Events

Every garden should have a citrus tree - from lemon to tangerine, from grapefruit to kumquat, the variety is mind-boggling.  Our climate is perfect for growing citrus and they are among the easiest plants to take care of.  There's nothing like a fresh-picked orange or fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice.  A list of varieties that do well in our area and that have been shown to have superior taste, production and lasting characteristics (how long you can store them) will be distributed.

Location: 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos, 94022 Directions to Los Altos Library

Now is the time to prepare the garden for May and June planting for the bounty to come!   Demonstrations include soil prep, transplanting, plant supports and direct seeding.   

Followed by Open Garden and tour of the gardens with Master Gardeners, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.   Come visit the four vegetable beds, the mini fruit tree orchard and espaliered fruit trees and our extensive low-water ornamental gardens. 

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center Dr., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

Thinking about starting your own modern-day "Victory Garden?"  Come join the Master Gardeners at West Valley Branch Library in San Jose for demonstrations and tips on planting seeds and seedlings.  You will also learn how to construct a worm box - fabulous compost! - and a self-watering container for growing vegetables.  Master Gardener volunteers will be available to provide advice on growing vegetables in Santa Clara County.

All ages are welcome to attend!  Everyone will get to plant or seed or seedling to take home.  There will be games and activities for children of all ages.

Location:

West Valley Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Rd., San Jose, 95117

Directions to West Valley Library

Everything you need to know to grow beautiful roses in an organic, sustainble way.  Topics include: how the rose fits into the ecological micro-climate of the urban garden and how to create a sustainable garden with different types of roses and compatible plants.

Location: Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverly St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

There are many plants that can be grown in place of turf grass to create beautiful front yard gardens.  Come learn about lawn alternatives that need less water and other inputs and lower levels of care.

Location:

Sunnyvale Library, 665 W. Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086

Directions to Sunnyvale Library

When visitors walk into a local garden with rhododendrons, their reaction is often: "Wow - I had no idea you could grow rhododendrons in this area!"  Come and learn the secrets to growing rhododendrons and azeleas successfully.  Master Gardener Bob Weissman will share his thirty years of experience in a multi-media presentation that even those who don't think they want to grow rhododendrons will surely enjoy.   You might become a convert!

You will hear about the wonderfully varied colors, textures, forms and varieties that can add much beauty to your garden.  Bob will demonstrate the basic techniquesto get rhododendrons off to a good start, and then discuss how to maintain healthy rhododendrons throughout the year.

Location: Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos, 94022 Directions to Los Altos Library

This popular, long-running radio show is co-hosted by Dr. Craig Kolodge
and Master Gardener Jim Maley and assisted by Master Gardener Bader
Kudsi. A wide variety of farm and garden topics are covered on each
show and listener calls are encouraged (408-260-2999). Listeners are
invited to drop by the studio for an informal discussion with Master
Gardeners on horticultural topics. The studio is in the 1241 Franklin
Mall in Santa Clara ringed by Jackson, Monroe, Homestead and Benton
Streets.

Location: KKUP is found at FM 91.5.  The studio is in the 1241 Franklin Mall in Santa Clara ringed by Jackson, Monroe, Homestead and Benton Streets. Directions to KKUP Studio

Tired of your lawn, but don't know what to put in instead?  Come to this talk and be inspired to create a beautiful yard – without mowing or fertilizing!  See a variety of no-lawn landscaping styles and ideas, get professional landscaping tips, and practical how-to notes on lawn removal.  Master Gardener and professional landscape designer Deva Luna works for EarthCare Landscaping, and has been teaching gardening for 12 years.  She loves to help people remove lawns, increase habitat, and save water!

Location: Fremont Main Library, 2400 Stevenson Blvd, Fremont, 94538 Directions to Fremont Library

Our annual favorite for school-aged children and their families have been moved to June!  Come and join in our age-appropriate art and science activities and give your children a sense of wonder that abounds in the garden.

