Vista Garden Club’s 78th Standard Flower Show: Event showcases horticulture, flowers, plants and floral designs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 6 at the Jim Porter Recreation Center, Brengle Terrace Park, 1200 Vale Terrace Drive in Vista. The flower show is free, and the public can enter cut flowers, shrubs, trees, potted plants, fruits or vegetables in the show. There will also be a large plant sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 6. Visit vistagardenclub.org or call 760-822-0383.
San Diego Zoo’s Garden Festival: See the zoo’s foliage and insects with during displays, tours and tastings from May 10 to 13. Examples include the renovated carnivorous plant bog, a millipede, edible plants and bug snacks. Dr. Zoolittle will present his Gross Bugs show, and moms (presumably) will enjoy the orchid house. The festival is free with paid admission to the zoo: $42 for ages 12 and up and $32 for children ages 3 to 11. The zoo is in Balboa Park at 2920 Zoo Drive in San Diego. Visit sandiegozoo.org .
Visit a botanical garden: A couple of area botanical gardens are participating in the American Public Gardens Association’s annual National Public Gardens Day on May 11. Visit the Better Homes Garden website, npga.bhg.com, to download a coupon for free admission on May 11 only to San Diego Botanic Garden in Encinitas, Alta Vista Gardens in Vista and the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon. Visitors to the Water Conservation Garden will receive 20 percent off purchases in the garden nursery on May 11 and 12. The garden will also offer a class on basket making from noon to 4 p.m. May 11 ($35); publicgardens.org .
Plant sale at Alta Vista Gardens: Members of the garden and the MiraCosta Horticulture Club will be selling varieties of tropicals, lilies, tomatoes, staghorn ferns, succulents and 8-inch hanging strawberry baskets from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 12. Alta Vista Gardens is at the top of the hill in Brengle Terrace Park in Vista, 1270 Vale Terrace. Visit altavistagardens.org .
“First Bloom Celebration and Rose Show”: The Temecula Valley Rose Society’s show will feature hundreds of locally grown roses and floral arrangements from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 12 at the Rose Haven Heritage Garden. The event will also feature music, floral artwork, plant and gift sale, and activities for children. Rosarians will field questions about rose care and cultivation. There is a $2 suggested donation. The garden is at Jedediah Smith Road and Cabrillo Avenue in Temecula. Visit temeculavalleyrosesociety.org or call 951-693-5635.
Fallbrook Branch of the American Association of University Women’s Country Garden Tour: Tour seven gardens, including the sculpture garden of local metal sculptor Jim Helms, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 12. The tour begins at the Palomares House, 1815 S. Stage Coach Lane in Fallbrook. Helms’ sculptures are mostly made of scrap metal and are among beautiful plantings in his yard. Get a glimpse of the natural give-and-take on display at that mini ecosystem that is Diane Kennedy’s permaculture garden. Jane McKee’s garden uses trees, shrubs and flowers that require little water yet look vibrant. Tickets are $25. Proceeds fund scholarships. Call 760-728-8700.
Art in the Garden Tour: San Dieguito Art Guild presents its 18th annual Mother’s Day weekend tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 12 and 13. Visit several North County homes and stroll through the gardens to view original works of art by members of the San Dieguito Art Guild. The collection of art will include original drawings, paintings, fine art prints, sculptures, photographs, gourd art, jewelry and more. Each home will serve refreshments. Tickets are $20 and available at Off Track Gallery, 937 S. Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. Admission includes souvenir booklet and map. Proceeds benefit the guild. Visit offtrackgallery.com/tour.
Mother’s Day Tea and Cookies Under the Flowers: Weidner’s Gardens’ fourth annual event allows mothers of all ages to enjoy goodies at tables set with linen and china under canopies of blooms from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 12 and 13. Seattle artist Linda Alley’s ceramic teapots and teacups will be suspended above plants in the gardens and patios. Mothers and their families can admire fuchsias, begonias and impatiens. Weidner’s Gardens is at 695 Normandy Road in Encinitas. Visit weidners.com or call 760-436-2194.
Coronado Historical Home Tour: The Coronado Historical Association presents its annual tour from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 13. The self-guided tour will feature six homes built before World War II, including a Craftsman designed by William Sterling Hebbard in 1898 to a two-story Colonial revival mansion constructed for a Navy captain in the mid 1930s. Tickets are $35 by April 20 and $40 after, and can be purchased at the Coronado Visitor Center, 1100 Orange Ave., or by visiting www.coronadohistory.org or calling 619-435-7242.
