Sloat Garden Seminars and Gardening Events, Bay Area

Every season we select local gardening experts and designers, as well as
our knowledgeable senior staff, to speak in our seminar series.
The class fee is $5 (Gardener’s Reward Program members attend for free)
and all participants receive a 10% off coupon for redemption at any of our locations.
Please call ahead to the seminar location to reserve a seat - attendance is limited.

FEBRUARY, MARCH & APRIL Seminars at Sloat Garden Center

Winter Orchid Festival SEMINAR SERIES

Orchid Repotting Demos
Our staff will demonstrate how to repot an orchid. These demonstrations will go through the orchid repotting process, step by step. Stop by!
Feb.10 – Kentfield, Wed., 12 noon

Create an Orchid Centerpiece
Cindy Bonilla and Jen Strobel demonstrate how to create show-stopping centerpieces using orchids.
Feb.10 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Wed., 5:30 pm

Coax those orchids back into bloom
Glenn Smith, from the Marin Orchid Society, shares how to bring orchids into bloom again with fertilizers, lighting and watering.
Feb.13 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sat., 10 am

Orchids 101
Tom Perlite, owner of Golden Gate Orchids, discusses the feeding and care of orchids. As a local orchid expert, Tom has fascinating information to share about orchids...don't miss him!
Feb.13 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Sat., 10am
Feb.14 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Sun., 10am

DESIGN SEMINAR SERIES

Creating perfumed gardens; choosing plants with fragrance in mind
Mary Te Selle, garden designer, discusses how to include scents in your design and enjoy them in all seasons, rainy or sunny.
Feb.20 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Te Selle, Sat., 10 am
Feb. 20 – Danville, Hiatt, Sat., 10 am
Feb.28 – Novato, Te Selle, Sun., 10 am

Using Color in the Garden
Terri Hiatt shares how to use plant combinations for sunny and shady gardens.
Mar. 20 – Danville, Sat., 10 am

Learn about Repotting Orchids
Clare Cangiolosi, from the SF Conservatory of Flowers, shares which bark/medium is best for each orchid and when they should be repotted.
Apr. 25 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Sun., 10 am

PRUNE AWAY!
Our winter pruning seminar series:

Pruning Japanese Maples
Marie Miller, aesthetic pruner, demonstrates the art of pruning Japanese Maples (and when to stop) and the types of cuts. Marie discusses the best tools and tool care.
Feb. 21– San Rafael, Sun., 10 am

Fruit Tree Pruning - Winter
Elizabeth Ruiz, aesthetic pruner, discusses how to prune Apple, Pear, Persimmon, and Pomegranate. Good pruning keeps your home orchard healthy and productive.
Feb.27 – San Rafael, Sat. 10 am
Feb.28 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sun., 10 am

Our spring pruning seminar series:

Fruit Tree Pruning: Peaches, Apricots, Nectarines and Cherries
Elizabeth Ruiz, aesthetic pruner, shows how to correctly prune your fruit trees.
Mar. 10 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Wed., 6:30 pm
Mar. 21 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sun., 10 am
Mar. 27 – San Rafael, Sat., 10 am

Pruning Hydrangeas, Camellias and Rhodies
Marie Miller, aesthetic pruner, will teach gardeners how to recognize where and when to prune shrubs for better flowering.
Mar. 13 – San Rafael, Sat., 10 am
Mar. 14 – Kentfield, Sun., 10 am
Mar. 21 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Sun., 10 am
Mar. 28 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sun., 10 am

Pruning Flowering Shrubs
Are you afraid to prune and lose the blossoms? Is your shrub overgrown or misshapen? Marie Miller demonstrates how to prune correctly for abundant blooms.
Apr. 7 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Wed., 6:30 pm
Apr. 11 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sun., 10 am
Apr. 24 – San Rafael, Sat., 10 am

Pruning Native Plants
Elizabeth Ruiz, demonstrates when and how to prune plant natives.
Apr. 14 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Wed., 6:30 pm

BEGINNING GARDENER SEMINAR SERIES

Basic Pruning 101
Elizabeth Ruiz, aesthetic pruner, discusses how to make basic cuts, how cuts influence growth, the best tools to prune with, and when to stop cutting.
Feb.17 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Wed., 5:30 pm
Feb.21 - S.F.(Pierce St.), Sun., 10 am
Apr. 17 – San Rafael, Sat., 10 am
Apr. 25 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sun., 10 am

