By Cindy Weiner, Butte County Master Gardener, May 6, 2016.

Imagine a library with thousands of books lining the shelves. Then imagine that instead of books, dried and mounted plant specimens fill those shelves. Such a systematic collection of dried plants is called an herbarium. The Chico State Herbarium, with more than 117,000 specimens, was founded in the early 1960's by Chico State Professor Kingsley Stern with specimens donated by Professor Vesta Holt. The Herbarium's primary emphasis is the rich botanical diversity of the north state, but there are also specimens from southern California, other states and even other countries.

The Chico State Herbarium's collection includes both native and naturalized plants (naturalized plants grow in the wild but are non-native).  Each specimen has a label which lists the scientific name of the plant, its collector's name, the date it was collected, and information about where it was found, including elevation, geographic location and description of the habitat where the plant was growing. This information is added to an online database maintained by the Consortium of California Herbaria, a group of 32 herbaria in California plus three out-of-state institutions with sizeable collections of plants from California.  After a specimen has been added to the database, it is filed in a cabinet according to its plant family, genus and species.

All it takes is access to the internet to be able to retrieve information about any of the more than 2 million specimens represented in the database without having to visit the herbarium where a particular specimen is kept.   But sometimes an in-person visit to the herbarium is necessary. The Chico State Herbarium has hosted researchers from a variety of institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution, the University of Washington and even a Japanese university.

Sometimes specimens are lent to other institutions. The Chico State Herbarium recently lent 148 specimens of slime mold to a researcher at the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Traditionally herbaria were a resource for identification and documentation of plants, but their nature has changed in the last 50 years. The information on collection labels and the DNA contained within the plant are rich sources of scientific data about geographic range, evolution of new species, patterns of diversity, introduction and spread of invasive species, and global climate change. Past and current conditions can be compared with an eye to planning for future conditions.  Therefore, in addition to botanists and other researchers, conservation and land managers find the Herbarium a valuable resource.

Biological sciences professor Colleen Hatfield is director of the Chico State Herbarium;  Lawrence Janeway is part-time curator of the collection. Volunteers and student interns do the mounting, databasing and filing. A group of supporters called Friends of the Herbarium (FOH) raises money to pay for equipment and the curator's salary. FOH has a regular program of events and workshops that are open to the public. Some of the workshops are designed for botanists, but others are of general interest, such as recent workshops on botanical illustration and wreath making.

Located in Holt Hall room 129, the Chico State Herbarium is open to the public every Friday from 8-5. There are dissecting microscopes and an extensive reference library available for use. Volunteers can help identify plants, from the latest weed invading one's garden to the wildflowers in a favorite photo.

For further information, see the following websites:
Chico State Herbarium
Friends of the Herbarium
Consortium of California Herbaria

By Barbara Ott, Butte County Master Gardener, May 20, 2016.

Gridley hosts the Butte Country Fair each August.  The dates for this coming Fair are August 25 to August 28, 2016.

The word “fair,” like so many other words in English, comes to us from Latin. The closest meaning of “fair” is the Latin feria, meaning “free day” or “holy day.”  In medieval times fairs were often connected to saints' days and included agriculture, commerce and socialization.  In North America fairs became secular and centered on agriculture and livestock.  Over time, they not only became important venues for education in agriculture and animal husbandry, but also places where friendly competition and entertainment took place.

The Butte County Fair provides both individuals and organizations throughout Butte County with a venue in which to show off their unique products and skills. We can see the many facets of Butte County expressed through the various exhibits at the Fair, where agriculture, livestock, cooking, and gardening are primary categories of competition.  Ribbons, plaques, and premiums are awarded in these categories.

The Flower Bowl building on the fairgrounds is a good example of friendly competition among gardeners.  Each year the Adult Floriculture Department of the Fair presents one of the largest cut flower exhibits in the North Valley.  In 2015, for example, this department featured more than 600 exhibits of cut flowers.   And this number does not even include the other plant divisions represented at the Flower Bowl: in addition to Cut Flowers, the divisions include Flower Design; Container-Grown Flowering Plants; Container-Grown Foliage Plants; Hanging Plants; Cactus and Succulents; Herbs; Fairy Gardens; and Terrariums.

While individual gardeners and plant breeders are the primary contributors to many of these divisions, there are two specific areas where organizations compete.  Local garden clubs and other organizations contribute displays to the Flower Bowl Booths, keyed to a distinct theme each year.  For 2016 there will be entry fees for the plant divisions and booth division.  Premiums will be paid to the top three winners in every division.  In addition, there will be a new area outside of the Flower Bowl building comprised of four-foot by four-foot plots.  Here, local garden clubs will be able to show off their own unique contributions and skills.  There will be no fee attached to these new plots this year.

Amateur gardeners and floral designers are encouraged to enter in all of these divisions.  Think about entering your most successful plants: maybe a favorite rose bloom or a wonderful outdoor container you have planted with an eye-catching combination of flowers and grasses. Have you made a fairy garden or a terrarium lately?  Come show off at the fair.  Let others see your accomplishments, and you might even place as a winner and get a premium. 

More information about the specific Butte County Fair divisions and their requirements are outlined on the Fair's website, at Butte County Fair.  This year the Fair Entry Book will be entirely online, simplifying the process of entering and paying entry fees.

Even if you don't enter an exhibit, come and experience the joys of horticulture at the Butte County Fair this summer!

By Cindy Weiner, Butte County Master Gardener, June 3, 2016. 

Many people are interested in making their gardens more water-efficient. This often involves replacing lawns and other water-loving plants with those that are less thirsty. Many California native plants are good choices for residential gardens, but sometimes when you're looking at a one-gallon pot in a nursery it is difficult to envision that plant in its fully-grown state.  Visiting local gardens that use native plants in their landscaping is one way to see what a plant looks like at maturity and how it fits in with other plants.  Luckily in the Chico area we have access to several public gardens featuring native plants.

