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!

The Master Gardener Sustainable Vegetable Gardening Class

The Sustainable Vegetable Gardening class is held in Campbell on Tuesdays, from January 19 through February 23, 7 to 9 p.m.

Call 408-866-2104 for information and to register, or register online. Search for it by class number 2760.301.

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.

On Saturday, March 20, 10 am to noon, Tom Layman, a blacksmith and metal sculptor, will demonstrate hand-forging and metal-smithing of objects such as decorative door handles and gate latches. Free instruction. Materials fee for participants to be determined.

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)

Water-efficient Landscaping Workshop Series

Every Saturday in March, 9 am - 12 noon, Santa Clara Valley Water District
Free! Santa Clara Valley Water District Headquarters boardroom
5700 Almaden Expressway, San Jose, CA
Call 408-265-2607, ext. 2554, to reserve your space.

March 6 - Designing & Selecting Plants for a Water-Wise Garden
Alrie Middlebrook will focus on Mediterranean, drought-tolerant, and native plants that can bring out sustainable beauty in the garden. In this workshop, Ms. Middlebrook will share her full library of knowledge about water-wise plants for California.

March 13 - Water-efficient Irrigation Design
Miguel Aspeitia, Irrigation Consultant, will demonstrate how to efficiently design/retrofit your landscape irrigation system using drip, micro spray, and low water use rotary nozzles.

March 20 - Gardening with Natives
Native Garden Consultant, Rebecca Schoenenberger, will discuss the exciting topic of how to garden with native plants. Learn how to select native plants that do well in a garden setting. Planting techniques and irrigation strategies for the native plant garden will also be covered.

March 27 - Water-efficient, Sustainable & Native Gardens
Local landscape architect Stephanie Morris will discuss the many ways to "green" your landscape, working with the garden’s natural cycles. Learn how to enjoy a beautiful yard that is water-conserving, easy, innovative, and includes California native plants.

Greywater Systems Classes and Workshops

Greywater Guru, Roy Norbloom III, greenbuilder, consultant and trainer from Willow Glen, will conduct the greywater workshop at Middlebrook Gardens/CNGF on Saturday, March 27, 10-1 pm.

We will examine and discuss two installed greywater systems, one at MG/ELSEE and one at a private residence in Sunnyvale. Participants will learn how to install single source greywater systems that are legal and require no permit.

The hands-on workshop fee is $75, CNGF members $60.

Slow the Flow: A Water Wise Landscaping Conference

Slow the Flow, presented by The Foothill Horticulture Department and designed for 'hands off' homeowners and veteran gardeners!

April 24, 2010, 9 am to 3 pm
Foothill College

Learn ways to reduce and reuse water in your landscape. Get classroom and hands-on experience with Green Industry Professionals through lectures, demonstrations and workshops. Be sure to visit the Horticulture Department Plant Sale to purchase drought-tolerant and native plants featured throughout the day.

Featured Speaker: Owen Dell, author of Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies. Hear Owen's visionary look at our relationship to our landscape. His wealth of ideas will inspire participants to create beautiful water-saving and sustainable environments.

Additional Speakers and Lectures include:

Lawn Conversion with Frank Niccoli, Foothill College Horticulture faculty member. Learn how to remove lawn area and replace with water wise alternatives.
Bay Area Friendly Landscaping with Dan Svenson, Department Chair, Foothill College Horticulture Department. Rainwater Harvesting and Gray Water Systems with Sherri Osaka of Sustainable Landscape Designs.
Sprinkler Retrofitting for Water Saving Results with Tom Bressan of the Urban Farmer.
Dollars and Cents - Money Saving Landscaping Ideas with Marsha Prillwitz of California Urban Water Conservation.
Additional workshops and demonstrations will be held throughout the day.

Who should attend:

Homeowners wanting to lower water bills while maintaining a beautiful garden
People seeking the latest technologies designed to reduce residential water use
Conscientious residents wanting to use water in the landscape more effectively

Space limited! Plan to register early to attend lectures of your choice: $45 by April 1; $55 after.
Box lunch included with registration fee!

Or register by telephone: (408) 864-8817

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 Glenn Keator and Tellur Fenner. For information, email gkeator@aol.com.

Learning All About Our Native Lilies

Sundays, March 21 and 28, 10 am-2:30 pm (sign up for one or both classes)
At the Botanic Garden (March 21) and in the field (March 28); driving directions will be provided upon registration
For each of the two classes: $35 members of Friends of the Regional Parks Botanic Garden /$45 nonmembers. Sign up on nativeplants.org.

