- Author: Anne Schellman
Giving Tuesday is November 29, 2022! Please join us in this opportunity to give to your local UCCE Stanislaus County Master Gardener Program. Your dollars are used locally to make our county a better place.
Thanks to generous donations from individuals like you, as well as in-kind donations and funding from sponsors, our Sensory Garden has been installed! In fact, the last landscaping step, adding mulch, will be done by volunteers on Giving Tuesday!
These photos show our Master Gardeners installing drip irrigation donated by Hunter Industries, and plants donated by Frantz Nursery.
Where can I see the Sensory Garden?
This garden is located on the east side of the Stanislaus Building, at the main entryway. The garden will be used
The Pollinator Garden
Thanks to a generous donation from the West Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, we are starting our Pollinator Garden. The Great Valley Seed Company donated milkweed seeds which will be planted in the garden, too. Next week, volunteers will be installing irrigation and planting.
How You Can Help
Any amount you can donate helps us grow our gardens and our program! The purpose of the gardens is to showcase low-water use plants the public can see anytime. In addition, the areas will be used as outdoor classrooms to teach topics such as drip irrigation, pollinator gardening, plant identification, low water use gardening, and more!
Our Goal
We are looking to raise $5,000 to help with irrigation installation, tools, seeds, and other needed materials. We are a 501 c (3), so your donation is tax-deductible. https://ucanr.edu/sites/givingtuesday/ This site allows you to give by credit card. (A fee is taken for the use of a credit card.) If you would prefer to give by check, make your check out to “UC Regents” and mail it to:
UCCE Master Gardener Program
3800 Cornucopia Way, Ste A
Modesto, CA 95358
Thanks for your support!
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- Author: Anne Schellman
Locally, our program gives classes at libraries, community gardens, garden clubs, our Harvest Hall facility at the Ag Center, and to senior centers. We also help answer questions in person, online, and by phone. We are currently working on two gardens that will act as outdoor classrooms. You may remember that we raised funds for them last year. Here is an update on their progress.
The Sensory Garden
Our Master Gardener Sensory Garden Committee has been busy researching which plants to use for the garden, and creating a landscape plan that includes water-wise plants. Recently, we used part of the donated funds to remove some of the original plants in need of replacement. Next steps are amending the soil to prepare for the installation of the drip irrigation system. Thanks to Hunter Industries for donating irrigation supplies!
By the end of the summer, the soil will be amended, the drip irrigation installed, and this fall, we will begin planting. Grover Landscape Services Inc. has generously agreed to donate plants for this space. The remaining funds we have will be used for a water feature and a few benches, however it won't cover all of this cost. In addition, so we are looking for funding for hardscapes, mulch, and amendments for this garden.
The Pollinator Garden
This garden will not only showcase plants for pollinators, it will include a demonstration pollinator hedgerow. These hedgerows will demonstrate to farmers how they can help provide food for pollinators, while at the same time use hedgerows as visual screens and windbreaks.
Thanks to a generous donation from the West Stanislaus Resource Conservation District, we will have the funds to remove the turf in the area where we want to plant the garden. One of our Master Gardeners, Rhonda Allen, who created the La Loma Native Garden in Modesto, is creating the plan for this landscape. We plan to remove the turf in late summer, prepare the soil and irrigation, and be ready to plant in fall. Once we reach that step, we will work with Modesto Junior College Nursery to grow plants for this space. We are looking for funding for plants, hardscapes, mulch, and amendments for this garden.
Our Program
By donating to your local UCCE Master Gardener Program and UC ANR, you help extend the knowledge and resources of the University to your community.
Mark your calendar, spread the word, and stay tuned for more details! Join us at noon and be the first to give—or visit us anytime during the 24 hour giving day. Make your gift then share your support on social media using #Giving Day or call a friend to let them know what's happening. We hope you will join us on May 19-20!
/h3>/h3>/h3>- Author: Anne E Schellman
We raised $2,675 towards our Sensory and Pollinator gardens! Combined with Big Dig Day (June 2020) and Giving Tuesday (November 2020), this brings our grand total up to $5,195!
We are still in the preparation phases of working out our irrigation system but will keep you posted as plans for the gardens progress.
Again, thank you for your support, and remember that you can give at any time. Visit https://donate.ucanr.edu/?id=3_16_1_37
- Author: Anne E Schellman
Despite COVID-19, the Sensory and Pollinator Garden committee volunteers have been hard at work, drawing up their “wish list” of desired plants, path materials, benches, and other structures. Our goal today is to raise $3,000 more for the gardens.
We envision accessible gardens not only for employees of the Ag Center, but for anyone to visit and explore. Bring a picnic lunch, snap photos of plants (and their name tags) and get inspired by plant arrangements.
Donate Now
Please make your gift for #BigDigDay https://ucanr.edu/sites/BigDig/ now to help us fund the Sensory and Pollinator Gardens! Navigate to Stanislaus County, and then using the drop-down menu, select “Master Gardener Fund.” Your donation will go directly to help fund the garden. You can also send a check made out to UC Regents to 3800 Cornucopia Way Ste A, Modesto, CA 95358.
We have just learned that thanks to matching gifts from UC ANR, $100 will go to the first 40 groups that raise $500 or more total, a $250 prize to the first 4 groups with the most NEW donors, and a $500 prize will go to the first 10 groups that secure a single $500 gift or sponsor. Please donate as soon as you can to help us match our funds, and thank you for considering our project!
/h3>- Author: Anne E Schellman
Our goal is to raise $3,000 towards our future Learning Landscape theme gardens. Our first two themes are:
- Sensory Garden
- Pollinator Garden
About the Gardens
The Sensory and Pollinator Gardens will be located at the Ag Center on 3800 Cornucopia Way near the Stanislaus Building and serve as an outdoor classroom where we will offer future classes. It will also be a place for visitors to observe plants and their care in the landscape. The plants will have signs so you can snap a photo and remember what to get on your next trip to a nursery or garden center. The gardens will be maintained by Master Gardener volunteers.
The Sensory Garden
Our group of volunteers who designed this garden see it as a space for plants that soothe the senses and help you relax. Plants you can see, touch, smell, or even hear.
The Pollinator Garden
The volunteers designing this garden want to create a paradise for bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, and other pollinators.
We need your help!
The #BigDigDay site is counting down the time until June 4 when you can give credit card donations. If you'd like to donate with a check, please make it out to UC Regents and send it to the Master Gardener Program, 3800 Cornucopia Way Ste A, Modesto 95358.
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