Our Gardening with Succulents Workshop is back! Sign up for our Saturday, May 4th class just in time to make the perfect gift for Mother's Day (Saturday, May 11, 2024).
Give the gift of an experience, or make a gift for your mother, grandmother, favorite aunt, or someone in your life you'd like to honor.
Participants will learn how to identify succulents, care for them, and create a succulent design in a hand-made, wooden box. You can also take home succulent pieces to plant in your garden.
When: Saturday, May 4, 2024 from 9:30 a.m. -12:00 pm
Cost: $30
Location: emailed to participants.
Instructors: UC Cooperative Extension Stanislaus County Master Gardeners Roxanne Campbell, Rho Yare, and Sandy Mann.
Sign Up: Space is limited, register by paying online at https://ucanr.edu/succulents/2024
If you can't pay by credit card, we will accept cash or check if paid before April 5. Email aschellman@ucanr.edu or call (209) 525-6800 and ask for Anne to arrange to pay ahead.
This class does not accept walk-ins, payment must be made ahead of time.
Put on your rain gear and join us this Saturday, Saturday, April 13th 2024 from 10am – 2pm at the Pollinator Festival. at the La Loma Pollinator Garden on 2000 Encina Avenue in Modesto.
- A pollinator parade starts at 10:15 a.m. so wear a costume and join in! Enjoy face painting, music, and more.
- Stop by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener booth to see our insect collection, spin our fun prize wheel, and "win" a packet of flower seeds or a bug or butterfly sticker.
- Hear a UCCE entomologist speak about the importance of pollinators at 11:45 a.m.
We hope to see you, rain or shine!
- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Entire cultures have developed around teas. The British have their afternoon teas, the Japanese the tea ceremony, in India it is a symbol of hospitality, and Russia has its samovar to heat water for tea. There are also myriad designs and versions of tea pots and cups.
History of Tea
In the 1700s American colonists drank tea, just like the British. Every American school child learns about the Boston Tea Party of 1773, which was in response to a tax placed on tea by the British. As a result of the despised tax, coffee replaced tea as the number one drink in the Colonies. Today, bottled water, coffee, soft drinks, and alcohol are more popular than tea in the USA. However, worldwide, after water, tea is the most popular beverage.
I have always associated growing tea with countries that have cooler, wetter climates, and acidic soils including China, Japan, and India. However, I recently learned there are areas in eastern and northwestern USA where tea is grown. And some people here in California's Central Valley are growing tea also!
Caffeinated Teas
- White – plucked (harvested by hand) and withered (dried gently by air to remove water content)
- Green – plucked and fixed (exposed to heat)
- Black – plucked, withered, oxidized (dried and darkened via roasting or steaming)
- Oolong – plucked, withered, shredded and oxidized two times
You can grow C. sinesis using similar methods as C. japonica. Use a pot with an acidic potting mix (for azaleas or camellias). Keep it protected with some shade (particularly during our hot valley summers), providing it with adequate moisture. It can withstand short periods of freezing temperatures.
Herbal Teas
To grow herbal teas indoors you need good drainage, bright light window exposure or a grow light. If growing outside, many annual and perennial plants do well in our area. They will grow in sun or shade in well-draining soil, with different amounts of water, depending on the variety. To grow in containers, use good potting mix, with regular watering, and shade during hot summer days (may need additional watering when temperatures are 90°F+).
Some possible herbal tea plants that will grow in our climate you may want to try out:
- Butterfly Pea Flower – This tea made from dried flowers does not have much of a flavor but is enjoyed because its color is actually blue! A tropical, short-lived climbing perennial, it does well in full sun with regular watering. Plant in spring, harvest blossoms in summer. A fun fact: add lemon to the blue tea and watch it turn purple!
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) – Use German chamomile flowers. Can grow from seed or seedling in the spring in full sun, moderate water. Grows one foot tall to several feet wide. Harvest flowers in summer or fall.
- Jamaica or Hibiscus (Jamaica sabdariffa) – This fruity, floral tea is from fresh or dried calyx (flower sepals/enclosure). Plant seeds in late spring, it grows to 1.5 feet tall in full sun.
- Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) – A light lemon scent from fresh or dried leaves. A sprawling plant, it grows 2-3 feet tall in full sun or partial shade, requires regular water. This aggressive plant is best grown in pots.
