Page 58 - Sonoma County Gazette Sept 2017

Plant Sales
Weekends in Sep ~ Plant Nursery Sale & Land Tours - Occidental Arts & Ecology 1st & 3rd Sun. 1-2:30p. 15290 Coleman Valley Rd, Occidental, 707-874-1557, oaec. org/events/tours/, oaec@oaec.org
Sep 9 ~ Sonoma County Jail Plant Nursery and Teaching Garden - native & drought tolerant shrubs, perennials, succulents, groundcovers Master Gardeners on site 9-Noon, Sonoma County Jail, 2254 Ordinance Rd., SR, 707-525-8310, Rick Stern, scoe.org/pub/htdocs/rop-jail- industries.html, jailind@mcn.org
Sep 9 & 30,~ Willowside School Plant Sale - low water & drought tolerant perennials, California natives, succulents, grasses, 9-2p, Willowside School, 5299 Hall Rd SR, 707-569-4724, ogusd.org/willowside- nursery
Sep 16 ~ Garden Party - Big Plant Sale at Wildwood Nursery - Refreshments, bbq chicken skewers, served from 12–2p Sale continues through September 30th. Wildwood Nursery, 10300 Sonoma Hwy., Kenwood, 707-833- 1161, wildwoodmaples.com, sales@ wildwoodmaples.com
Sep 16 ~ Valley of the Moon Fall Plant Sale - Fall planting: winter vegetables, perennials, succulents at low prices. 9-12p, Sonoma Community Center, 276 East Napa St., Sonoma, 707-935-8986, Bonnie
Sep 21 & 22 ~ Master Gardener Succulents Plant Sale and Faire – Demonstrations by Master Gardeners, over 1500 plants plus over 2 acres of perennials, shrubs, CA natives and tress 9:30-12:30p, Jail Industries, 2254 Ordinance Rd, Cross St is Airport Blvd., Santa Rosa
Sep 23 & 24 ~ Open House and Plant Sale - Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experiment - Special performance: Lilith Rogers, tells the story of Rachel Carson, author of Silent Spring, using Carson’s own words. Performance at 2p on Sun. Also rummage sale as farm volunteers lighten up on their possessions. 10 – 4p, Sat. & Sun. Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experiment Farm, 7777 Bodega Ave, Sebastopol, wschsgrf. org/luther-burbank-gold-ridge- experiment-farm
Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue Garden Club - Come weekly and pick a bag of the freshest vegetables from our Wildlife Education Garden $20/month, Wildlife Rescue, 403 Mecham Rd, Petaluma, 707-992-0274, scwildliferescue.org/garden-club.
Sonoma County Master
Gardeners Fall 2017
One of the cornerstones of a well-planned garden is choosing plants for year-round blooms and seeds. Not only do new buds popping at unexpected times of year make each season more exciting for us at garden lovers, but they also provide critical habitat for wildlife at a time of year that can be food scarce for wild creatures. Because of our relatively mild climate, many of our pollinators and other wildlife don’t hibernate or migrate long distance and need to keep eating
Pick Your Own Garden Produce
Coffeeberry (Rhamnus californica): This native shrub is an exceptional pollinator plant in the spring, and then birds go nuts for the berries! Evergreen and pretty in the landscape.
html, scwrdoris@scwildliferescue.org
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia): The pretty red berries on this native shrub are one of the best mid-winter food sources for birds. Evergreen and adaptable.
58 - www.sonomacountygazette.com - 9/17
sonomamg.ucanr.edu/ Free, 707-565-2608, mgsonoma@ucdavis.edu
One thing I like to do when planning a garden
is put together a list of my favorite plants into a
spreadsheet, and then highlight the months of
the year that they bloom. If I see a big gap, when
not much is blooming, I seek out a few good
habitat plants that bloom at that time of year.
It’s often September – December that are real blank spots. Robert Kourik and Damien McAnany have a great chart available for a $9.95 download, which lists bloom times for 191 insectary plants and the insects they attract.
