Late May has been cool and wet here in much of the North State – but June, June holds the promise of true summer – bringing with it all that summer is supposed to be: soft light of early morning when the day is cool and fresh; iridescent roses, lavender, salad greens, strawberries and cherries; long days with true heat; the chirping call of the quail and the crazy way they scatter when you come upon them; luminous California Buckeye blooms held like candles in the woodland edges; the silent flitting of little bats in the early evening as they gather their fill of insects; and the long days ended by warm nights filled with the song of crickets. And – I hope – this June brings each and ever gardener some deservedly lazy, laid back summer vacation, in and out of the garden. Photo: Native clarkia in bloom in Big Chico Creek Canyon at the Chico Canyon Retreat special events center.
For us gardeners, ‘vacation’ likely involves the fun of what non-gardeners might consider work. But don’t forget to take the concepts of holiday and vacation to heart. June offers many opportunities for garden fun beyond weeding and deadheading – Garden Touring being high on the list. Some wonderful garden tours are being offered in our area in June and the Paradise Garden Club’s 19th – 19th!! – annual garden tour starts us off on June 4th and 5th with a personal viewing of 7 gardener-designed home-gardens as well as speakers and more. For a full description of the Paradise Garden tour and others – from the north to the south of our region – throughout the month, see the June Calendar listings below. Make it a point to get to one of them! Photo: A vignette at one of the gardens on the Paradise Garden tour in years past.
As to what to do in your own garden this month , Pam Geisel Statewide Coordinator for the Master Gardener program, who gardens in Hamilton City reminds us that June is a good time to fertilize both cherries and apricots after harvest, as well as a good time to prune for fireblight in pears and apple trees. Do not put fire blight infected yard waste into your compost or the curbside yardwaste collection bin – it should only go into the trash.
Garlic and onion harvest are upon us providing late spring treats of roasted fresh garlic or sweet onions sautéed in olive oil – delicious enough to eat right out the pan. Wolfgang Rougle of Twining Tree Farms outside of Cottonwood recommends harvesting garlic when it still has a green leaf or two. Allow it to dry down, or cure, in a dry shady place with plenty of air circulation; trim off the leaves when all is crispy. Hardneck garlics ( which forms the decorative scapes in late spring) don’t store well past August; Softneck garlic keeps well into March. You will know that new potatoes are ready to harvest when your potato plants are blooming. Photo: Sweet red onions curing on the garden fence.
Late spring and early summer flowers – annuals and perennials – will more successfully continue to bloom if you keep up with fairly diligent deadheading throughout the summer. When deadheading, make sure to get the whole flower head and the stem down to the nearest leaf. When deadheading roses, prune back spent flower heads to a shoot with 5 leaves – not just three. Prune deadhead and fertilize roses about 6 weeks before any special event for your roses to look their best. Photo: Rosa ‘Sheila’s Promise’ as fragrant as it is lovely.
June in the calendar of regional gardening events is only slightly less busy than it was in May – and late May and June offer some outstanding garden tours especially – always worth visiting. Many gardening clubs and plant societies take summer months off from normal meeting schedules, but many interesting summer hikes and camps are still in the offering. If you are interested in our regional events, be sure to check the On-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com regularly – events are added throughout the month. I do my very best to keep the calendar up to date and accurate, please confirm all events with the event host’s contact information. If you have an event you would like listed or if you are aware of a mistake on my calendar, please send me corrected info: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com! Thanks.
May 28 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society – Field Trip: UPPER NORTH FORK FEATHER RIVER CARIBOU FISHERMAN’S TRAIL 8:30 am meet at Chico Park Ride west lot (Hwy 99/32). We will drive up Hwy 70 in the scenic Feather River Canyon to the Caribou Arm of the river where we will make roadside stops. We expect to see Shasta lil- ies, lady’s slippers where small streams cross the road. The road ends at PG E’s nostalgic 1920’s town site and powerhouse. The hike is an easy three-mile round trip trail along a remote section of the North Fork of the Feather River. The river is crossed twice on footbridges. We are hoping for show of cascading white-water. Bring lunch, water, sun/insect protection and money for ride sharing. Wear sturdy hiking shoes. Leader: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123 Photo: Native Humboldt lily along a North State creek in June.