The Alice B. Hecker Native Plant Garden at Chico Creek Nature Center was planted in the late 1980s. While some plants have been replaced over the years, many are original and were propagated by members of the Mount Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. Some of these, like leather oak and California nutmeg, are rarely seen in gardens. The garden beds represent different local habitats, such as foothill or riparian. Fully-grown Oregon ash, elderberry and redbud trees provide shade for California bush anemone, Western bleeding heart, pipevine and mock orange. Spreading daisy, soaproot and several species of sage grow in sunnier areas. This garden demonstrates how a native garden will look after a couple of decades of growth.

The gardens at the Gateway Science Museum (at 625 Esplanade in Chico) include a native plant pollinator garden planted in 2013. These plants were chosen especially for their value to birds, butterflies, bees and other insects. Many of the plants provide nectar or pollen for the adult pollinators. Some insect larvae feed on leaves. The garden includes many different species of sun-loving sages and buckwheats. Showy milkweed is the host plant for larval monarch butterflies, and several monarchs go through complete metamorphosis in the gardens each year. The Gateway Gardens have been so successful at attracting both honeybees and native bees that it is one of 60 gardens in the state chosen to participate in the Urban California Native Bee Survey conducted by the UC Berkeley Urban Bee Lab. This is an established, but still young and developing, garden.

There are two native plant gardens at the Butte County Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden at Patrick Ranch. The Native Plant Garden was planted in March of 2015 as a showcase for native plants that are beautiful in bloom but are also easy to grow and easy to find in native plant nurseries. Three different species of penstemon provide brilliant color in the spring. Three species of buckwheat flower into early summer, and California fuchsia attracts hummingbirds from summer to fall. The Native Plant Wildlife Garden was planted in December of 2015. Each plant in this garden is attractive to wildlife as a source of food or shelter. Some of these plants can be a little tricky to grow or hard to find. Some of the more unusual plants here include woolly blue curls, hot rock penstemon and brittlebush.

Public native gardens such as these are an excellent resource for anyone planning a more water-wise home garden.

By Michael-Anne Foley, Butte County Master Gardener, June 17, 2016.

Are you are confused by plant catalogs or magazine articles using different climate zone maps to describe the appropriate environment for particular plants? You are not alone.

The two primary climate zone maps used in the United States are the USDA plant hardiness zones and the Sunset zone guide.  Most (but not all) mail-order plant catalogs indicate the appropriate USDA zones for their plants, while many nurseries in the West use the Sunset system.  Since nurseries often source at least some of their plants from big commercial growers, at the same nursery you might find some plants labeled with their USDA hardiness zones, and others labeled with their Sunset zones.  It is not surprising, then, that people often find the whole subject of plant-appropriate climate zones confusing.

The USDA plant hardiness map divides North America into 11 hardiness zones. Zone 1 is the coldest; zone 11 is the warmest. When you order plants from catalogs or read general garden books, you need to know your USDA zone in order to be able to interpret references correctly.

The 2012 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map compiled by the USDA and Oregon State University is based on the annual average minimum winter temperature over a 30-year period, and is divided into zones of 10 degrees each, further sub-divided into “a” and “b” zones of 5 degrees.  Since 1990, the zone boundaries have shifted in many areas.  Zones on this relatively new 2012 map are generally 5 degrees Fahrenheit (a half zone) warmer than those indicated on the previous map. This data was accumulated over the 30-year period before 2005; the more recent zone map based on this information was released in January of 2012.

The USDA map is now available as an interactive GIS-based map, for which a broadband Internet connection is recommended, and also as static images for those with slower Internet access. Users may also simply type in a ZIP Code and find the hardiness zone for that area.  For example, using the USDA Hardiness Zone map, Chico, Oroville and Paradise are all located within Zone 9a (minimum winter temperatures of 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit).  Although this is a useful plant hardiness index it has some important drawbacks:  for example, it puts the Olympic rain forest into a zone with parts of the Sonoran Desert.

Gardeners in the western United States are sometimes confused when confronted with these 11 Hardiness Zones created by the USDA.  A more useful index is the 24-zone climate system published in the Sunset Western Garden Book in collaboration with the University of California. The Sunset climate zone map for gardening was devised in the mid-20th century for thirteen western states.  It has been expanded to include areas across the U.S., providing a more useful alternative to the USDA zone system.

The 24 Sunset Zones are determined by a number of factors to help gardeners identify the most appropriate plants for their needs.  Winter and summer highs and lows are used to provide information about the temperature extremes in the region. Weather patterns like humidity, rainfall and heat are considered.  The Sunset Zones also take into account specific environmental conditions like prevailing winds, day length and soil type.

The greater precision of the Sunset system is evident in our local area:  Chico is in Sunset zone 8, Paradise is in Sunset zone 7, and Oroville is in Sunset zone 9.  Because the Sunset zone maps are more precise than the USDA's, they are considered the standard references for gardeners in the West.  So, when you purchase plants for your zone, be sure you are using the right zone map!  Sunset's zones 7 and 8 are much warmer than the USDA zones 7 and 8; mixing up the systems might well result in planting the wrong plant in the wrong place.

And keep in mind that even within a city, a neighborhood, or a street, microclimates can affect how plants grow.  For example, planting tender citrus against a wall that absorbs daytime heat places it in a micro-climate that is warmer than a more exposed area.  The zones are a guide and a good starting point, but you still need to determine for yourself what will and won't work in your garden.

For further information, check the following websites:

Sunset Climate Zones for Northern California

USDA Plant Hardiness Zones

What is my climate zone?