Programs

The California Native Garden Foundation offers a series of classes on how to design, build, and maintain a California native garden yourself. These classes introduce you, the do-it-yourself native gardener, to creating a sustainable, low-maintenance, and water-conserving garden around your home.

CNGF Founder Alrie Middlebrook is available to give a lecture or workshop to your group, whether it's a garden group, a neighborhood group, a Homeowners' Association, or any group interested in learning more about native plants and water-wise gardening. Honoraria benefit the California Native Garden Foundation.

Some of her lecture/workshop topics include:

35 Ways to Garden for the 21st Century
12 Months of Color in the Native Garden
Designing, Building and Managing a Native Garden
Southern California Plant Communities
5 Alternatives to Lawn Culture
Designing California Native Gardens; the Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens – Tailored to Each Region
Design with Nature – Organic Style
Eating California
Drought Tolerant and Mediterranean plants
San Francisco Bay Area Plant Communities
Marin Area Plant Communities
Art in the Garden

For more information on announced classes, or to reserve a spot, please contact info@cngf.org.

Mark Your Calendar!

Artist of the Month Series at Middlebrook Gardens

On the third Saturday of each month, a local artist conducts a materials and techniques workshop at Middlebrook Gardens, 76 Race Street, San Jose.

Previous Artists of the Month

Carol Braham (June, 2009)
Christina Yaconelli of Yellow Cottage Mosaics (July, 2009)
Charles Kennard, Basketry (September, 2009)
Noah Briel, designer and owner of Sierra Mirage Panels (November, 2009)
Lin Bowie, Foothill College Horticulture instructor, native plant wreath design (December, 2009)
Kristy Kent, owner of Frank in Los Gatos, found objects and art for the garden (February, 2010)
Tom Layman, blacksmith and metal sculptor (March, 2010)
Brandon Windt, designer of driftwood and succulent eco-systems (May, 2010)
Alan Hackler (Accredited LEED Green Associate and Certified Green Building Professional), Native Plant Bonsai (June, 2010)

Classes and Hikes with Dr. Glenn Keator

Dr. Glenn Keator is a popular free-lance instructor of botany in the Bay Area. He currently teaches, leads field trips, and provides docent instruction in botany for the Regional Parks Botanic Garden. He is the author of a number of books on native plants.

Special botany/medicinal plant nature trips with Dr. Glenn Keator and Tellur Fenner. For information, email gkeator@aol.com.

Gardeners Training on Global Warming

This class is full; watch for another offering.

You are invited to a FREE workshop offered by the National Wildlife Federation, Bureau of Land Management, and UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley.

September 9, 2010, 1:00 - 4:00 pm
UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley
200 Centennial Drive, Berkeley, CA 94720

Join fellow gardeners and learn how to give the Gardener's Training on Global Warming presentation, which covers the impacts of global warming and a variety of solutions. It is based on the National Wildlife Federation's Gardener's Guide to Global Warming, and will provide information relevant to gardeners in the region, including:

The basic science of global warming
The impacts of global warming on individuals, their neighbors, and their communities
Solutions for mitigating the impacts of global warming in backyards and communities

The class will be followed by a one-hour optional session (4 to 5 p.m.) where organization and group leaders can learn how to incorporate this presentation into their work and train volunteers to give the presentation in their community.

Includes free admission to UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley the day of the event for registered participants!

RSVP to www.nwf.org/gardencalifornia by September 6. Questions? Email garden@nwf.org.

Hands-on Greywater Workshop

Saturday September 11, 9 am - 3 pm
Uwe Heine's backyard, 1012 Camino Ricardo in Willow Glen
Contact Uwe Heine at uwe@ecoedgetech.com or 408-455-2156
Presenter: Roy Nordblom III, greenbuilder and certified Greywater Installer
Class is filling up fast, so please contact Uwe soon, so there is a book or DVD for you at the class. More info: http://www.ecoedgetech.com/events.html
Fee: $95 includes the class and hands-on-workshop, networking opportunities, and a copy of Art Ludwig's important book, Create an Oasis with Greywater or the "Laundry to Landscape" DVD. At registration, name your preference for the book or the DVD.

Late Summer Pruning of California Native Trees and Shrubs

Saturday, September 11, 9:30 am -5 pm (with a 1-hour break for lunch)
At the Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley
$65 members/$75 nonmembers
Bring lunch and the pruning tools you usually use.

Jocelyn Cohen leads an all-day class to focus on practical pruning techniques for trees and shrubs. The techniques can be applied to most woody plants, but the instructor will highlight specific differences in pruning native versus introduced species. In the morning we will focus on understanding the science and skill necessary for pruning trees and shrubs. In the afternoon, we will walk in the Botanic Garden, looking at and discussing the essence of specific species and how through pruning we can enhance their natural forms. We will also do a fun pruning project in the field. Whether you are a novice or have good pruning skills, this class is geared for all who want to understand pruning our native trees and shrubs to their proper natural habits. Be prepared to spend the full day outside.