May 28 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk With Lisa Endicott, Horticultural Manager 11 am. Bring your notebooks and camera! We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
May 28 – Red Bluff: Red Bluff Garden Center – Workshop: Cool Coleus 10 am. All about growing and caring for coleus. RED BLUFF GARDEN CENTER Please call to reserve a seat, do to the limited space. (530) 527-0886 www.redbluffgardencenter.com
May 28 – Chico: Butte Rose Society General Member Meeting Little Rose Show 6 pm gather, 7 pm meeting and program begin. Chico Veterans Memorial Hall at 554 Rio Lindo Ave. For more information: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org/
May 30 – Red Bluff: Red Bluff Garden Club: Regular Member Meeting and Program on “Birds-Names behind the Names” by Pat Frost 12:30 pm Union Hall 12889 Baker Road Red Bluff, CA. For more info: http://redbluffgardenclub.com
May 31 – Chico: Butte Rose Society Regular Member Meeting and Program on Photographing Roses with Jan Hedman, Consulting Rosarian from Grass Valley 7:00 – 9:00 pm Meeting and Program. Chico Veterans’ Memorial Hall on Rio Lindo Avenue. More info: Call Neva Youngs 345-8005. Photo: Rosa ‘April Love’ a fragrant, pale pink bloom with golden interior highlights.
June 4 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Guided Tour: Discover the Oak Grove Trove! 10 a.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. The UC Davis Arboretum contains one of the nation’s largest collections of oaks, and a free guided tour on Saturday, June 4 will highlight the astonishing variety of tree and leaf forms in this botanical treasure. The tour guide will discuss oak ecology and the importance of oaks in human culture through time and around the world. The tour will leave at 10:00 a.m. from the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lots 50 and 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
June 4 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and Friends 11 am. Presented by John Betty Fitzpatrick. An interactive program in the Children’s Garden (or Greenhouse in rain) for children, their siblings, parents and grandparents. Join Charlie, our adorable jack rabbit puppet, in various gardening activities. Wear your favorite gardening clothes! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
June 4 5 – Paradise:Paradise Garden Club: 19th ANNUAL GARDEN TOUR Six gardens brimming with beauty and gardening ideas are featured this year. All are homeowner designed and landscaped. A free chance to win a fountain or Japanese maple is included in the $15. ticket. Also on the tour is a compost demonstration, seminar on “deer defense tactics”, benefit drawing, refreshments, plant sale, and Master Gardeners to answer questions. Tickets available in Oroville, Chico, Magalia and Paradise. See website Paradisegardenclub.org for detailed information. Photo: An expansive view from a garden on the Paradise Garden Tour in years past.
June 5 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society – Field Trip: UPPER BUTTE CREEK TRAIL BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT 9 am meet at Chico Park Ride’s west lot (Hwy 32/99). Drive east on Hwy 32 to Garland Road and to the trail- head in Upper Butte Creek Canyon. This is an easy walk along a secluded section of scenic Upper Butte Creek. The trail stays close to the stream with wooden bridges and a steel stairway. It winds through a narrow band of ri- parian vegetation containing a variety of flowering plants. A mixed coniferous forest extends up the canyon walls. See historic gold mining activity along the creek. Bring lunch, water, sun/insect protection, and money for ride sharing. Leader: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123.