Not only are the lilies and their relatives among our most beautiful native wildflowers, but they are a fascinating group adapted to almost all habitats in the state. Curiously, new studies indicate this far-flung empire of plants needs reclassification. Evidence suggests the family is really a varied group of several different distantly related assemblages. In this class, we'll talk about the current status of lily classification, what makes sense for identification in the field, and changes that may make field work difficult. We'll also look at the wide range of genera and species in the family from the northwestern corner of the state to the southern deserts.

In the first session, we'll view images and walk through the Botanic Garden to find as many lilies and lily relatives as possible. The second session will be a local field trip to see several species in their native habitats.

Private Desert Trip to the Eastern Mojave

Monday, April 5 to Saturday, April 10

The Eastern Mojave National Reserve is an immense wonderland of dunes, limestone caverns, volcanic mesas, and granite mountains with an equally diverse and beautiful flora. Since the recent exceptional rains, we can expect a beautiful wildflower display this spring.

There will be a choice of camping or staying in motels in Baker. Itinerary sent on request. Limited to 10 people.

Cost: $150. Send check to Glenn Keator at 1455 Catherine Drive, Berkeley, CA 94702. Email gkeator@aol.com.

Botanizing California: Mines Road

Sunday, April 25, 10 am-3 pm
In the field (driving directions will be provided upon registration)
$35 members/$45 nonmembers. Sign up on nativeplants.org.

The beautiful but underappreciated Mines Road area spans the 50 miles between Livermore and the back side of Mt. Hamilton in the inner Coast Ranges. The country here is mostly wild and seems remote from Bay Area sprawl. Plant habitats include oak woodland, pine/oak forests, chaparral, riparian, seeps, and colorful grasslands. In a good spring, the variety of wildflowers is astonishing and ranges from brodiaeas, calochortuses, and larkspurs to wallflowers, blazing stars, flowering currants, and much more.

Botanizing California: Mount Vision at Point Reyes National Seashore

Sunday, May 16, 10 am-3:30 pm
In the field (driving directions will be provided upon registration)
$35 members/$45 nonmembers

One of the high points on rugged Inverness Ridge, Mount Vision is aptly named for its stunning views of the Point Reyes Peninsula. Its luxuriant vegetation includes a dense Bishop pine understory (both new forests and old) as well as coastal scrub, coastal prairie, and streamside vegetation, all with their own special floras. Because of summer fog drip, plants often associated with lush redwood forests occur here, including huckleberries, trilliums, violets, salal, Douglas iris, and California wax-myrtle. Our semi-strenuous loop hike of 5 to 6 miles will take us down into Muddy Hollow near Limantour Beach and back up again to Inverness Ridge.

To sign up, send checks made out to Glenn Keator, 1455 Catherine Drive, Berkeley, CA 94702.

Spring Garden Market

Saturday, April 10, 9 to 2, History San Jose, History Park at Kelley Park
1650 Senter Road, San Jose 95112

Santa Clara County Master Gardeners' Spring Garden Market
Plant Sales of heirloom tomatoes and sweet and hot peppers start at 9 a.m. Dozens of vendors of all types. Visit the CNGF booth!

Going Native Garden Tour

Sunday, April 18, 10 to 4

A free tour of native gardens in Santa Clara Valley & Peninsula, San Francisco Bay Area. The goals of the tour are to demonstrate reduced water use, reduced chemical and pesticide use, improved habitat, and the unique aesthetic appeal of gardens designed with California native plants.
Online registration required at http://gngt.org/.

Spring in Guadalupe Gardens

Saturday, April 24, 10 to 3, San Jose

40+ vendors with plants, garden art, alternative energy, free compost in your own bucket. Visit the CNGF booth! No registration required.
Guadalupe Gardens
Between Coleman Avenue and Taylor Street, San Jose, (by the Heritage Rose Garden), 408-298-7657

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

Sunday, May 2, 10 to 5, East Bay

A free tour of 50 showcase native plant gardens in the East Bay. Online registration required at Bringing Back the Natives.

The Garden Faire

Saturday, June 26, Scott's Valley. (Formerly The Smart Gardening Faire)

Hosted by the California Native Garden Foundation.
Plants, Food, Information! More details and web site to come. Visit the CNGF booth!