At the Sacramento
River Discovery Center’s
two acre garden the recent
cooler weather has
spurred a flurry of activity.
The work in the garden
continues to be accomplished
by a group of fantastic
volunteers.
Spending some place
between one hour and ten
hours a week they have
changed the appearance
of the garden and have
started to do some
replanting.
Some of the new plants
have come from stock in
the garden, but working to
replace some plants lost
over the last few years the
Center has purchased
plants from California
Native Plant Society
members and Floral
Native Nursery.
New maps of the gardens
are being created to
help create different areas
for different types of landscape
needs.
The new version
will have a variety of
sections.
One will feature,
only local region, drought
tolerant natives, meaning
that once established, the
plants should survive the
summers using a miminal
amount of water.
Another section will
feature native plants and
grasses that will need
shade and water during
the summer months.
There will be section that
will feature plants that are
drought tolerant and deer
resistant, but may not be
native to this section of
Northern California.
The garden has produced
some wonderful
native grasses such as
feather grass, maidenhair
and deer grass, Volunteer
Executive Director Bobie
Hughes said.
We will
have a good quantity of
these to sell at the
Fall
Fest Plant Sale from 9:30
am to 1:30 pm on Nov. 3.
With climate change a
reality it is important that
we work of preserve as
many different native
species as possible.
The
plants original locale
might be changing so we
are going to see if we can
help plants survive in
warmer and/or cooler and
drier conditions. It will be
like a large science experiment.
The SRDC will be
investing the monies
earned from the Plant
Sale to expand the number
of species grown and
we test to see about their
ability to withstand our
cold winters and hot summers.
Bill Greer of Bill
Greer’s landscaping and
one of the original garden
workers, is helping the
SRDC plan and install a
new timed water system.
Alsco Irrigation will be
helping the SRDC with
some donations of the
much needed materials.
Starting with larger
diameter piping and modern
emitters and sprayers
the garden should be even
more beautiful and take a
lot less of the gardener’s
time, Greer said. I will
be happy to help people
learn how develop a timed
system as well as to do
repairs with existing system.
Greer has spent 25
years in the landscape
business, in this area.
I will be happy to
meet with anyone looking
do convert to low water
use landscaping, Greer
said.
You can see my
work in the front of the
Pauline Davis pavilion at
the Fairground.
The SRDC is always
looking for volunteers to
help with the many projects,
including planting
of wild flower seeds and
propagating plants for the
Watershed Plant Sale.
The Center is at 1000
Sale Lane in the Mendocino
National Forest’s
Red Bluff Recreation
Area.
The Center will be
open Tuesday thru Saturdays
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
until Nov. 15. After that
date the Center hours will
be 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. To set
up group visits call 527-
1196 or e-mail Bobie
Hughes at
bhughe1@tehamaed.org or visit the website:
www.srdc.tehama.k12.ca.us.
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