As property owners make plans for their gardens and landscaping this spring, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) is offering a helping hand. The MCWD Cost Share program is offering grants to those who want to help protect clean water by installing raingardens, shoreline or streambank plantings, pervious concrete driveways or other stormwater best management practices (BMPs).

Grants are available to any public or private property located within the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, including residential homes, apartments, businesses, schools or cities. The deadline for most residential projects is May 31.

Polluted stormwater runoff is the biggest threat to water quality across the state and nation. In a natural environment, most rainwater soaks into the ground or is captured by trees or other plants.  

But in developed areas, rainwater runs off roads, parking lots and rooftops and carries dirt, fertilizer, pesticides and other harmful material into lakes, streams and wetlands. The poor water quality that results affects recreation, fish and wildlife, and reduces property values.

“In a sense all landowners have waterfront property, even if they don’t live on a water body,” said Joe Barten, MCWD Cost Share Specialist. “You can do your part to prevent polluted rainwater from entering local lakes and streams. We’re hoping these grants are an incentive to take action.”

The MCWD’s Cost Share programs help property owners make improvements that prevent runoff from occurring. Raingardens are bowl-shaped gardens that collect rainwater and infiltrate it into the ground. Because they typically involve native plants, they require minimal maintenance and beautify the landscape. Pervious pavement allows rainwater to pass through the material and into a drainage system below.

Native shoreline/streambank plantings filter and absorb polluted runoff, prevent erosion by anchoring the soil, deter geese and enhance your yard’s appearance.

The grants can pay for up to 50 percent of these projects, with certain funding limits.

To learn more about the options or to apply for a grant, visit www.minnehahacreek.org/CostShare or contact MCWD Cost Share Specialist Joe Barten at 952-641-4523 or jbarten@minnehahacreek.org.

Headquartered in Deephaven, the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District covers approximately 181 square miles, including Minnehaha Creek, Lake Minnetonka, the Minneapolis Chain of Lakes and Minnehaha Falls.

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Landscaping provides people with a huge array of benefits from shade to rainwater absorption to the prevention of soil erosion and beautification.

But it delivers the maximum number of benefits to humankind and the planet when it is designed in such a way that it works with nature, instead of against it.

“It is a big waste when we spend lots of time, effort and money to keep something alive and then it dies anyway,” explained Mike Curry, adjunct professor with the horticulture department at the College of DuPage.

“We lose the potential for ecosystem and other benefits from landscaping when it does not grow to the correct size or does not survive at all,” he said. “That is why those of us invested in sustainable landscaping believe in putting the right plant in the right place so that no one has to put lots of energy, effort and inputs like water, fertilizer and insecticides into keeping it alive.”

Over the past five years, interest in creating landscaping that does not harm the environment or that enhances it by helping the ground absorb rainwater has skyrocketed among members of the public and landscape professionals, according to Curry.

Curry teaches his students at the College of DuPage about sustainable landscape techniques ranging from the use of rain gardens and rain barrels, to green infrastructure design, the use of permeable pavers, bio-retention design, construction of green roofs and beyond.

“The state of the landscaping industry has changed dramatically since I studied plant horticulture as an undergraduate in the 1970s,” he stated. “We knew then that much of what we were doing was detrimental to the environment, but there weren’t a lot of options. Since then, the manufacturers have been coming out with more products that allow us to create and maintain sustainable landscapes. That has made a huge difference in the industry.”

Curry should know. He also works in sales and marketing at Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies of St. Charles and Virgil, which is a horticultural hardgoods supplier that specializes in “non-plant” landscape supplies, such as mulches, composts, structural soil, nursery containers, aquatic supplies, tools and growing media for landscapes, nurseries and rooftops.

Curry also is president-elect of the Midwest Ecological Landscape Alliance (MELA), a movement dedicated to creating, restoring and preserving sustainable landscapes through education, collaboration and networking. Its vision is to transform the green industry so that sustainable design, materials and methods are the professional standard.

Today, homeowners and those who manage large commercial properties can purchase irrigation controllers with smart technology tied to a weather station so that sprinklers do not go off when Mother Nature has already supplied needed moisture.

In addition, nutrient levels in fertilizers have been reduced so that they don’t run off lawns and into estuaries, fostering the growth of algae which smothers fish. Curry even instructs his students to do soil tests before putting chemicals on a property so that they can potentially cut back on the chemicals used.

