Session C

Do you garden in a place with poor or no soil? Do you wish you had raised beds, but you’re dreading the expense and effort of filling and constructing them? Straw bale gardening may be an answer! Participants will learn the basics of this gardening system as well as its pros and cons in California.

Since the Greeks put marble fauns in the landscape, people have been accessorizing their gardens with non green “stuff” that adds to the appeal of living outdoors. Walk through your garden with thoughts developed in this—sometimes humorous—look at artistic exterior creations. From watering cans through containers to stained glass, crafts, stone, metal, and truck tires with supplies from the basement to the attic this presentation will excite you with the possibilities waiting to happen for your next season.

Proper pruning of ornamental trees improves their structural strength, maintains their health, enhances their beauty, and increases their value. Proper pruning is a worth while investment and a skill one can develop.   Pruning is one of the most important cultural practices in ornamental tree management. Many people are apprehensive about pruning, but knowing how, when and why to prune will end these fears. Join Dr. James Downer horticulture and plant pathology Advisor with the UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County and learn about the proper training and pruning practices of ornamentals trees.

Capturing a garden or plants’ true beauty is difficult and often times challenging. Come learn tips for using a camera to capture those special moments of nature’s beauty with Ernesto Sandoval, Director, UC Davis Botanical Conservatory and plant photography enthusiast. With over 16 years of experience in photography Sandoval enjoys sharing slideshows to plant friendly people as well as helping them learn from his trial and error approach to plant photography. No experience required.

Installing drip irrigation may seem simple, but there’s a lot to know with all the different ways to use it. We will view and discuss the basic parts from the controller and valve to the end caps, and we’ll focus on different types of drip tubing and emitters. There will also be discussion of design and “looping” the system, as well as the need to be sure you have enough pressure for your system to work correctly. This session will take place in an outside classroom setting.

Many areas of California have climates or microclimates that only occasionally get frost or temperatures that dip below freezing during winter. This affords gardeners the unique opportunity to grow a wide variety of rare fruits that are native to subtropical locations in addition to low-chill temperate zone fruit. Join Tom Del Hotal, as he talks about many of the uncommon fruiting plants that gardeners can enjoy in the warmer areas of California.

Soil solarization is a non-chemical method for controlling soil borne pests using high temperatures produced by capturing radiant energy from the sun. The method involves heating the soil by covering it with a clear plastic tarp for 4 to 6 weeks during a hot period of the year when the soil will receive the most direct sunlight. When solarization treatment is augmented by addition of organic soil amendment(s), it is termed biosolarization.

Under water restrictions? Don’t forget to water the trees! With the removal of lawns some trees have experienced a fast decline and even death. Learn how trees respond to drought, recognize drought symptoms, and the ways help trees survive the drought. Join UC Cooperative Extension Environmental Horticulture Advisor of San Mateo-San Francisco counties Dr. Igor Lacan to learn the dos and don'ts of managing trees during drought or water restrictions.