Using Native Plants in the Garden: A Deeper Perspective

Saturday, September 11, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Common Ground Garden Supply and Education
559 College Avenue, Palo Alto
Fee: $31
Registration http://usingnativeplants.eventbrite.com/ or call 650-493-6072

Explore using California native plants in the garden not only for their beauty and appropriateness in our climate, but also to help develop and recapture a respect of nature and our place in it. Topics include an overview of Native American views and uses of plants and how they shaped the landscape of California. They created habitats for beneficial wildlife, and they used native plants as sources of food, dyes, medicines, and fiber. We'll discuss a list of natives that work well in the Bay Area, along with cultural information on how to use them.

Del McComb has a degree in Ornamental Horticulture and currently designs and manages large private estate gardens locally. In addition, he is a certified Permaculture designer and a Bio-dynamic gardener.

Two-day Basketry Workshop

Saturday and Sunday, September 11 and 12
Point Reyes' Kule Loklo
Charles Kennard leads in making Salinan-style baskets with some beading.
For more details or to sign up, go to www.mapom.org
Sponsored by MAPOM (Miwok Archeological Preserve of Marin)

ELSEE Docent Meeting

Monday, September 13, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
Meeting for volunteer ELSEE docents to prepare for Thursday's class with the St. Leo's students. Meet Zachiah Murray, who has graciously volunteered as the docent coordinator for this year.
At Alrie Middlebrook's, 140 Wissahickon Avenue, Los Gatos.

Grape Harvest Festival

Friday, September 17, 2010, 5 to 8 pm
Middlebrook Gardens, headquarters of the California Native Garden Foundation
76 Race Street, San Jose
Cost: A $25 donation is requested to help offset costs; children free

Enjoy the abundant grape harvest with foods prepared from California Roger's Red grapes by accomplished chefs. Tingle your taste buds with grape goodness from appetizers to salads to entrees to desserts, from savory to sweet. After the harvest, we process the grapes (thanks for your expertise, John Farais!) and deliver the grape puree to local chefs around the Bay Area. They create mouth-watering goodies to make us swoon at the Festival.

Guest Chefs: Zen Cowboy Chef John Farais and Eco-Chef Aaron French of The Sunny Side Cafe (Albany and Berkeley), and author of the upcoming The Bay Area Homegrown Cookbook.

Everyone is invited: Food lovers, members and supporters of the California Native Garden Foundation, friends of Middlebrook Gardens, the Shasta-Hanchett neighborhood, and the neighborhoods surrounding 76 Race Street.

Special Guests: Members of St. Leo the Great Catholic School -- Parents, Teachers, and Students!

Harvesting Rain for the Landscape

Sunday, September 19, 10 - 11:30am
At the Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley
$20 members/$25 nonmembers

Areas served by municipal water systems tend to overlook rainwater as a resource, but that is starting to change. Rainwater harvesting keeps relatively clean water out of the sewer and makes it available for watering plants, filling wildlife ponds and pollinator habitats, creating rain gardens, and possibly for other non-potable uses. In this class, Kim Titus will cover roof and downspout connections, first flush diverters, above-ground containment options, and predicting the volume of water that typically can be collected from a roof. The class will cover both gravity-only and pump-assisted water delivery.

Nature’s Acres Autumn Open House

Sunday September 19, 10 am - 3 pm
450 Sexton Road, Sebastapol (Directions below)

Join us as Nature’s Acres native plant nursery opens its doors to the public in preparation for and a celebration of fall. In operation for just over two years, after much work our quarter-acre lot is now bursting at the seams with robust native plants!

On September 19, Nature's Acres Nursery hosts an open house, plant sale, and natural history cross-pollination event for and with birders, botanists, stewards. Dominik Mosur will lead a birding field trip from nearby Bodega Bay Marine Lab (meet at 8 am) to our humble, yet thriving operation.

The nursery grounds and surrounding property feature good birding and nature observation. The property has a creek with a riparian strip, overgrown orchards and patches of oak woodland. In creek news, we just today recorded a Coho salmon fingerling and a rare native freshwater shrimp. Bay Area naturalists will be on hand to help seek out the area's biodiversity.