“Everything in the ecosystem is tied together,” Curry explained. “You want to minimize the fossil fuels used for landscape maintenance, as well as the labor, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and even water that you use.”

Stormwater should be managed on your property, as well, Curry advised. It should be encouraged to penetrate the ground through rain gardens and permeable pavers, to recharge the water table, instead of diverting it into storm sewers.

“Using plants that are native to this area in your landscape also helps this process because they have deep root systems which help open the ground for more water penetration,” he said.

Keep in mind, he added, that many perennials naturally tend to grow in groupings or communities and therefore, survive better that way. So those who are planting perennials should try to imitate nature and plant their perennials in this same kind of grouping, wherever possible.

Jean Bragdon, operations manager of Lurvey’s Garden Center in Des Plaines, offers a great variety of the plants Curry advocates using, many of which are either native to the Chicago area or are well-suited to our climate and need little tending.

“We are not here to change people’s thinking about their landscaping, but we will help them be responsible and green if they choose to be,” Bragdon, a past president of MELA, explained.

To assist homeowners, Lurvey’s offers handouts and website information (lurveys.com) about suggested plants for different situations, those that “like wet feet,” for instance, versus those that are drought-tolerant.

They also sell many green products ranging from fertilizers that are pet and child-safe, to pavers made of 75 percent reclaimed materials, to tree gators which gather rain water and use it later to water the tree.

“We don’t install these products but offer them to those who want to do it themselves or hire a contractor to do it for them,” Bragdon said. “We tell our customers to look at the whole picture, study the products and plants available and then make their plans.”

She suggests that wise homeowners who cannot afford to execute an entire plan at once plant trees and other large items first, so they can begin to grow and shade their house. Then they should progressively add in the smaller items until the entire plan has been installed.

And if they think that native plants look too weedy for their tastes, consider the many other plants available which are well adapted to the Chicago area and don’t need much attention, such as like Knock Out roses and hydrangeas.

Landscaping provides people with a huge array of benefits from shade to rainwater absorption to the prevention of soil erosion and beautification.

But it delivers the maximum number of benefits to humankind and the planet when it is designed in such a way that it works with nature, instead of against it.

“It is a big waste when we spend lots of time, effort and money to keep something alive and then it dies anyway,” explained Mike Curry, adjunct professor with the horticulture department at the College of DuPage.

“We lose the potential for ecosystem and other benefits from landscaping when it does not grow to the correct size or does not survive at all,” he said. “That is why those of us invested in sustainable landscaping believe in putting the right plant in the right place so that no one has to put lots of energy, effort and inputs like water, fertilizer and insecticides into keeping it alive.”

Over the past five years, interest in creating landscaping that does not harm the environment or that enhances it by helping the ground absorb rainwater has skyrocketed among members of the public and landscape professionals, according to Curry.

Curry teaches his students at the College of DuPage about sustainable landscape techniques ranging from the use of rain gardens and rain barrels, to green infrastructure design, the use of permeable pavers, bio-retention design, construction of green roofs and beyond.

“The state of the landscaping industry has changed dramatically since I studied plant horticulture as an undergraduate in the 1970s,” he stated. “We knew then that much of what we were doing was detrimental to the environment, but there weren’t a lot of options. Since then, the manufacturers have been coming out with more products that allow us to create and maintain sustainable landscapes. That has made a huge difference in the industry.”

Curry should know. He also works in sales and marketing at Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies of St. Charles and Virgil, which is a horticultural hardgoods supplier that specializes in “non-plant” landscape supplies, such as mulches, composts, structural soil, nursery containers, aquatic supplies, tools and growing media for landscapes, nurseries and rooftops.

Curry also is president-elect of the Midwest Ecological Landscape Alliance (MELA), a movement dedicated to creating, restoring and preserving sustainable landscapes through education, collaboration and networking. Its vision is to transform the green industry so that sustainable design, materials and methods are the professional standard.

Today, homeowners and those who manage large commercial properties can purchase irrigation controllers with smart technology tied to a weather station so that sprinklers do not go off when Mother Nature has already supplied needed moisture.

In addition, nutrient levels in fertilizers have been reduced so that they don’t run off lawns and into estuaries, fostering the growth of algae which smothers fish. Curry even instructs his students to do soil tests before putting chemicals on a property so that they can potentially cut back on the chemicals used.

