Walking around the garden in the cool of morning last week, it occurred to me how much flowers remind me of fireworks – their colorful explosions, forces of nature demanding that we look at them: Here! Here! Here!
Photo above: This week’s article features photos of flowers that remind me of fireworks – and yes, if you follow closely you will see there is a decided RED WHITE BLUE theme. Here – RED: the orange-red flowers atop a tall spike of fuzzy-leaved Echevaria harmsiis.
Photo: WHITE Hydrangea arborescens ‘Haye’s Starburst’ in Daran and Dan Goodsell’s Chico garden.
I enjoyed reading recently that fireworks as we know them are descended from plant beginnings. According to several sources, the earliest fireworks were developed in ancient China and consisted of burning green bamboo in a fire. The moist green plant material with its sections of sealed tubes between nodes along the stems would hiss and then POP in the heat – and this startling explosion was said to ward off evil spirits.
Photo: BLUE Lily of Nile (Agapanthus) elegantly lighting up the summer garden skyline.
If any evil spirits are plaguing your garden this month, the explosions of fragrance and color of flowering plants are sure to bring those spirits around to a better perspective.
Photo: RED shooting spikes of Hesperaloe parviflora flowers beckon to hummingbirds from miles away.
In spite of all of the excitement in the garden in July consider to avoid life’s overstimulation. Sit back and watch the dragonflies and hummingbirds, listen to the songbirds, consider the sway of the grasses and rustle of leaves in the tree branches above you. Let the heat slow you down – read a book, take a nap. Curling up and pulling back is what even heat loving plants do in the heat of the day – why not us?
Photo: WHITE The spiraling pinwheel pattern of a gardenia blooming and heady with fragrance in the summer shade.
In both the edible and ornamental gardens, summer heat lovers are now lighting up the garden and the heat-tender have retreated to the background. Watering, deadheading, weeding are our primary tasks – along with enjoying the fruits and vegetables starting to come in by the basketful. Some of your heavy bloomers or crop producers would benefit from a mid-summer shot of organic fertilizer, a new mulch of compost or worm castings.
Photo: BLUE Rows of lavender in full bloom at Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens’ Annual Lavender Festival in Whitmore – this year on Saturday July 13 – see below for details. Don’t forget that too much water for our drought tolerant California native plants or other Mediterranean basin natives (such as lavender) causes more problems (fungal infections to name the most common) than too little water. If such a plant is looking peaked, consider letting it dry out between waterings.
Now is a good time to finish pruning your spring and summer bloomers to encourage a second flush of blooms later in the summer and to avoid pruning back flower buds forming for next spring.
As many market gardeners remind us, also by the end of the month we can have prepared some of our garden space for the planting of our fall and winter crops like carrots, tasty greens and brassicas.
The On-line Calendar of North State Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com adds events 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. If you have an event you would like listed, or if you are aware of a mistake on the calendar, please send all pertinent information to: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com. Thanks!
Photo: RED and pink Dahlias from Joan Eisenberg’s Chico garden will brighten any summer garden and make stellar cut flowers.
END OF JUNE
June 29 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk with Horticultural Manager Lisa Endicott 10:30 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.
June 29 – Chico: Cultivating Community North Valley Workshop: Seed Saving: Brassicas Lettuce with Redwood Seeds 1 – 3 pm. Participants will learn the necessary techniques for saving seed from winter crops. This includes mustards, kale, broccoli, lettuce, spinach, etc. We will discuss isolation, population size, seed cleaning and selection. Using a fan, sheets and buckets, we will harvest and clean mustard seed. Special Notes: The workshop will be outdoors, please bring water, paper and such to take notes, and whatever you need to protect yourself from the sun. Address: Chico Grange 2275 Nord Ave Chico, CA 95973 For more information or to register: http://cultivatingcommunitynv.org/event-registration-2/?regevent_action=registerevent_id=2
June 29 – Chico: Magnolia Gift Garden: Bonsai Workshop 10am – 12 pm. By Pat Gilmore of Chico Bonsai Society Join us and learn about some History, basics for success, and demonstration of Bonsai Gardening. For more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/153022741553398/ or www.magnoliagardening.com
Photo: WHITE Lilies burst open in Wendy Brown’s Chico summer garden with well-deserved drama.