Followed by Open Garden and tour of the garden with Master Gardeners from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

Gardening in containers lets us garden anywhere - balconies, patios, driveways and more.  With containers we can bring great tastes, textures and smells closer to us, and keep gardening manageable by choosing plants and container sizes that meet our needs.  In this class you'll learn the basics of container gardening:  soil, water, fertilizer, container materials (clay, plastic, etc.), container sizes, and common pests.  Then you'll learn about a wide variety of plants that do particularly well in containers, with special emphasis on fragrant plants, plants that are fun to touch, and edible plants - herbs, fruits and vegetables, including ones that you can plant right now in June

Location: Campbell Library, 77 Harrison Avenue, Campbell, 95008 Directions to Campbell Library

UC Master Gardener David Peterson will discuss the latest advances for safe, eco-friendly ways to control garden pests and diseases, which will be at their peak in the summer months. The workshop will discuss an overview of control methods and also explain the proliferation of pests and plant problems. This introduction works for the novice gardener as well as a refresher for others. Gardeners ready to use petrol-chemical sprays may not really have a disease problem at all, instead this could be an "abiotic disorder" caused by an environmental stress on the plant. Ways to identify whether there is actually a plant in trouble or not will be discussed. Other topics include, alternatives to the burden of toxic chemical sprays, organic or natural gardening methods, and keeping the garden healthy for people as well as for plants.

No reservations necessary.

Location: Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

Our mild Mediterranean climate allows us to grow a dazzling variety of
temperate and subtropical fruits and berries. Learn how to harvest
delicious fruit from your garden every month of the year. This course
stresses how sustainable gardening practices such as efficient watering
methods, integrated pest management and use of organic fertilizers and
soil amendments apply to growing fruits and berries. Pome fruits
(apples and pears), stone fruits (apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums,
pluots and cherries), citrus and other subtropicals are covered, as
well asblueberries, raspberries, strawberries and other berries.

Topics include: soil preparation, planting (including space-saving
techniques) and establishment of plants in the first year; irrigation
methods and systems; cultural requirements of specific fruits and
berries; recommended varieties of deciduous fruits, citrus, avocados
and other subtropicals; and pruning, including summer pruning for
controlling tree size.

The class meets on six Wednesday evenings from June 17 - July 22.  Each
class is two hours long, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.   The
last class is a field trip to a local garden.

Register at http://paadultschool.org or call 650-329-3752. 

Location: Palo Alto High School, Room 1707, 50 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto High School

Learn how to practice sustainable lawn care techniques from UC Master
Gardeners. you can have a lush, healthy attractive lawn without using
chemical fertilizers or herbicides.  You will be surprised to learn
that by watering correctly you can cut back on your water bill
drastically but still enjoy a green lawn.

Topics will also include the recommended way to mow and the best turfgrasses for our area.

Location:

West Valley Branch Library,  1243 San Tomas Aquino Rd., San Jose,  95117

Directions to West Valley Library

Friends of Guadalupe River Park & Gardens and Children’s Discovery Museum with support from the UCCE Santa Clara County Master Gardeners host Amy Stewart  for the introduction to her latest book Wicked Plants: A Book of Botanical Atrocities at the Children’s Discovery Museum.  Fans know that Amy skillfully takes a subject that interests her and explores it scientifically.  Her book The Earth Moved: On the remarkable achievements of earthworms was a witty, offbeat exploration of worms and the little known frontier under our feet.  And in her book Flower Confidential, Amy winds up traveling from her home in California to South America, Miami and Amsterdam tracking the flowers in her bouquet from the local grocery store. You’ll never look at flowers or worms the same way again. Her fascination with wicked plants, plants that have been used as murder weapons, plants that are illegal or immoral, plants that have started wars and inflict pain, or plants that are badly behaved, bursting into flame or smelling terrible has resulted in an exhibit opening this summer at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.  Books will be available, the author will sign your book, and this is the only chance this trip for the general public to meet this best selling author!

Click here to read the May 20, 2009 article in the New York Times about Amy Stewart and her latest book, "Wicked Plants."    

Location:

Children's Discovery Museum, 180 Woz Way, San Jose, 95110

Directions to Children's Discovery Museum

We'll introduce the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to pests in the garden.  IPM is an ecosystem-based strategy that focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage.   Non-toxic approaches usually can solve the problem, and only as a last resort are pesticides used.   We'll discuss how to deal with specific pests in a sustainable, eco-friendly yet proactive way.  