Escondido Mother’s Day Home Tour: The 15th annual Old Escondido home tour is from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 13. Five homes in the Old Escondido Historic District, most of them on Sixth Avenue, will be part of the tour. The home are within a six-block area and there is a fairly steep hill to ascend. Comfortable walking shoes are strongly encouraged, and no high heels are permitted in any of the tour homes. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 that day. Tickets are available at Rosemary Duff Florist, 101 W. Second Ave. in Escondido, or the Escondido History Center in Grape Day Park. Visit oldescondido.org or call 760-291-7206.
Remodeled home tour: The San Diego chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers presents a self-guided tour of five recently remodeled residences from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19. The “Spaces Re-Imagined and Re-Invented” tour will feature designers at each location who will discuss design challenges and solutions, and answer questions. The homes are in La Jolla, San Marcos, Rancho Bernardo and Ramona. The San Diego Country Estates home in Ramona was originally owned by tennis star Bobby Riggs. Tickets are $25 and available at www.asidsandiego.org . Tickets will also be available at all tour sites.
San Diego Floral Association’s “Rosecroft Revisited: Historic Gardens of Point Loma”: The association’s tour from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 19 showcases the Rosecroft estate, including viewing of some of its public rooms. The Italianate mansion was designed by Emmor Brooke Weaver for the Alfred D. Robinson family in 1912. Robinson was a begonia breeder and a founder of the San Diego Floral Association. Five other Point Loma gardens are part of the tour. There will also be an arts and crafts marketplace, and a plant sale sponsored by the Point Loma Garden Club. Tickets are $20 in advance or $25 that day. Tickets available in North County at Walter Anderson Nursery in Poway and Weidner’s Gardens in Encinitas. Visit sdfloral.org/tours.htm .
Palomar Cactus and Succulent Society plant sale: The society’s event runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 19 at Alta Vista Gardens in Vista. At 10 a.m., group president Peter Walkowiak will give a lecture on growing succulents. At 12:30 p.m., Alta Vista Gardens CEO Bryan Morse will give a tour of the garden. Succulents grown by members and vendors will available for purchase. Picnic lunches are encouraged. Alta Vista Gardens is at the top of the hill at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista, 1270 Vale Terrace Drive. Email palomarcactus@cox.net or call 760-741-7553.
MEETINGS
Begonia Society: Mabel Corwin Branch of the American Begonia Society meets at 12:30 p.m. May 6 at Kartuz Greenhouses, 1408 Sunset Drive in Vista. Meeting will include a tour of the nursery, and plants will be available for sale. Call 760-815-7014.
Dos Valles Garden Club: Meets from 10 a.m. to noon May 8 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 31020 Cole Grade Road in Valley Center. Speaker Francie Spears and Ollie the bat are featured in the program “Bats Are Our Garden’s Best Friends.” Visit www.dosvallesgardenclub.org or call 760-751-0290.
Lake Hodges Native Plant Club: Meets at 2 p.m. May 22 at Rancho Bernardo Library, 17110 Bernardo Center Drive. David Shaw, a farm agent for the San Diego County Extension Service, will talk about how to better control pests in gardens. Visit lhnpc.org or call 858-487-6661.
Ramona Garden Club: Meets at noon May 9 at the Ramona Woman’s Club, 525 Main St. Aloe authority Kelly Griffin, who hybridizes aloes, will speak and bring some of his specimens to sell. Visit ramonagardenclub.com or call 760-789-8774.
San Diego Cymbidium Society: Meets at 7 p.m. May 16 in the Ecke Building at San Diego Botanic Gardens, 230 Quail Gardens Drive in Encinitas. Harry Phillips will speak on “Mounted Orchids, Fact and Fantasy.” Phillips co-owns Andy’s Orchids with his brother, Andy. His passion in orchids are in the genera Sobralia and Elleanthus. Phyllis Prestia leads a culture class about orchid pests at 6:30 p.m. Email billtcwong@att.net or call 760-931-0502.