June 5 – Redding: Shasta Lake Garden Project – 13th Annual Garden Tour and High Tea: 10 am – 4 pm. Self-guided tour of five private North State Gardens and an English tea at McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens in Redding. Tea will be served until 3 p.m. Hosted by the Shasta Lake Garden Project, a group that works to beautify the city of Shasta Lake. Each of the gardens on the tour has a distinct style and will offer gardeners ideas they can use in their own yards. The gardens showcase a variety of plants that do well in the Redding area. High school students in Victorian costumes will be the servers at the tea, which includes refreshments, live music and artists displaying their work. Tickets are $25. They can be purchased at Antique Cottage Garden and Print Design, both in Shasta Lake; and at Creekside Gardens, Lisa’s Book Nook and Westside Florist, all in Redding. Tickets also are available at www.shastalakegardeproject.org. No tickets will be sold on the day of the tour and tea. Photo: Gardeners work very hard to prepare their gardens for summer tours coming through. Visiting other people’s gardens can be very inspiring.
June 5 – Chico Area: 3rd in a Series of a 5-Weekend Foodshed Tour: Pyramid Farms Butte County is lucky to have so much good food grown and produced in this area. During a series of 2 hour tours of 5 farms in our local foodshed, you will grow a greater understanding from where your food comes and why these farmers and producers work so hard to bring it to our tables. The series will conclude at the GRUB farm with a picnic after the tour that members will create with the delicious foods from the farms we visited. Chaffin Family Orchards May 15, Miller’s Bake house, May 22, Pyramid Farms June 5, Massa Organics June 12, GRUB (tour and picnic) June 26. $15 per tour or meal or $75 Package Deal: all 5 tours+meal. Kids under 6 free, 6 and over $8. Times for each tour are varied and are posted on the website. We will carpool; meet at the GRUB Co-op. Pre-register at grubchico.org or by calling Stephanie at 530-354-1646 Maximum of 40 people per tour.
June 8 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Walk with Warren: 12 p.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Join Arboretum Superintendent Emeritus Warren Roberts for a lunchtime stroll in the UC Davis Arboretum on Wednesday, June 8. Enjoy the bounty of blooms in the Storer Garden’s low-water environment, learn about the Arboretum’s plant collections, and get a little exercise. Meet at noon at the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. There is no charge for the tour. Parking is available for $6 in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
June 11 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Go Green with Plant Pest and Disease Control! 10 am – Noon. Come and learn about the many safer ways, successful organic and IPM (Integrated Pesticide Management) ways, to control pests and diseases in your garden and home. These methods are used daily by our presenter, local recognized pesticide expert Paul Stockton, in his work for a local pest control company that has tested green methods in the field. FREE for Members, $3 for Nonmembers. Meet at the Arboretum Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse) More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery. Photo: Pesticides and thoughtless use of them harm not only insects that are considered ‘pests’ but also those we consider of great beauty. When spraying for one thing, you could easily harm another like this emerald green chrysalis of a Pipevine Swallowtail butterfly quietly secured to a branch, soon to miraculously unfold.
June 12 – Chico: Mt Lassen Chapter Cal Native Plant Society: Chapter Picnic For more information contact Membership Chair PHYLLIS LINDLEY 899-1514 lindley84@att.net or Program Chairs Jim Bishop – cjbishop1991@sbcglobal.net or Woody Elliott – 342-6053.
June 12 – Chico Area: 4th in a Series of a 5-Weekend Foodshed Tour: Massa Organics Butte County is lucky to have so much good food grown and produced in this area. During a series of 2 hour tours of 5 farms in our local foodshed, you will grow a greater understanding from where your food comes and why these farmers and producers work so hard to bring it to our tables. The series will conclude at the GRUB farm with a picnic after the tour that members will create with the delicious foods from the farms we visited. Chaffin Family Orchards May 15, Miller’s Bake house, May 22, Pyramid Farms June 5, Massa Organics June 12, GRUB (tour and picnic) June 26. $15 per tour or meal or $75 Package Deal: all 5 tours+meal. Kids under 6 free, 6 and over $8. Times for each tour are varied and are posted on the website. We will carpool; meet at the GRUB Co-op. Pre-register at grubchico.org or by calling Stephanie at 530-354-1646 Maximum of 40 people per tour.
