Events

Arboretum All-Stars is the name of a collection of 100+ water wise plants that are proven winners for your garden.   These plants have been grown and tested across California by Master Gardeners.  Join us for a talk about these different plants and how you can use them in your garden.

You can browse the online searchable database of Arboretum All-Stars at  http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum_all_stars.aspx -- you can search on the type of plant (tree, shrub, perennial, annual, etc); size (small, medium, large); exposure (full sun, part shade, shade) and also narrow the search to California Natives only if you like. 

You can also download the brochure of 100+ plants with all this information from the Arboretum All-Stars website.  

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

Succulents and containers are a perfect match, and a great way to add color to your yard for low water and low maintenance. Join Master Gardener Laura Balaoro and Guadalupe River Park Conservancy for
a demonstration on how to create your own wonderful containers. From
the beginner to more advanced gardeners, you’ll learn which succulents
are good for shade, semi shade, the winter growers and common succulent
problems. There will be lots of samples of gardens for ideas, and
you’ll be amazed with the breadth of species available. After a planting
demo and a lesson in the best way to propagate - there will be free
cuttings to take home and help get you started!

Location: Guadalupe River Park & Garden, 438 Coleman Ave., San Jose 95110 Directions to Guadalupe River Park & Garden

Gardening year round is easy and rewarding in our mild Mediterranean
climate. Learn how to have a successful, environmentally responsible
food garden that provides delicious vegetables and herbs every month of
the year. This course stresses sustainable gardening practices such as
mulching, efficient watering methods, on-site composting,integrated pest
management, and use of organic fertilizers and soil amendments.

Topics include:soil preparation, amendments, and fertilizers; irrigation
methods and systems; working with both seeds and seedlings; cultural
requirements of specific warm and cool season crops and varieties that
do well in our area; and how to identify and manage common pests, weeds,
and diseases of vegetable crops in Santa Clara County.

The course meets 6 Mondays from Sep 13 - Oct 18, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm.

Register at https://ace.fuhsd.org/course_information/register.asp?_id=6889&departmen... or call 408-522-2700.

PLEASE NOTE: Although the online course catalog at http://ace.fuhsd.org is correct, the paper copy that was mailed out by the Sunnyvale-Cupertino Adult & Community Education is wrong.   Please refer to the online course catalog if there are any questions.  The exact link for this course is http://ace.fuhsd.org/course_information/course_description.asp?_id=6889&...

Location:

Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, 1279 Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, Sunnyvale 94087

Directions to Fremont High School in Sunnyvale

Learn how to evaluate and redesign your landscape to bring beauty to your home and be more in tune with our Mediterranean climate and local ecology. This class will provide tips for getting the most from your irrigation system, improving your soil, controlling weeds and pests and using plants that thrive in our climate.  We'll also discuss caring for your lawn and options to reduce or replace it.  The two instructors are Master Gardeners Roberta Barnes and Kathy Ormiston.  Roberta Barnes has been a Master Gardener for seven years and is a horticultural consultant specializing in garden makeovers. Kathy Ormiston is owner of Ginkgo Fine Gardening and Design, a landscape design and maintenance company specializing in gardens that are beautiful and sustainable. 

This course is offered with the Palo Alto Adult School and is held on three Monday evenings from 7-9 p.m., Sep 13, Sep 20 and Sep 27. 

Register at http://www.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

Join Master Gardener Laura Westley as she explains how maintaining a healthy garden is the first step to dealing with pests.  She’ll introduce the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach and discuss how to deal with specific pests in a sustainable and proactive way. You will also learn how to recognize, attract and keep beneficial insects in your garden! Don’t forget to use the UC Davis website http://ipm.ucdavis.edu -  for a treasure trove of information on pests and diseases.

Location: West Valley Library, 1243 San Tomas Aquino Rd, San Jose 95117 Directions to West Valley Library

You can grow many varieties of garlic in our area and now is the time to get ready for planting. Garlic is planted in mid- to late-fall here and harvested in June.  One mnemonic is:  "Stop watering garlic around Mother's Day and harvest garlic around Father's Day."  Come learn how to successfully add this wonderful vegetable to your garden. 

Location:

Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, in the Charles Street Community Garden, Olive Street near Charles Avenue, Sunnyvale 94086

Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden

The Chinese Moon Festival is celebrated around the world with music, dance and wonderful foods.  Share a day of arts, crafts and creative culture in this beautiful garden, the Chinese Cultural Garden.  Drop by the Master Gardener booth and say hi!  Children's activities are featured at our booth.

Location: Chinese Cultural Garden, Overfelt Garden Park, 368 Educational Park Dr., San Jose 95116 Directions to Overfelt Garden Park

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 course meets on five Tuesday evenings, September 21 - October 19, from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m.

Register at www.ci.campbell.ca.us/Recreation/communitycenter
or call 408-866-2104. 

Location:

Campbell Community Center, Room Q-84, 1 West Campbell Avenue, Campbell 95008

Directions to Campbell Community Center

Santa Clara County is one the best places in the world to create a
year-round garden, whether you want to grow vegetables or a beautiful
sustainable garden full of trees, shrubs, perennials and flowers. Come
learn the basics about our climate and soil and the best practices for
creating your ideal garden. If you are a beginning gardener, you will
learn how to get started successfully. If you have some experience,
you’ll learn about sustainable practices and appropriate plants to
introduce into your garden. The goal of this class is to enable you to
have a successful and sustainable garden in our time and place.

The course meets 6 Saturdays from Sep 25 - Nov 6 (no class Oct 23) from 10 a.m. - noon. 

Register at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns or call 408-268-1133.

 

Location: Almaden Community Center, 6445 Camden Ave., San Jose 95120 Directions to Almaden Community Center

Join Master Gardener Nella Henninger and beekeeper Alan Henninger for a talk on honey bees. Learn all about honey bees, the benefits of attracting them to your garden, and how to protect this precious resource.

Location:

Berryessa Library, 3355 Noble Ave., San Jose 95132

Directions to Berryessa Library

Join Master Gardeners for a discussion of fall vegetable gardening and easy seed starting so you can enjoy a bounty of fresh vegetables all winter long.

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

Join us for a talk on bulbs that do well in our Mediterranean climate - flowering bulbs from South Africa and other Mediterranean climates as well as California Natives.   We will also give tips on growing garlic, onions and shallots - now is the time to plant these bulbs as well as flowering bulbs!

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

Sheet composting - also called Lasagna Bed Gardening - is eco-friendly and easy.  It is a no-dig, no-till organic gardening method that results in rich, fluffy soil with very little work from the gardener.   The name "lasagna gardening" has nothing to do with what you'll be growing in this garden.  It refers to the method of building thegarden bed, which is to add layers to organic materials that "cook down" over time.  

Location: Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden, Charles Street Community Garden, 433 Charles Street, Sunnyvale 94086 (near Charles and Olive) Directions to Sunnyvale Teaching and Demonstration Garden