal Native Plant Society and the annual Chico Horticultural Society Spring Plant Sale and Flower Show, as well as many regional plant society and nursery's educational/informational booths. Well worth the visit! For more information: http://www.chicohomeandgarden.com/

March 20 - Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP Maidu Medicine Walk 9 am Meet at Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park for about a one mile walk to see 20-30 plants that the Maidu used n their crafts, food and medicine. We will finish about noon. Wear sturdy shows and bring water. More info: Wes Dempsey 530-342-2293.

March 21 - Redding: Shasta Chapter Cal Native Plant Society Plant Propagation 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 potting up new materials you may bring and rooted cuttings that we started in January and February. Bring rooted starter plants, clippers or any other tools you might need. Please call Susan Libonati at 530/347-4654 for further information.

March 21 - Chico: Chico Organic Gardening: Backyard Chickens Workshop 1:30 - 3:30 at the Chico Grange; $15 fee per person payable at the door. Join us as Carol Chaffin Albrecht, owner of Chaffin Family Orchards, teaches what you need to know in order to decide to start a healthy flock and as she prepares you for many of the experiences of chicken raising that will make it fun and profitable. You will hear how to set up your own backyard chicken coop with all the tricks of the trade from the expert! Carol will demystify this process and you will gain the knowledge you need in order to answer your questions about the world of backyard chicken raising. 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.

March 24 - Chico: Chico Horticulture Society Evening Gardeners PLS NOTE DIFFERENT MEETING DAY THIS MONTH 6:45 pm. Evening Gardeners Program on Container Art for the Garden with Donna Murrill. Chico Library 1108 Sherman Avenue in Chico. More info: Call 530-892-1545.

March 24 - 28 - San Francisco Flower and Garden Show San Mateo Event Center. More Info: http://www.sfgardenshow.com/

March 25 - Chico: Chico High School Greenhouses & Horticulture Plant Sale! 9am-4pm-located at CHS Greenhouses off of West Sacramento Ave. We have 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

March 26 - 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.

March 27 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum & 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 Arboretum & Botanical Gardens West Entrance. More Info: Call 530-242-3108 or www.turtlebay.org.

March 27 – Chico: Friends of the Chico State Herbarium: GENERAL INTEREST Name that Wildflower! workshop 8:30 am – 4:30 pm. Experience how to observe and identify spring wildflowers with this Beginners Wildflower Identification Workshop. Morning Session Chico State Herbarium, Holt Hall Room 129; afternoon session will be at Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park. Registrants will take home a "Peterson's Field Guide to Pacific States Wildflowers" and a hand magnifier. The registration fee is $35. To register go to: http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/workshops/WildflowerWorkshp10.pdf or call (530) 898-5381

March 27 - Redding: Shasta Chapter Cal Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP 9 am Redding City Hall Parking lot. Join member David Fritchle for a 3-to-4-mile early spring hike along the unique Salt Creek, between Highway 299/Eureka Way and the Sacramento River in Redding. We will then take the Sacramento River trail to the south side parking lot. David has observed 200+ plant species along this trail, in addition to old mining activity, waterfalls, pools and great fish! Bring sturdy hiking boots, water and lunch. Meet at 9 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—just west of the Cypress Avenue bridge over the Sacramento River. Call David Fritchle for details at 530/246-4094.

March 27 – Chico: Chico Creek Nature Center: Grand Opening of Kristie's Nature Lab and the Howard S. Tucker Exhibit Hall. More info: http://www.bidwellpark.org/