Followed by Grand Rounds in the garden - tour the garden with Master Gardeners and bring your questions! 

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Community Garden; near Charles Ave. & Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086 Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Learn how to practice sustainable lawn care techniques from UC Master Gardeners. you can have a lush, healthy attractive lawn without using chemical fertilizers or herbicides.  You will be surprised to learn that by watering correctly you can cut back on your water bill drastically but still enjoy a green lawn.

Topics will also include the recommended way to mow and the best turfgrasses for our area.

Location: Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Rd., Los Altos, 94022 Directions to Los Altos Library

This popular, long-running radio show is co-hosted by Master Gardeners Jim Maley and Bader
Kudsi. A wide variety of farm and garden topics are covered on each
show and listener calls are encouraged (408-260-2999). Listeners are
invited to drop by the studio for an informal discussion with Master
Gardeners on horticultural topics. The studio is in the 1241 Franklin
Mall in Santa Clara ringed by Jackson, Monroe, Homestead and Benton
Streets.

Location: KKUP is found at FM 91.5.  The studio is in the 1241 Franklin Mall in Santa Clara ringed by Jackson, Monroe, Homestead and Benton Streets. Directions to KKUP Studio

Learn how summer pruning can be an effective way to control the size of your fruit trees.  Fruit thinning and espalier techniques will also be demonstrated.

Followed by Open Garden and tours of the gardens with Master Gardeners, from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Location: Palo Alto Demonstration Garden, 851 Center St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Palo Alto Demonstration Garden

A UC Master Gardener will be on hand to help answer disease and pest problems arising in the summer garden. Photos of specific plant damage are welcome. Please bring plant samples in a sealed, clear plastic bag or jar.

Location: Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto, 94301 Directions to Gamble Garden

Celebrate Adult Summer Reading and Master the Art of Growing Your Own Food. The Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County will give a presentation on how to start your own fruit and vegetable garden at home. Participants will be eligible for gardening themed prizes.

Location: Berryessa Branch Library, 3355 Noble Ave., San Jose, CA 95132 Directions to Berryessa Branch Library

Tips and demonstrations on how to garden sustainably will be featured, along with information on when to plant.

Location: Almaden Branch Library, 6445 Camden Ave., San Jose, 95120 Directions to Almaden Branch Library

Are you ready to trade in your thirsty lawn for a beautiful, water-wise landscape?  Your lawn replacement garden can be as low maintenance as any lawn, or you can create a garden where you will enjoy gardening on an ongoing basis.     Topics include: Removing part or all of a lawn in the easiest and most cost-effective way; Choosing water-wise plants from among the dazzling array of possibilities; Design considerations; When and how to plant; and How to maintain your new landscape.  This is a practical, how-to class, focused on the steps you'll take to successfully remove the lawn.    The presentation includes photographs and descriptions of plant categories and specific recommended plants, and photographs of great examples of landscapes that took the place of lawns. 

Location: Directions to West Valley Library

Come learn ways to use containers to extend your garden or perhaps, to BE your garden.  You'll learn about containers, potting soil, fertilizing, irrigation and the plants themselves.

Followed by Grand Rounds in the garden - tour the garden with Master Gardeners and bring your questions!

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Community Garden; near Charles Ave. & Olive Ave., Sunnyvale, 94086 Map of Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

Thursday, July 23, 2009: Full Circle Farm’s Sarah Linn
will discuss the farm, garden and orchard; their educational programs;
their agricultural programs to distribute fresh produce to the Santa
Clara School District lunch program, the farm stand and CSA, and local
food bank donations.  

Call in: 408-260-2999

Every month: KKUP Radio at FM 91.5 mHz - Fourth Thursday of the Month - 10 a.m. - noo.

 

Location: KKUP FM 91.5

Your edible garden need not be relegated to the back corner of your property.  It can be integrated seamlessly into the whole landscape design.  Master Gardener Deva Luna will show how beautification, screening, shading, directing circulation and controlling erosion can all be fulfilled with plants that also provide you with organic food. You will learn and taste which edible trees, shrubs and flowers grow well in our urban landscapes. A great slideshow and list of recommended plants included.

To register call 650-493-6072.

Location: Common Ground, 559 College Ave, Palo Alto, 94306