Using Fertilizers 101
Dave Phelps, gardening expert, discusses the differences, benefits, and how to use fertilizers for optimum effect in your garden.
Feb.20 – Kentfield, Sat., 10 am
Feb.27 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sat. 10 am
Mar. 7 – San Rafael, Sun., 10 am

How to Build a Terrarium
Cindy Bonilla, CCN Pro, demonstrates how to put together a successful terrarium and shares tips on keeping it healthy and happy.
Feb.27 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Sat., 10 am

Repotting Houseplants 101
Clare Cangiolosi from the SF Conservatory of Flowers, discusses what is needed to repot, how to do it and when.
Mar. 14 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Sun., 10 am

Gardening Basics 101
Cindy Bonilla, Terri Hiatt and Dave Phelps will help any beginning gardener get started.
Mar. 31 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Bonilla, Wed. 6:30 pm
Apr. 3 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Phelps, Sat., 10 am
Apr. 3 – Danville, Hiatt, Sat., 10 am
Apr. 11 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Bonilla, Sun., 10 am
Apr. 18 – San Rafael, Phelps, Sun., 10 am

Worm Composting 101
Brad Sheehan shows how the humble worm turns garbage into gardening gold.
Apr. 18 – Danville, Sun., 10 am

GROW YOUR OWN SEMINAR SERIES

Growing Vegetables: The Basics
Dave Phelps, local garden expert, discusses how to start a vegetable garden and pick the right plants for your space.
Mar. 13 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sat., 10 am
Mar. 20 – San Rafael, Sat., 10 am
Mar. 21 – Novato, Sun., 10 am

Brad Sheehan, discusses how to start a vegetable garden and pick the right plants for your space.
Mar. 14 – Danville, Sun., 10 am

Make Your Own Homemade Jams!
Leslie Pizzino shows how easy it is to make jam, preserves, marmalade from your garden. Sample delicious homemade preserves.
Apr. 11 – Novato, Sun., 10 am
Apr. 18 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Sun., 10 am
Apr. 21 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Wed., 6:30 pm

How to Grow Vegetables in Small Spaces
Cindy Bonilla and Jen Strobel demonstrate how to get the most from the space you have. Good for new gardeners who want to start small!
Mar. 7 – S.F. (Pierce St.), Bonilla, Sun., 10 am
Mar. 14 – San Rafael, Strobel, Sun., 10 am
Mar. 14 – Mill Valley (Miller Ave.), Strobel, 12pm
Mar. 17 – S.F. (Sloat. Blvd.), Bonilla, Wed., 6:30 pm
Mar. 28 – Novato, Strobel, Sun., 10 am

Keep an eye out in May and June for additional Grow Your Own seminars!

BOOK SIGNING
Pam Peirce - signs copies of Golden Gate Gardening
Mar. 28 – S.F. (Sloat Blvd.), Sun., 11 am

Author Pam Peirce signs copies of the Third Edition of Golden Gate Gardening.

Golden Gate Gardening has been guiding California gardeners to success in growing vegetables, herbs, fruit, edible and cutting flowers since 1993. If you have used it before, you will be glad to hear that the new edition contains all that you remember from the old version, and more. There is updated information and new tips. There are new vegetable listings, an expanded and improved fruit chapter, new recipes, and updated pest management suggestions (environmentally friendly, of course). The chapter on eating from the garden (Chapter 16, A Garden-Based Cuisine) is almost completely new. The appendices are updated, from the seed catalog/wesite list through the Resources for Gardeners and Suggested Reading list.

This book offers regionally specific guidance for maximum food production in gardens located in California from the northernmost coast to San Luis Obispo, and inland as far as Walnut Creek or San Jose. Coastal or near coastal gardeners will find calendars and tips for growing food year-round despite the fog, and inland gardeners, where summer fog is absent, will find two new planting calendars for year-round food production in typical inland microclimates.

2010 Growing Up Green fundraiser dates at Sloat Garden Center
Click here for details!
February 19 – March 1
September 17 – 27
November 5 – 15
December 6 – 13

BAY AREA
GARDEN EVENTS
& CLASSES
Add your group's garden related listing or class by contacting us here. We accept listings in the following format:
3-5 sentences that include dates, times, pricing, etc.

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Bay-Friendly Landscape Maintenance Training
in Marin

Classes will be held from February 3rd through March 17th – seven consecutive Wednesdays - 3:30 to 7 p.m.