Directions:
From 101 North take 116 West to the town of Sebastapol.
From downtown Sebastapol, follow the Bodega Hwy or 12 West about 10 mins.
Look for Sexton Road and take a left.
Drive about 500 yards and take the driveway at the mailbox 460 Sexton Road on your right. (The actual address is 450 though)
***Drive very slowly down driveway and across small creek. Park in or just outside nursery or inquire for parking options if necessary. The area is surrounded by private property and residences, so please respect our neighbors!***

Nearby Attractions and Activities:

Sebastapol Farmers Market (music, crafts, organic produce)
Luther Burbank Farm (Birding, history)
Scenic route along Highway 1 through Bodega Bay
Mellow biking along nearby farm roads

More about Nature’s Acres

Started on an old organic apple orchard in 2008 by three childhood friends, Nature’s Acres works to produce robust Bay Area native plants. Nature’s Acres provides a wide range of native plants for the gardener, landscaper, and habitat stewards alike. Creating wildlife habitat and breathing life into the urban landscape is at the heart of Nature’s Acres mission. For example, we make special efforts to produce the native larval food plants for native butterflies and other pollinator species, including San Francisco's Coastal Green Hairstreak butterfly. Our collection areas focuses on stock from San Francisco and Marin counties. Most of the original genetics were collected from private gardens and vacant lots. Located in a commercial nursery hotspot, our operation is positioned to produce quantities of native plants at competitive prices.

Two-day Native Garden Workshop

Saturday, September 25, 4 - 6:30 pm
Designing, Building, and Managing Native Gardens followed by a tour the next day. Presented by Alrie Middlebrook at Middlebrook Gardens, 76 Race Street, San Jose Sunday, September 26, 10 - 1 pm, Native Garden Tour; meet again for a tour of private native gardens in San Jose; maps provided.

In this design class, you will learn how to start visualizing your native garden, how to incorporate native plants, find out which native plants are right for your yard, and get many design ideas for your project. Alrie Middlebrook has more than 30 years experience as a professional landscaper and author.

The Sunday Garden Tour features unique native gardens with different styles, different microclimates, and different plants. In these private gardens in the San Jose area, you see hands-on how each garden reflects the natural environment around it, and learn from the designer first hand about garden styles, and how each garden was constructed.

Classes and/or Garden Tour: $40 for members, $65 for non-members. RSVP at info@cngf.org with Garden Class and Tour in the Subject line.

Taxonomy of Flowering Plants II

with Dr. Glenn Keator
Saturday-Sunday, September 25-26, 10am - 2:30pm
At the Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley
$55 members/$65 nonmembers
Bring lunch.

Whether you took the first classes of our new taxonomy series or not, you'll hear more about the theoretical basis for changes in the classification system and learn to identify important plant families by field characteristics. Each day will have an indoor component illustrated with slides and an outdoor walk in the garden to look at the plants themselves.

Glass and Ceramic Mosaics Workshop

Saturday, October 2, 10 to 2
Christina Yaconelli of Yellow Cottage Mosaics leads this Artistic Workshop at Middlebrook Gardens, 76 Race Street, San Jose
Class and materials fee: $25

The Bay Area Wildlife Garden: Birds, Bees, Butterflies, and Other Beneficials

Saturday, October 2, 10 am -1 pm
At the Tilden Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley
$35 members/$40 nonmembers

Enhance the habitat value of your garden to provide sanctuary for birds, bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Nancy Bauer and Charlotte Torgovitsky will show you beautiful habitat gardens and lawn alternatives, food and nectar plants for each season, butterfly caterpillar host plants, dragonfly habitat, and some of the wildlife you're likely to attract. Next we'll take a closer look at several groups of native shrubs, perennials, and grasses for sun and shade situations, along with how to plant and maintain them, which wildlife they attract, and suitable companion plants. Afterwards, we'll take a walk through the Botanic Garden to see mature specimens of these plants and how they might work in your garden setting. In addition to a summary handout, you'll take home a free native plant to help you get started.

Botanizing California: Searching for Fall Color in the Northern Sierra

with Dr. Glenn Keator
Saturday-Sunday, October 16-17
In the field
$90 members/$100 nonmembers (fee does not include food, lodging, or transportation)

Even after the last flowers have faded, the Sierra is awash with color from fall foliage-aspens, black oaks, willows, cottonwoods, dogwoods, maples, and more. The vivid yellows, oranges, and reds contrast strikingly against the deep green needles of pines, firs, and incense-cedars to produce a stunning effect. Add to that bright flashes of color from berries and herbaceous foliage, and you have scenes that rival other areas of the country noted for their fall color. Our trip will take us to the Feather River country east of Chico and Oroville. We'll meet mid-morning in Chico to follow Hwy 32 through the Deer Creek drainage towards Lassen National Park, then return to stay overnight in Oroville. The next morning, we'll make a drive along the north fork of the Feather River to Quincy, then south to Donner Pass and home.

Overnight accommodations are available at the Comfort Inn in Oroville or at any other nearby place of your choosing. Participants are responsible for making their own arrangements for accommodations. Meeting times, locations, and driving directions will be provided upon registration.