San Diego North County African Violet Society: Meets from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 8 in the Community Room at the Vista Library, 700 Eucalyptus Ave. in Vista. The club will have a display of violets grown by members. Judge Hans Inpijn will give suggestions on how plants can be improved. Also, nominations and election of officers. Members and guests can enjoy coffee, tea and desserts. Email mueller3054@sbcglobal.net or call 760-433-4641.
CLASSES
Alta Vista Gardens: The gardens at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista offers “Kids in the Garden” classes. The two-hour classes are $5 per child, per class (family rates available; free with membership to Alta Vista Gardens); visit altavistagardens.org or call 760-822-6824. Alta Vista offers “Kids in the Garden” at 10 a.m. every second Saturday.
• 10 a.m. May 12: Nature planting, along with a treasure hunt and hike with Farmer Jones.
Sustainable garden maintenance workshop: Participants will learn about irrigation, pruning and plant soil from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 26 at MiraCosta College, 1 Barnard Drive in Oceanside. Instructor Lynlee Austell-Slayter will talk about making irrigation more efficient, pruning shrubs and trees and improving plant and soil health through disease control and mulching. The $20 fee includes lunch. The workshop will feature a translator for Spanish speakers. Email laustell@cox.net or call 619-339-7087.
HOME AND GARDENING RESOURCES
Free electronic waste collection in Encinitas: The Solana Center for Environmental Innovation is holding e-waste drop-off events from 9 a.m. to noon during every fourth Saturday. Recycle San Diego will collect the items. Dates: May 26, June 23, July 28, Aug. 25, Sept. 22 and Oct. 27; Solana Center, 137 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas; solanacenter.org or 760-436-7986, ext. 213.
Compost bins for sale: The nonprofit organization Solana Center for the Environmental Innovation sells compost bins from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at 137 N. El Camino Real in Encinitas. There are bins for vermicomposting (worms) and bins for regular composting. Gardeners can use compost to enrich soil and boost plant vigor, conserve water, reduce the need for fertilizer and fight pests. Doing so, advocates argue, diverts valuable organic matter from landfills and reduces the amount of waste that’s transported from neighborhoods to waste disposal and processing centers. Encinitas residents pay $35 for either bin. Carlsbad residents pay $50 for regular compost bins or $40 for worm bins. Bins are $89 for residents of other cities. Visit www.solanacenter.org .
Native plant garden: Anthropology students at Cal State San Marcos have teamed with the San Diego Archaeological Center to create a native plant garden, which highlights ethnobotany, conservation and sustainable design. The center is at 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road in San Pasqual Valley. Go to www.sandiegoarchaeology.org or call 760-291-0370; closed Sundays and Mondays.
ReStore offers building supplies: ReStore is a discount building supplies store run by San Diego Habitat for Humanity. The store stocks granite, plants, door hinges, lighting, bathtubs, appliances, cabinets and more at 10222 San Diego Mission Road in San Diego. Sales from the store help fund projects for Habitat for Humanity; in the past year, sales have helped to build four homes. Donations accepted; go to www.sdhfh.org/restore.php (also find information about volunteering at the store). ReStore is open 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
Ask the Designer: The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon offers 45-minute landscape consultations with a professional designer by appointment. Those interested should bring photos of the house and the area to be redesigned, as well as photos of a favored design. Consultations are $75 each; make an appointment by emailing info@thegarden.org or calling 619-660-0614, ext. 10.
Less guesswork: The Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon is offering a full-color plant list with photos called “Nifty 50: Plants for Water Smart Landscapes,” that shows gardeners an easy way to select drought-tolerant plants. Each listed plant is noninvasive, easy to maintain and drought-tolerant. Free copies available at the garden, or visit www.thegarden.org.
Smoke alarms installed: The Burn Institute is offering free smoke alarm installations to qualified seniors in San Diego County. Seniors must be 55 or older, own their own homes and live in San Diego County to qualify for the ongoing program. Email ffurman@burninstitute.org or call 858-541-2277, ext. 13, to make an appointment. Go to burninstitute.org.
Water-efficient garden open: Oasis Water Efficient Garden, which offers wholesale and retail sales, is open at 10816 Reidy Canyon Trail in Escondido, next to Fentiman Farms. The garden specializes in cactuses and succulents, as well as other drought-tolerant materials. Oasis is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays-Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays; go to www.oasis-plants.com or call 760-744-8191, ext. 3550.
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