Sep 9 ~ A Health Care Program for Succulents Anne Lowings 10:30 - 12:30p Harvest for the Hungry Garden, 1717 Yulupa Ave (cross street – Hoen), SR. Parking in the Methodist Church lot. sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=366041
Sep 9 ~ The Transitional Fall/Winter Food Garden Stephanie Wrightson, Food Gardening Specialist 10:30-12:30p Windsor Town Green Community Garden, Windsor Rd & Joe Rodoto Way (just off the Windsor Civic Center parking lot), sonomamg.ucanr. edu/?calitem=373338
Guma, UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County 10:30 - 12:30p Healdsburg Regional Library, 139 Piper St., Healdsburg, CA 95448 Description: soil workshop. Website: sonomamg. ucanr.edu/?calitem=378874
Sep 9 ~ If You Build the Garden, The Fairies Will Come Susan White 10:30 - 12:30p Petaluma Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive, sonomamg.ucanr. edu/?calitem=378876
Sep 9 ~ Growing Home Wine Dennis Przybycien 10:30 - 12:30p Rohnert Park Library, 6250 Lynne Conde Way sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=378878
Ceadar Waxwing by Evleen Anderson
Sep 9 ~ Soil: Don’t Step on It – It’s Alive
California Dutchman’s Pipe (Aristolochia californica): January – April – This vine is the sole food source for the beautiful black and blue Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly. It sets very interesting pipe shaped flowers in late winter to early spring and likes to grow in partial shade and/or near moisture. Slow to get growing, but then really catches up at year 3. Be patient.
Sep 16 ~ Conquering Gophers and Moles
Goldenrod (Solidago spp.): July – November – Several species are native to California and produce golden plumes of flowers that are fantastic for insects. Seeds are often eaten by birds too, so don’t deadhead them.
Speaker: Jim Lang 10:30 -12:30p Sonoma Valley Library, 755 West Napa Street, sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=378879
Manzanita (Arctostaphylus spp.): January – May – Gorgeous architectural red branches and evergreen leaves make this a great landscape anchor. Urn shaped flowers are favorites for insects and hummingbirds, and the berries are edible too. Be careful not to overwater.
Sep 23 ~ Soil: Don’t Step on It, It’s Alive
Guma, UC Master Gardener Program of Sonoma County 10:30 - 12:30p Rincon Valley Library, 6959 Montecito Blvd., SR sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=378881
Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens): April – October - Loves rocky soil and no care. Large, dark pink umbrella shaped flower heads are very popular with little native beneficial insects.
Sep 23 ~ Supermarket Orchids Survival Guide Ann Chambers 10:30 - 12:30p Sebastopol Library, 7140 Bodega Avenue, sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=378882
Sep 23 ~ Building a (Mostly) Native Garden Bill Klausing 10:30 - 12:30p Petaluma Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive, sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=378880
Sep 30 ~ Growing Perennial Vegetables and Small Fruits Speaker: Ann Chambers 10:30 -12:30p Petaluma Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive, Petaluma, sonomamg.ucanr.edu/?calitem=378883
Rosemary (Rosemarinus officianalis): January - May - This classic Mediterranean herb smells great and is super popular with bees in the early part of the year.
Fall and Winter Blooms for Year-Round Habitat
Library Workshops
all winter to get enough calories to keep warm. Plus, like many of our other species, pest insects also stick out the winter so growing plants to attract beneficial insects in fall and winter can keep your pest insect populations down come gardening season.
Here are few of my favorite Fall and Winter Blooms
California Aster (Symphyotrichum chilense): June – November – This pretty little purple flower blooms profusely from late summer until frost, and then dies back to the ground only to re-emerge in spring. Well-liked by our native moths and butterflies as a nectar source. Looks good with CA Fuschia.
California Fuschia (Epilobium canum): August – October – This beauty is covered in red firecracker like flowers that are a hummingbird favorite. Can be found in low growing and taller varieties. Select Mattole and Everette’s Choice are personal favorite varieties.
Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis): September – January – This underappreciated native shrub is not super showy but is a great low maintenance, evergreen slope stabilizer. Provides cover for birds and you’ll see more native insects on this than just about anything else.
Giant Hyssop (Agastache spp.): July – November - Showy flowers and smells great! Dies back at frost, but will be a favorite while it’s out. Then you’ll get to forget and remember it again every year!
Sage (Salvia spp.): May – December – Plant all the sages. Just all of them. They’re fantastic.
Fall and Winter Berries/Seeds
California Sycamore (Platanus racemosa): Very important habitat for all kinds of birds and butterflies. Likes to be near water (rain gardens, creeks, graywater) and does get big, but if you have the right space it’s gorgeous!
Deer Grass (Muhlenbergia rigens): The seed heads on this native grass are a nice fatty winter food source.
Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana): An adaptable native tree that grows along creeks in the wild. One of the best habitat plants, and the berries and flowers can be made into medicinal syrups, tinctures, and wines.