Home and Garden Digest, April 28, 2012: UCSC-sponsored tour to offer natural beauty and expertise
UCSC Farm hosts annual Spring Plant Sale May 5-6
The UC Santa Cruz Farm and Garden Spring Plant Sale will be Saturday and Sunday, May 5-6, at the Barn Theater parking lot at the base of the High Street campus. More than 30 varieties of tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, summer and winter squashes, pumpkins and more will be available as starts. Several varieties of flowers also will be available.
The sale will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. Members of the Friends of the Farm and Garden can enter the sale at 9 a.m. Saturday; new memberships and renewals will be available starting at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and at 10 a.m. Sunday. Friends of the UCSC Farm and Garden also will get a 10 percent discount on sale items. Proceeds support the UCSC Farm and Garden apprenticeship program.
Visit casfs.ucsc.edu/plant-sale.
Love Apple class teaches how to grow’ fabric
Love Apple Farms will host a class on growing cotton and linen plants, then using them to create fabric, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 12. The class will go over the process of planting the plants and then ultimately spinning them to make fabric. Participants of all skill levels can attend.
The class costs $55. Love Apple is at 2317 Vine Hill Road, Santa Cruz. Visit www.loveapplefarms.com.
Rose society competition on May 12 at Alladin
The Monterey Bay Rose Society’s 32nd annual Rose Show is set for Saturday, May 12, at Alladin Nursery in Corralitos. Entries for the competition will be taken 7-9:15 a.m., and nonmembers of the society can enter roses until 10 a.m. Judging will take place 10 a.m. to noon and the public can view the competition from noon-4:30 p.m.
The nursery is at 2905 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville. Call the nursery at 724-5785.
Reskilling Expo on May 20 to feature classes galore
The Spring Reskilling Expo will teach participants several kinds of living skills at the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, May 20. The expo is comprised of workshops that focus on practical skills for sustainable living, including home maintenance, gardening, compost use and more. The expo will include information on the Santa Cruz Grows Seed Library and TimeBank Santa Cruz, two Reskilling Expo programs.
Admission to the expo is based on a sliding scale of $5-25. The museum is at 705 Front St., Santa Cruz. Visit www.reskillingexpo.org.
Mountain, Garden and Solar Tour set for May 12
The Loma Prieta Community Foundation will hold its Mountain Garden and Solar Tour on Saturday, May 12. The event will feature garden tours and solar installations, and participants can talk with both gardeners and solar installers. John Dotter, a local Master Gardener, will give workshops on Sustainable Ecological Garden Renovation and Maintenance at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at the Villa Del Monte Water Co. Demonstration garden. A lunch will be served by the Los Gatos Lions at the gazebo.
The event costs $15 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under. Family passes for two adults and an unlimited number of children or grandchildren cost $50. Tickets are available at www.lpcf.org and at the Loma Prieta Community Foundation, 23800 Summit Road, Los Gatos, on the day of the event.
Visit www.lpcf.net.
Cowell Lime Workstour offers plant insights
Plant experts Angel Guerzon and Suzanne Schettler and historian Frank Perry will lead a tour of UC Santa Cruz’s Cowell Lime Works Historic District from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 5. Participants will learn about the growing habits of several plants during the one-mile, two-hour walk.
A $3 donation is recommended. The event is free for students and members of the Friends of the Cowell Lime Works Historic District. The tour will begin at the Barn Theater parking lot at UCSC’s main entrance, at High Street and Bay Drive.
Visit www.limeworks.ucsc.edu.
Botanical college plans annual Geranium Day
The College of Botanical Healing Arts’ Geranium Day Open House will be 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday. The event is free. There will be geranium-infused treats and a geranium-distillation demonstration. Participants can also tour the herbal garden and learn about upcoming events and products at the College of Botanical Healing Arts.
The college is at 1821 17th Ave., Santa Cruz. Call 462-1807, e-mail cobhasantacruz@gmail.com or visit www.cobha.org.
Bonsai class today offers summer bonsai tips
Alladins’ Nursery in Corralitos hosts a bonsai workshop at 1 p.m. today. Don White will lead the class and go over summer bonsai gardening. Participants can bring their own plants and White will help those who bring in weak plants. Bonsai material will be sold at the class.
There is no cost to attend. The nursery is at 2905 Freedom Blvd., Watsonville. Call the nursery at 724-5785.
Aromas Garden Tour pairs art and gardens
The Aromas Garden Tour will be 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 12, and will feature works for sale by members of the Aromas Hills Artisans. Master Gardeners will be available at the Aromas Grange to answer questions from home gardeners.
The event costs $15 per person, $25 for two tickets, and $10 for Aromas Hills Artisans members and seniors and 65 and older. Tickets and booklets can be purchased at the Aromas Grange, at Rose and Bardue avenues. Visit www.aromashillsartisans.com
Bonny Doon’s annual garden tour May 19-20
The Hidden Gardens of Bonny Doon Garden Tour is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, May 19-20. On the tour: rose gardens, herb gardens, succulents and more. The event’s proceeds go toward the Bonny Doon Community School Foundation.
Tickets cost $20 and will be available at PlantWorks in Felton, Scarborough Gardens in Scotts Valley, and at The Garden Co. and at ProBuild, both in Santa Cruz, starting May 1. Tickets also can be purchased at Bonny Doon School at 1492 Pine Flat Road on the days of the tour. Call 469-0688 or 423-7728.
Spring wildflowers focus of museum series class
The Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History’s Art of Spring Wildflowers class, part of its Connect With Nature series, will be 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. The event will begin at the museum, where participants will view and talk about the Art of Nature exhibit — a display of natural science illustrations of plants, animals and other scientific fields — and will then move to Wilder Ranch State Park, where participants will go on a hike and sketch wildflowers.
The event costs $25 for museum members, $40 for the general admission. The event is for adults. The museum is at 1305 E. Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz. Visit www.santacruzmuseums.org.
DIG focuses on growing veggies in small spaces
Gardeners who have limited space to work can learn how to grow vegetables in containers at the DIG Gardens workshop at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 5. The $20 class will focus on the basics of growing in containers and will also go over the best types of vegetables to grow. Containers and vegetable starts will be sold at the class.
DIG is at 420 Water St., Santa Cruz. Visit www.diggardensnursery.com
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