Participating landscapers must have clients in Marin and be able to attend all sessions in the series.

$60 for the series. This low fee is made possible through the generous support of our sponsors: Marin County Stormwater Pollution Prevention Program and Marin Municipal Water District.

Contact Gina at 415-499-3202 for details.

Marin Rose Society presents
February 9th,
Tuesday 7:30 pm
Marin Art & Garden Center, Livermore Room

Terry Lyngso will present Living Soil, Healthy Plants at our February 9th meeting. When we begin to understand that soil is a living system we can support life in the soil and create gardens that do not use pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers. We can partner with organisms in the soil and reduce our impact on the environment, clean up the soil and water running through it, sequester carbon in the soil and grow healthy plants and food crops that truly nourish us from the inside out. She will talk about IPM practices that will assist you in analyzing pest and disease problems and help you make treatment decisions that will not kill life in the soil. Terry is the President of Lyngso Garden Materials, a Master Gardener and Master Composter. Terry will inspire you to build the foundation of a healthy garden and the hope of a much more healthy earth.

Admission $5.
for non-members

Docent Training Classes at the San Francisco Botanical Garden

Train to lead walks through the Botanical Garden for elementary school
children or to share the wonders of the Garden with the general public.
Children's Walk training classes begin February 9 and meet every Tuesday
morning for twelve weeks. Garden Interpretation Docent training begins
February 20 and meets every Saturday morning for ten weeks.

For more information visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org or call Tom
Laursen, Volunteer Services Manager, at 415 661-1316 ext. 412.

The Marin Rose Society is having its annual "Pruning Roses in your
Garden" fundraiser

The MRS will come to your garden, prune your roses, and answer any
rose related questions during the months of January and February.

Sign up now as it will be first come, first serve. We can only accommodate a certain number of gardens and roses. Pruning dates can be made for a weekday or on Saturdays.

Please call for a reservation. Florence Taylor at (415) 454-3870 or Dorothy Arnold (415) 453-4036

This is a fundraising event for the society --- spread
the word and tell your friends. This is a great way to receive individual attention for all of your rose questions and concerns as well as have your bushes pruned
correctly.

Magnificent Magnolias Walk (207-130)
with Dr. Joseph Barbaccia
Sun, Feb 14, 1:30pm--3:00pm
Open to all $10.00 at the gate
The San Francisco Botanical Garden has one of the finest collections of deciduous magnolias in the United States. Don't miss this chance to celebrate these garden treasures at the peak of their bloom.
For more information, visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org,
or call Kitty Fisher, Education Coordinator., at 415 661-1316 ext 400

Encompassing the Amazon: Ayahuasca, Vegetalismo and Cultural Survival (216-740) a special presentation by Susana Bustos, Ph D. & Robert Tindall, author
Thu, Feb 18, 7:00pm--8:30pm
Members $25.00; nonmembers $35.00

This presentation aims to introduce people to the healing ways of this tradition by combining travel narrative, music, slides and in-depth discussion of some of its main themes: the three pillars of Amazonian medicine (purging, work with psychoactive plants, and diet), the subtle inner logic of indigenous healing, and its efficacy in treatment of addiction and some physical diseases For more information, visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org,
or call Kitty Fisher, Education Coordinator., at 415 661-1316 ext

Container Gardening for Busy People (212-1700)
with Ellyn Shea
Sat, Feb 20
Members $25.00; nonmembers $30.00
Learn to analyze your growing conditions, and match the right plant for the space for healthy plants, less effort. We'll also show you money-saving and creative ideas for mini-gardens you'll love to show off, indoors or out!
For more information, visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org, or call Kitty Fisher, Education Coordinator., at 415 661-1316 ext 400

The Amazing Plants of Coastal San Mateo County (212-1900)
with Toni Corelli
Sat, Feb 27, 10:00am--12:30pm

San Mateo coast runs along the Pacific Ocean for over 60 miles and has acres of public land with over 25 parks and state beaches. Until now much of the flora has not been documented but for the past two Toni and two state park volunteers have surveyed these public lands and identified over 600 different species of plants. For more information, visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org, or call Kitty Fisher, Education Coordinator., at 415 661-1316 ext 400

Sustainable Landscape Lecture & Fair
Where: Officers Club in the Presidio of San Francisco, Main Post,
50 Moraga Ave.
When: Thursday, March 4th Noon to 4pm
A fundraiser for Garden
For The Environment
Sustainability Fair-Meet and network with local people and organizations promoting sustainable practices an
hour before and after the lecture. Learn about water conservation, rainwater harvesting, gray water re-use, growing food, LED lighting, and much more.