June 12 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Around the World in 80 Oaks 5:30 p.m., Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. The UC Davis Arboretum and the Sacramento City College World Music Ensemble invite the public to a free outdoor concert on Sunday, June 12, celebrating and honoring the origins of the majestic oaks in the Shields Oak Grove. Under the direction of Bob Wren, the Ensemble will perform music from some of the countries that are home to the 80 varieties of oak trees in the Arboretum. Participants will stroll through the oak grove during the program, stopping to hear musical selections related to individual trees. The performance will also feature poetry read by the City of Davis’ Poet Laureate, Allegra Silberstein, and commentary by Arboretum docents relating to the oak trees. The concert will take place at 5:30 p.m. beginning at the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus. Participants may wish to bring a portable chair or camp stool. Free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
June 15 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society: Regular Member Meeting and Program by Bob Parker, Master Rosarian, speaking on “Types of Roses and Their Uses in the Garden” 7:30 pm at Building 4, Room 401 at City of Redding Corporation Yard, 2055 Viking Way, Redding, California. The meetings are held for the purpose of presenting an educational program and this month’s program will be geared toward the beginning rose grower. Admission is free to the general public. For more info contact Carole Schmitz 530-242-1901 or mandcschmitz@gmail.com. or got to: http://www.shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html
June 15 – FULL MOON
June 15 – June 19 – Anderson – Shasta District Fair 2011 Fair theme: A Slice of Heaven in 2011. 1890 Briggs Street. Anderson, CA 96007-2988 (530) 378-6789. For gardening exhibits, events, ticket prices and more go to http://www.shastadistrictfair.com/Events.cfm.
June 16 – Redding: Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society: Regular Monthly Meeting and Potluck Dinner 6 PM This will be an outdoor Chapter meeting to kick off the summer at our President Ken Kilborn’s beautiful backyard gardens. This will be a potluck dinner, so bring a potluck dish to share, and also lawn chairs. Dinner will be around 6:00 PM. We will introduce the scholarship recipient(s). Please call Ken at (530) 221-2339 to RSVP and for address and directions.
June 18 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum: Walking Meditation in the Oak Grove 8 am – 9 am, Gazebo, Garrod Drive, UC Davis. Join meditation teacher Amie Diller for an hour-long walking meditation experience in the beautiful Shields Oak Grove at the UC Davis Arboretum. The hour will begin with brief walking meditation instruction, move on to silent walking, with occasional brief instructions, and end with a chant. Walking meditation invites us to be present with full awareness, bringing us to a greater sense of inner peace and aliveness. We’ll play with finding the balance of awareness of sensations of our body and awareness of sensations of nature—the whisper of the wind, the warmth of the rising sun, and the sounds of nature waking to the new day. Amie Diller has practiced meditation in the Zen and Tibetan traditions for the last 30 years. She is currently teaching Buddhism and Meditation courses at ACI aci-davis.org and at Yoga Seed http://theyogaseed.wordpress.com. Meet at the Arboretum Gazebo, on Garrod Drive on the UC Davis campus, at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 18. There is no charge for the meditation experience, and free parking is available along Garrod Drive and in Visitor Lot 55. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit arboretum.ucdavis.edu.
June 18 – Fair Oaks: Fair Oaks Horticultural Center/Sacramento Master Gardeners: Open Garden Day 8:30 am – 11:30 am for Father’s Day weekend. See how to summer prune fruit trees and T-bud graft, harvest berries, compost and mulch. Tips to help plants survive summer: shade, mulch, irrigate. Solarize soil to kill weeds. For more info go to: http://ucanr.org/sites/sacmg/Fair_Oaks_Horticulture_Center/
June 18 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Planted Water Bowl/Small Water Feature Workshop: 10 am Join our Water Garden expert Sherrie while she shows you how to plant a water bowl and build a small water feature. Participants will receive a 10% discount off of all supplies purchased for class. Please call or email to reserve your spot. 8026 Airport Road Redding, Ca 530-365-2256.
