By Anne Ryder.
Spring is in full swing, and there’s lots to see at the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden: buds, blooms, flowering shrubs, developing fruits, summer vegetable plants! Plus, wildlife: bees, birds, and butterflies. On a recent visit, a tiny hummingbird was taking a rest and enjoying the magnificent view from the top of a lush Valley Oak.
Here there is something for everyone to discover, enjoy, and perhaps try in their own yard or home garden. The Demo Garden is located at 10381 Midway, on the grounds of the Patrick Ranch Museum, and is open for visitors Saturdays and Sundays from 11 am to 3 pm.
There are fourteen specialized garden areas within the Demo Garden. They showcase tenderly-tended plants that will grow well in our Butte County climate, including shrubs, fruit trees, drought tolerant plants, succulents, vegetables, and an heirloom almond orchard, to name just a few.
Enter the Demo Garden through the Patrick Ranch Visitor Center and Gift Shop, but first stop to admire the grouping of flowering shrubs surrounded by the circular driveway in front of the entrance. These are plants that will thrive in our climate with limited water (after an initial year or so when they will need watering regularly). Currently, on one side of this planting area is a Flannel Bush (Fremontodendron) covered with bright yellow flowers, while on the other side is a very happy white-flowering Rockrose (Cistus hybridus). Both are sun-loving drought-tolerant shrubs that will thrive here, even in poor but well-drained soil.
Growing alongside the Visitor Center entrance is a large patch of charming Pincushion flowers (Scabiosa atropurpurea). These easy-to grow flowers complement any spring or summer bouquet, and come in pink, lavender, purple, and white. Right next to the Pincushion flowers is a Coronation Yarrow (Achillea ‘Coronation’) ready to burst into bloom.
Along the right side of the entry, abutting the Heritage Almond Orchard, is a long- stalked Hummingbird Sage (Salvia spathacea). There are almost 90 plants in the Salvia genus that are native to California, and you will find several examples throughout the Demonstration Garden. They all attract pollinators and are drought tolerant. The Latin name, “Salvere,” means to heal or save; and, indeed, salvias are known for their medicinal properties.
Just inside the entrance to the Demo Garden is a low-growing bluish-tinted grass called Siskiyou Blue Fescue (Festuca). This is an ornamental grass which is sometimes planted as a lawn. It is helpful in preventing erosion, and makes a pleasant sight in a perennial bed. Nearby is a beautiful grey-green ground cover, Silver Carpet (Stachys byzantine).
The newly- replanted Herb Garden, with a birdbath at its center, boasts 12 varieties of herbal plants and is definitely worth a look. It might encourage you to grow your own parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, if you aren’t already doing so!
Near the Herb Garden is the Outdoor Classroom area. Designed to seat up to 25 people, this is where the Master Gardeners hold many of the free workshops in their Spring and Fall Series of Workshops each year. The classroom area is framed by a lush grape arbor, one of two arbors which are covered with several different grape varieties that have adapted to our hot summer days.
Next you will see the Espalier Garden, a real work of living art, where fruit trees are being trained to grow flat against a fence or trellis. This technique results in trees that take up less space and fruit that is easier to pick (ideal for smaller gardens). At present, the Arkansas Black Spur Apple (Malus domestica ‘Arkansas Black’) is in blossom. Take the time to look for the tiny fruits that are developing.
Moving on to the Edible Garden, you will see a six-sided raised bin full of healthy strawberry plants, blackberry bushes in bloom, and containers of kitchen garden favorites, including tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumbers.
Other outstanding spring flowering plants to see in the Demo Garden are Brandegee’s Sage (Salvia brandegeei), with its light lavender flowers, and the tall, bright orange Apricot Mallow (Sphaeralcea ambigua).
And don’t miss the stunning Redbud tree (Cercis occidentalis), with beautiful deep pink blossoms now, and welcome shade in the summer months.
You’ll find a map of the Demo Garden available when you visit; you can also view and download it on our Demonstration Garden webpage.
Upcoming Workshops: Looking for in-person garden help and inspiration? The Master Gardeners 2026 Spring Workshop Series continues through May, with sessions on irrigation, weed identification and control, plant propagation, bird-friendly gardening, and bats! For more information on workshops and to register, visit our workshop webpage.. All Workshops are free, but registration is required.
PLANT SALE! Mark your calendar for our plant sale on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 9 am–noon. The sale will be held at the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch, 10381 Midway, Durham. The plants, which are selected to thrive in our climate, have been propagated by UC Master Gardeners of Butte County.
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit the UC Master Gardener website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.