Keeyla Meadows
Fearless Color Gardens: The Creative Gardener's Guide to Jumping Off the Color Wheel Saturday, March 6, 2-4 pm
Learn how to pick colors that work together; how to coordinate the colors of walls, benches, containers, and garden art; how to organize garden spaces through the use of color; and how to translate personal color preferences into tangible form in the garden. Fearless Color Gardens also features a new way of looking at color with "Keeyla's Color Triangle"; easy-to use tips on growing edibles in color-themed gardens; and Keeyla's favorite plants for specific colors.

All RBG Author Events will be held at the Faith Christian Fellowship Center Auditorium at:860 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
3 ways to register:
www.tinyurl.com/RBGauthors
Phone: Call Karen at (925) 944-9352
Mail/Fax: Download a registration form here

Late Winter Sustainable Garden Tour (246-430)
with Karen Boness, Kenwood Permaculture and Willow Landscape Design
Sat, Mar 13, 10:00am--1:30pm
Price members $65.00; nonmembers $75.00
Join us on a trip to Kenwood Permaculture in Kenwood, California for an in depth look at a living, breathing permaculture garden. This garden tour and lecture will introduce you to the principles and design concepts of this rapidly growing sustainable gardening movement. After just a few years this site has been transformed from a dry, thistle-infested slope into a richly productive and verdant garden. For more information, visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org,

Debra Lee Baldwin
Succulent Container Gardens
Saturday, March 20,
2-4 pm
In this inspiring compendium, the popular author of Designing with Succulents provides everything beginners and experienced gardeners need to know to create stunning container displays of exceptionally water-wise plants. Define your individual style as you effectively combine patterns, colors, textures, and forms. Whether your goal is a gorgeous potted garden for a sunny windowsill or outdoor living area — or simply making great gifts — this is a comprehensive primer for creating vibrant, living works of art.

All RBG Author Events will be held at the Faith Christian Fellowship Center Auditorium at:860 Bancroft Road, Walnut Creek, CA 94598
3 ways to register:
www.tinyurl.com/RBGauthors
Phone: Call Karen at (925) 944-9352
Mail/Fax: Download a registration form here

ONGOING....

• Wondering what to do with excess bounty from your garden? Join the Marin Open Garden Project at one of their weekly exchanges where gardeners meet to share fruit, vegetables, eggs, cut flowers and other goodies from their backyards. To learn more, visit the MOGP website at www.opengardenproject.org to find the most current schedule of their exchanges as well as other useful gardening information.

• Peacock Garden Club is a gathering of hands-on garden enthusiasts from all corners of Marin County. We meet the second Wednesday of each month September through June (except December) at 10:00 a.m. at the Marin Art and Garden Center in Ross. Info: lgeagle@aol.com; 415.492-8690.

• RENEW the ZOO project
You may associate the phrase “endangered species” with animals, but did you know there are many endangered plant species? The first step in preserving an endangered animal species is preserving the flora in its habitat. Therefore, the role of the Zoo’s Horticulture department is more than just to create beautiful gardens for the animals and visitors; it is to help spread the message of habitat conservation and vegetation management. We invite you, your family, your friends, your school or your corporation to join us for a rewarding opportunity to enjoy fresh air and fun while beautifying the Zoo.

When: The second Saturday of each month, 8 – 11 a.m. Where: Meet by the Old Sloat “Main” Gate.
Wear: Something warm and comfortable that you don’t mind getting dirty. We provide tools and work gloves, but if you have work gloves, bring them just in case.
To sign up: Pre-registration is required; call (415) 522-9702 or e-mail RenewSFZoo@aol.com. Leave a message including: the date you’d like to work, name and phone number of a contact person, the name of your organization (if any) and the approximate number of people coming to the event.

• The Mount Diablo Rose Society meets the second Wednesday of each month at the Dublin Civic Center, at 7:30 P.M. We meet every month except July and August.

• The Marin Rose Society meets on the second Tuesday of each month (except December) at 7:30 p.m. at Marin Art & Garden Center, Ross. We offer great speakers, mini rose shows, refreshments, raffles, and free Consulting Rosarian advice. Members enjoy an award winning newsletter, garden tours, social events, exhibitions, demonstrations and a great deal of fun!

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