June 18 – Lewiston: Lewiston Garden Club annual Garden Tour 10 am – 3 pm. Tickets $12 – featuring 7 gardens, Arts Crafts show, plant sale, raffle and light refreshments. For more information call Carolyn Rhody at 623-6170 for details. Proceeds go toward the club’s scholarship fund for Trinity High School students.
June 19 – FATHER’S DAY
June 21 – SUMMER SOLSTICE
June 22 – Redding: Shasta Chapter of California Native Plant Society: Plant Clean Up Session 2 PM One- to two-hour work session starting at 2:00 at the Shasta College greenhouses. The greenhouses are located at the back of Shasta College, near the livestock barns. We will be weeding, spiffing up, and transplanting. Please call Susan Libonati at (530) 347-4654 or Jay Terri Thesken at (530) 221-0906 for further information.
June 25 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk With Lisa Endicott, Horticultural Manager 11 am. Bring your notebooks and camera! We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left. More info: 530-242-3178 or www.turtlebay.org/nursery
June 25 – Mt. Shasta: Mt. Shasta Garden Tour 10 AM-3 PM. All proceeds benefit the Friends of the Mt. Shasta Library. Remarkable and diverse gardens are featured, some large, some small….all magical. Where: Make your donation and pick up maps at: Spring Hill Nursery and Gardens, 1234 Nixon Road (across the street from the City Park). Tour questions: 530-926-2565, Library questions: 530-926-2031.
June 25 – Redding: Shasta Koi and Water Garden Club: Annual Pond Tour 8 AM—4 PM Tickets $10 / Children Under 12 Free. Tickets will be available at these locations after May 15th: Sunset Koi / 20676 Sunset Lane, off Airport Road, Redding, Jose Antonio’s / 870 Hartnell Avenue, Redding, Linda’s Hallmark / 1615 Hilltop Drive, Redding, Wyntour Gardens / 8026 Airport Road, Redding, Axner Excavating / 2900 Old Oregon Trail, Redding, Happy Valley Nursery / 6876 Happy Valley Road, Anderson, Vic Hannan Landscape Materials / 7086 Hwy 273, Anderson, Shasta Feed / 3917 Main Street, Cottonwood, Red Bluff Garden Center / 766 Antelope Blvd, Red Bluff, Mike’s Pools More / 10 Damon Avenue, Red Bluff. For more info go to: http://www.shastakoiclub.com
June 25 – Dunsmuir: Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens 21st Annual TRIBUTE TO THE TREES with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra 4:30 elegant sit down dinner beneath the trees followed by the concert at 6:30. Music composed by Grieg, Mendelssohn and Finzi performed tin the tree lined meadow of Dunsmuir Botanical Garden. Tickets Information: (530) 235-4740. Photo: A view across the peaceful great lawn at the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens. A sit down dinner beneath the midsummer night sky with the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra – what could be more lovely?
June 26 – Chico Area: 5th in a Series of a 5-Weekend Foodshed Tour: GRUB Cooperative Farm Tour and Picnic Butte County is lucky to have so much good food grown and produced in this area. During a series of 2 hour tours of 5 farms in our local foodshed, you will grow a greater understanding from where your food comes and why these farmers and producers work so hard to bring it to our tables. The series will conclude at the GRUB farm with a picnic after the tour that members will create with the delicious foods from the farms we visited. Chaffin Family Orchards May 15, Miller’s Bake house, May 22, Pyramid Farms June 5, Massa Organics June 12, GRUB (tour and picnic) June 26. $15 per tour or meal or $75 Package Deal: all 5 tours+meal. Kids under 6 free, 6 and over $8. Times for each tour are varied and are posted on the website. We will carpool; meet at the GRUB Co-op. Pre-register at grubchico.org or by calling Stephanie at 530-354-1646 Maximum of 40 people per tour.
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In a North State Garden is a weekly Northstate Public Radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in Northern California. It is made possible in part by the Gateway Science Museum – Exploring the Natural History of the North State and on the campus of CSU, Chico. In a North State Garden is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell – all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In a North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here.
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