- Turmeric (Curcuma longa) – This tea comes from chopped, ground, or sliced turmeric root that has been peeled. It has a golden, earthy color and flavor. It can be started indoors from purchased rhizomes (underground horizontal stems) and moved outdoors once leaves develop.
Harvesting
Drinking Tea
Not all teas are equal. The perfect temperature of water, and length of time to steep teas varies, depending on the tea. There is always so much to learn and enjoy about this beloved beverage.
I hear the tea kettle on the stove whistling! I am going to grab my tea mug, steep my favorite tea (Darjeeling, a black tea from India), and cozy up on the sofa with my book!
Resources
- Camellia sinesis, North Carolina State University Extension –https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/camellia-sinensis/#:~text=Smaller%20young%20leaves%20and%20leaf,the%20buds%20for%20white%20tea
- History and Health Claims of Tea, Cambridge University - https://cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/just-your-cup-of-tea-the-history-and-health-claims-of-the-nations-favourite-brew
- History of Tea, Youtube Ted Talks – https://youtu.be/LaLvVc1sS20?si+dwxBVYl4S-RapDcw
- Where the US Grows Tea – https://www.killgreen.io/main/us-grown-tea
Acknowledgments
With a special thank you to Anne Schellman, UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Coordinator, Stanislaus County for her valuable information based on a talk she created for the program.
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UC Cooperative Extension Master Garden in Stanislaus County since 2020.
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- Author: Denise Godbout-Avant
Bees are pollinators. Pollinators are crucial to the success of flowering plants by transporting pollen, thus allowing fertilization to occur. We would not have fruits and vegetables on our kitchen tables without them. They are vital to California's agriculture industry.
California's wide diversity of habitats supports a corresponding diversity of pollinators. Bees are the main pollinators with butterflies, other insects, and some birds such as hummingbirds also playing important roles. California has an estimated 1,200 – 1,500 native bees and over 200 species of butterflies.
What do Pollinators Require?
Due to climate change, the reduction of native habitats, and environmental chemicals, many pollinators are struggling. Providing plants in our gardens that attract pollinators can produce lovely, colorful landscapes while also benefiting pollinators.
Visit La Loma Native Plant Garden's Festival
You can see native plants that attract pollinators by visiting La Loma's Native plant garden on 1805 Encina Avenue in Modesto anytime. Or attend the Pollinator Festival, a free event held by the North San Joaquin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society on Saturday, April 13th 2024 from 10am – 2pm. Stop by the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardener booth to see our insect collection and get a free packet of flower seeds.
The event will have a pollinator parade at 10:15, as well as face painting, music, food, and more! You can also hear from an entomologist on the importance of pollinators.
Learn More In-Depth Information About Pollinators at Library Talks
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UC Cooperative Extension Master Garden in Stanislaus County since 2020.
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Irish Potato Famine
Prior to the 19th century, Ireland's farmers primarily grew grains such as wheat, oats, and barley. However, by the 1800s, due to a rapidly growing rural population, the Irish began to rely on just one crop – the “Irish Lumper,” a variety of white potato (Solanum tuberosum). It was easy to grow on small farms, even in the worst soil, and provided enough sustenance for impoverished tenant farmers and their families. In the mid-1840s a blight struck potato plants all over Ireland. Leaves would wither with shocking speed and when the tubers were dug up for harvest, they were found to be shrunken, mushy, and inedible.
Known as the “Great Hunger,” by 1851 one million Irish had died of starvation with another million emigrating to other countries, reducing Ireland's population of 8 million by twenty-five percent. With a current population of about five million, it has not recovered to this day. The huge flood of Irish pouring into the United States in the late 1840s had a profound effect on our country, especially in urban areas. By 1850 it was estimated one-quarter of New York City's population was Irish.
Cause of the Late Blight
Late blight affects a wide range of plants, including potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant. Symptoms include brown-purplish spots and lesions on leaves and stems, with white fuzzy growth underneath the leaves, ultimately causing fruit rot and plant death. Late blight continues to be a destructive disease, causing serious agriculture losses worldwide in tomatoes and potatoes.
Late Blight Management
If you suspect your garden potatoes are infected by late blight, bring in a sample to your local UC Cooperative Extension office. You can also learn more about late blight at: https://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/DISEASES/lateblight.html
Saint Patrick's Day
Denise Godbout-Avant has been a UCCE Master Gardener with Stanislaus County since 2020.
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