There is a gem called the Occidental Ecology and Arts Center located in Occidental, California (OAEC). I have been to OAEC several times and most recently, August of this year, during which time, OAEC held one of its seasonal plant sales and tours (note that OAEC is not open to the general public except on days where there are workshops or special events). OAEC is a gem for many reasons--it is an educational hub offering permaculture certification by experts in the field and courses which to teach people to live in community and to acquire skills related to self-sufficiency. However, for purposes of this blog, I will focus on the nursery and the grounds of OAEC, which includes its demonstration gardens.

OAEC boasts the oldest certified organic nursery in California. The stock at the nursery changes according to the season. I come here to find and acquire rare, edible, medicinal and/or otherwise, useful (permaculture) plants that are not available anywhere near Solano County within reason. For those not knowing what to do with these rare plants, OAEC also carries more recognizable annuals. All the plants sold at OAEC are grown on site from OAEC's own extensive seed bank.

The two gardens featured on the OAEC tour are the North Garden and South Garden, which consist of a mixture of edibles interplanted with plants which attract beneficial insects. The vegetables grown here help feed the staff of OAEC who live on-site. I love the fact that OAEC's aesthetic is to allow gardens to grow a bit wild, as it is more natural in appearance and teems with wildlife (see pictures).

OAEC has cleverly employed some of their plants so as to extract multiple uses from them. For instance, the gardeners at OAEC planted a kiwi vine, which is deciduous (meaning the vine sheds its leaves, usually in the autumn or over winter), over the building which faces the South Garden (see picture). The rapid and dense growth of the kiwi vine, cools the building in the summer, and allows heat to enter the building in the winter after the leaves of the vine have withered and fallen off. In addition, the kiwi vine provides a source of food (fruit) to the OAEC community.

There is also livestock (sheep, chickens, etc.) which contribute to the fertility of the OAEC gardens.

Pests which plague OAEC include the gopher (very common in the North Bay and beyond). Interesting trivia--I learned from our guide that 1 acre of land can support 50 gophers and 1 gopher can move 2.5 tons of soil per year.

Also on site, is an outside brick oven which serves the OAEC community and guests of OAEC. The tour guide explained that the oven can attain a temperature of 600 degrees. Because the oven gets cooler each day, the OAEC staff gets creative and figures out what to bake in the oven with each passing day, as the heat dissipates.

There is also an open-air theater on campus which entertains both OAEC staff and visiting guests. OAEC also recently either added or renovated housing units on site for people intending to stay at OAEC for retreat or workshop.

OAEC is definitely worth a trip to see. For more information, please see http://oaec.org/events/

Recently, I blogged on the influx of Oleander aphid (Aphis neril) on Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), which serves as host to the Monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and its larvae.

MONARCH-WATCH ALERT......The week of September 17 begins the annual southern migration of Canada and U.S. monarchs to Mexico. Keep your eyes open for these black-and-orange beauties flitting over gardens.

The late October and early November arrival of monarchs in Mexico coincides with that country's holiday "Dia de los Muertos" (Day of the Dead). Many locals believe the butterflies represent the souls of their departed loved ones, returning to gather in trees and stretch out in shimmering carpet on the forest floor. They roost in Oyamel Fir forests (Abies religiosa), nearly 2 miles above sea level in a unique mountain habitat.

Over the past 20 years, monarchs' numbers have declined by 80 percent. Habitat loss is driven by pesticide use, development and climate change. The Midwestern Corn Belt is the "core" of the monarch's migration range, where most are born on Milkweed plants growing in agricultural fields. This plant is disappearing and the use of Roundup on genetically modified corn and soy crops is s key factor in driving its loss.

In August 2014 the Center for Biological Diversity and partners petitioned to protect the monarch under the Endangered Species Act. Read about the Center's work at:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/species/invertebrates/monarch_butterfly/index.html
Check out maps of this year's southward migration and read more at: https://www.learner.org/jnorth/maps/monarch_all_fall2015.html
Other migration sites:
http://www.monarch-butterfly.com/monarch-migration.html
http://monarchlab.org/biology-and-research/biology-and-natural-history/migration

I was going to write about one of my plants, but when I was getting myself started, I changed my mind. I was still thinking about the presentation that I was involved with on the 8th at the Vacaville Community Center. I had the pleasure of working with fellow Master Gardeners (MG) for the first time.

One of the thoughts that has stayed with me the most since that day is how each presentation takes on a life of its own. The audience participation can change a well made plan pretty quickly. One must be prepared to answer very good questions that had not even flickered in the process of preparing the presentation. It is always a good thing that there are fellow MGs to help to answer when one finds him/herself clueless. That sense of security certainly helps calm my jitters. The pre-presentation rehearsal also helped me immensely to better my part for the actual date.

The other thought that has stayed with me is that the diversity that we MGs bring to the table of our common love of plants is what makes our presentations and interactions with the public so much more interesting than a dry canned lecture on a topic. (Yes, I was thinking back to college.)

Working with different people even though the topic is the same is also a learning experience. The person presenting brings a new light and each time, I have learned something.  

Anyway, overall, the point I am trying to make is this. Especially for the "Newbies" YOU ALL have so much to offer. Don't be afraid to get involved with a group presentation. It is fun, you get to know your fellow MGs from other classes, and you learn more every time. To those with whom I have worked, THANK YOU.

Have you ever wanted to “peek over the fence” into someone's garden? That “secret garden” holds such mystery and fascination for us. How has the space been designed? Are there unique plantings or special features to be seen? Could we create some of those elements in our own garden? We can satisfy some of that curiosity about others' gardens by visiting botanical gardens, community gardens and fine nurseries, or going on local garden tours. Each experience gives us a special peek into the inner workings of a variety of horticultural wonders. Or, without ever leaving home, we can take an intimate look at the gardens of the world by finding them in a wonderful book.

A perfect place to start is with an historical overview of “the garden”. An excellent example is
Writing the Garden: A Literary Conversation Across Two Centuries by Elizabeth Barlow Rogers, 2011 (David R. Godine, Publisher: ISBN978-1-56792-440-4) Reading this book is like walking through the arches of history into a beautiful garden of our imaginations. Ms. Barlow Rogers, a garden historian, is the president of the Foundation for Landscape Studies and the founding president of the Central Park Conservancy and the perfect guide to lead us on our tour.

In her book, the author brings to life a selection of gardeners' writings from across the past two centuries—writers as accomplished with their pens as they were with their pruning shears. Their writings range from the practical to the philosophical and always reveal the culture and attitudes of their times. Each writer displays an understanding and passion for the subject, and, as Ms. Rogers claims, each selection is a “classic among books about gardens and gardening that we can read and reread simply for pleasure.” Her compilation begins with some of the earliest and most influential gardeners and writers of their time, including Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), who viewed gardening as “horticultural picture making”. Writing the Garden makes its way through two centuries to finally capture the ideas of today's devoted gardeners and master garden writers. In the final chapters we hear from, among others, Michael Pollan and Allen Lacy. Each selection in Ms. Barlow's fine book reaches across time and space to draw us into the infinite pleasures and possibilities of “the garden”. Filled with lush historical paintings to highlight the inspiring verbal pictures, this little book is a gem.

Tell us about your favorite books, essays or articles related to gardening, horticulture or botany.
Let's begin an on-line book club!