June 30 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: JONESVILLE MEADOWS WALK LASSEN NATIONAL FOREST Meet at Chico Park Ride west lot (Hwys 32/99) at 9 am or call the leader to meet at the historic Jonesville Hotel Site at 10 am, about 5 miles beyond Butte Meadows on the Humboldt Rd. Bring lunch, water, sun/insect protec- tion, hiking gear, and money for ride sharing. Wear foot gear suitable for slogging in marshy ground and for short hikes. We will drive Hwy 32 for 27 miles and 10 miles on Humboldt to our field trip area at 4,800 ft ele. We expect to see a great variety of wetland flowers like camas, leop- ard lily, little elephant heads, veronica, tofieldia, and bog orchid. Leader: Janna Lathrop 530-893-2886. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org
Photo: BLUE Morning glory filled with sunlight like an offertory cup to summer in Marilyn Harbord’s Chico garden.
JULY
Photo: Not red or white or blue, but rich and green and yellow – tomato flowers glistening in the sun.
July 2 – Gridley: Cultivating Community North Valley Workshop: Container Gardening 6 – 7 pm. Come learn about growing food in containers! Plant and take home a mini garden! We will talk about selecting plants and containers, soil, and maintenance. The first 20 people to arrive will receive a “salsa container” (tomato / cilantro), or “caprese container” (tomato / basil). All Calfresh participants will receive a $15 coupon for the Farmers’ Market! Free of Charge, everyone welcome. For more Info: http://cultivatingcommunitynv.org/waiting-lists/
July 3 – The Dog Days of Summer begin
Photo: A white constellation-like spray of white buckwheat – Eriogonum nudum – along a roadway in Scott’s Valley out of Yreka.
July 4 – US Independence Day
July 6 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and His Friends 10:30 am. Join us the first Saturday of every month for an interactive program in the Gardens (or Greenhouse when it rains) for children, their siblings, parents and Grandparents. Join Charlie, our adorable jack rabbit puppet, in various gardening activities. Wear your favorite gardening clothes! Presented by Dennis and Sherrill Bambauer. Free with park admission! Meet at the Arboretum Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse)
July 8 – Paradise: Paradise Garden Club General Monthly Member Meeting Program PGC’s Master Gardener Q A 12:30 am. Program begins at 1 pm. General Membership Meeting follows program. Plant Sale, Benefit Drawing, Refreshments. Terry Ashe Recreation Center, 6626 Skyway, Paradise. For more info: http://www.paradisegardenclub.org/calendar.html
July 12 – Anderson: Anderson Valley Garden Club Monthly Meeting 12 noon – 1 pm, public welcome. Anderson Valley Garden Club meets the 2nd Friday of each month at the Anderson City Hall Community Room unless otherwise stated. Meeting begins at noon. For more information call Nancy: 530-365-2014. Fri Jul 12, 2013 12pm – 1pm Anderson City Hall Community Room
July 13 – Whitmore: Tuscan Heights 8th Annual Lavender Festival 10 am – 5 pm. Tuscan Heights Lavender Gardens, 12757 Fern Road EAST, Whitmore, CA 96096. The festival features lavender, crafts, food, tea, wine tasting, music, vendors, massages, fun, and relaxation! $2.50 per person with free on-site parking. Come join us for our Eighth Annual Lavender Garden Festival in the Beautiful Shasta Cascade foothills of Whitmore, CA. For more info: http://tuscanheights.com
Photo: A bursting fountain of California native deer grass – Muhlenbergia rigens at McConnell Arboretum and Botanical Garden in Redding.
July 13 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Botanical Gardens Plant ID and Cultivation Part I 9 – 11 am. With a focus on Drought and heat-adapted Plants – Mediterranean Basin Garden Plants! Prepare yourself for fall planting… If you have wanted to know specific, local information about tough, beautiful plants that are happy to grow in our climate, join Horticulture Manager Lisa Endicott as we start this botanical gardens plant id and cultivation series off with plants in the Mediterranean Basin Garden. These plants have not only a large variety of ornamental textures and colors, they are also easy to cultivate and maintain! Plant talks are FREE for members and volunteers and are $3 for nonmembers! Meet at Arboretum Botanical Gardens Office – 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery). Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Nursery on immediate left.
July 13 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum Redwoods in the Valley 9:30 am, Wyatt Deck, UC Davis Arboretum. Learn all about these amazing trees, including the pros and cons of growing redwoods in the hot Central Valley. The event is free; parking is free on campus on the weekends. For more information, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit http://arboretum75th.ucdavis.edu/redwoods-in-the-valley. Cool, even on the hottest summer days, the T. Elliot Weier Redwood Grove in the UC Davis Arboretum offers visitors a welcome respite in July. Find out more about growing these majestic beauties by attending this free guided tour.
July 14 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: CARTER MEADOW LASSEN NATIONAL FOREST Meet at Chico Park Ride west lot (Hwys 32/99) in time to leave by 8:30 am with lunch, water, hiking gear, sun/ insect protection and money for ride-sharing. Call leader for alternate meeting location. We will drive up Hwy 32 about 39 miles to Elam Campground and turn right onto the graded gravel USFS road 9 miles to the Pacific Crest trail head. It is an easy hike of 1.5 miles to the PCT and a spectacular overlook of Mt. Yana caldera with Butt Mt on north rim, Lake Almanor to the east and Humboldt Peak to the south. Highest elevation is 6,660 ft. Time permit- ting, we will return to follow Carter Creek through several small meadows to the larger Carter Meadow where wild- flowers should be at their peak splendor. Leaders: Woody Elliott 530-342-6053, Wes Dempsey, 530-342-2293. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org
Photo:The fragrant Bourbon Rosa ‘Madame Isaac Pereire’.
July 17 – Redding: Shasta Rose Society Monthly Member Meeting Program The Society meets each month, with the exception of July, August and December, on the third Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm at Building 4, Room 401 at City of Redding Corporation Yard, 2055 Viking Way, Red- ding, California. The meetings are held for the purpose of presenting an educational program. Admission is free to the general public. For more information: http://shastarosesociety.org/Shasta_Rose_Society/Home.html
Photo: The dynamic seed pod/dispersal mechanism of the Geranium sanguineum.
July 20 – Chico: The Plant Barn’s Annual Summer Soiree! 10 am – 4 pm, join the Flower Floozies and Supertunia as they regale the soul of summer with flowers, specials, music, and good humor all around. For more info: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Plant-Barn/33387602063?ref=ts
July 20 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens Workshop: PINK DAY PINK DAY! Please join us on Saturday, July 20th and help us raise money for breast cancer research. A percentage of all sales on this day will be donated to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Pink Day is an event held by independent garden centers in the U.S. and Canada to raise money for breast cancer research. “To Plant is to Believe in Tomorrow”. Wyntour Gardens, 8026 Airport Rd (1 mi. South of the Redding Airport, next to Kents Mkt). 530-365-2256/inform@wyntourgardens.com. www.wyntourgardens.com
July 22 – FULL MOON
July 27 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk with Horticultural Manager Lisa Endicott 10:30 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.
July 27 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens Workshop: SUCCULENT TOPIARY WORKSHOP 10am. From picture frame boxes to lizard topiaries, plant a living work of art! Participants will receive a discount on all supplies purchased for this class. Our classes are always free, please sign-up to reserve your space. Wyntour Gardens, 8026 Airport Rd (1 mi. South of the Redding Airport, next to Kents Mkt). 530-365-2256/inform@wyntourgardens.com. www.wyntourgardens.com
Photo: The pinwheels of ripe seeds on California native Spheralcea ambigua.
July 27 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: HAT LAKE TO PARADISE MEADOW LASSEN VOLCANIC NATIONAL PARK Meet at Chico Park Ride west lot (Hwys 32/99) in time to leave at 8:30 am. Wear sturdy shoes. Bring lunch, water, sun/insect protection, hiking gear, and money for ride sharing. Take your park pass if you have one. We will drive Hwys 32 and 89 a distance of 86 miles to the trail head in Lassen Park. For wildflowers during midsummer, Paradise Meadows is one of the best areas in the park and one of botanist Vern Oswald’s favorite places for flowers in the park. The meadow, at 7200’ has a glaciated head-wall for a scenic backdrop. Elephant head and Gentian near Hat Lake; scarlet gilia along the first mile, satin lupine in timbered openings; columbine, lu- pine, monkshood, penstemon, Copeland’s owl’s clover, bog orchid in the meadow. From the trail head at Hat Lake the trail climbs 700 vertical feet over a distance of 1.4 miles to Paradise Meadow. Call leader for alternate meeting place. Leaders: Gerry Ingco 530-893-5123; Wes Dempsey 530-342-2239. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org
Photo: Sedum flower head in the early morning sun.
To submit plant/gardening related events/classes to the Jewellgarden.com on-line Calendar of Regional Gardening Events, send the pertinent information to me at: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com
Did you know I send out a weekly email with information about upcoming topics and gardening related events? If you would like to be added to the mailing list, send an email to Jennifer@jewellgarden.com.
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.
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