“Everything in the ecosystem is tied together,” Curry explained. “You want to minimize the fossil fuels used for landscape maintenance, as well as the labor, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and even water that you use.”

Stormwater should be managed on your property, as well, Curry advised. It should be encouraged to penetrate the ground through rain gardens and permeable pavers, to recharge the water table, instead of diverting it into storm sewers.

“Using plants that are native to this area in your landscape also helps this process because they have deep root systems which help open the ground for more water penetration,” he said.

Keep in mind, he added, that many perennials naturally tend to grow in groupings or communities and therefore, survive better that way. So those who are planting perennials should try to imitate nature and plant their perennials in this same kind of grouping, wherever possible.

Jean Bragdon, operations manager of Lurvey’s Garden Center in Des Plaines, offers a great variety of the plants Curry advocates using, many of which are either native to the Chicago area or are well-suited to our climate and need little tending.

“We are not here to change people’s thinking about their landscaping, but we will help them be responsible and green if they choose to be,” Bragdon, a past president of MELA, explained.

To assist homeowners, Lurvey’s offers handouts and website information (lurveys.com) about suggested plants for different situations, those that “like wet feet,” for instance, versus those that are drought-tolerant.

They also sell many green products ranging from fertilizers that are pet and child-safe, to pavers made of 75 percent reclaimed materials, to tree gators which gather rain water and use it later to water the tree.

“We don’t install these products but offer them to those who want to do it themselves or hire a contractor to do it for them,” Bragdon said. “We tell our customers to look at the whole picture, study the products and plants available and then make their plans.”

She suggests that wise homeowners who cannot afford to execute an entire plan at once plant trees and other large items first, so they can begin to grow and shade their house. Then they should progressively add in the smaller items until the entire plan has been installed.

And if they think that native plants look too weedy for their tastes, consider the many other plants available which are well adapted to the Chicago area and don’t need much attention, such as like Knock Out roses and hydrangeas.

Landscaping provides people with a huge array of benefits from shade to rainwater absorption to the prevention of soil erosion and beautification.

But it delivers the maximum number of benefits to humankind and the planet when it is designed in such a way that it works with nature, instead of against it.

“It is a big waste when we spend lots of time, effort and money to keep something alive and then it dies anyway,” explained Mike Curry, adjunct professor with the horticulture department at the College of DuPage.

“We lose the potential for ecosystem and other benefits from landscaping when it does not grow to the correct size or does not survive at all,” he said. “That is why those of us invested in sustainable landscaping believe in putting the right plant in the right place so that no one has to put lots of energy, effort and inputs like water, fertilizer and insecticides into keeping it alive.”

Over the past five years, interest in creating landscaping that does not harm the environment or that enhances it by helping the ground absorb rainwater has skyrocketed among members of the public and landscape professionals, according to Curry.

Curry teaches his students at the College of DuPage about sustainable landscape techniques ranging from the use of rain gardens and rain barrels, to green infrastructure design, the use of permeable pavers, bio-retention design, construction of green roofs and beyond.

“The state of the landscaping industry has changed dramatically since I studied plant horticulture as an undergraduate in the 1970s,” he stated. “We knew then that much of what we were doing was detrimental to the environment, but there weren’t a lot of options. Since then, the manufacturers have been coming out with more products that allow us to create and maintain sustainable landscapes. That has made a huge difference in the industry.”

Curry should know. He also works in sales and marketing at Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies of St. Charles and Virgil, which is a horticultural hardgoods supplier that specializes in “non-plant” landscape supplies, such as mulches, composts, structural soil, nursery containers, aquatic supplies, tools and growing media for landscapes, nurseries and rooftops.

Curry also is president-elect of the Midwest Ecological Landscape Alliance (MELA), a movement dedicated to creating, restoring and preserving sustainable landscapes through education, collaboration and networking. Its vision is to transform the green industry so that sustainable design, materials and methods are the professional standard.

Today, homeowners and those who manage large commercial properties can purchase irrigation controllers with smart technology tied to a weather station so that sprinklers do not go off when Mother Nature has already supplied needed moisture.

In addition, nutrient levels in fertilizers have been reduced so that they don’t run off lawns and into estuaries, fostering the growth of algae which smothers fish. Curry even instructs his students to do soil tests before putting chemicals on a property so that they can potentially cut back on the chemicals used.

“Everything in the ecosystem is tied together,” Curry explained. “You want to minimize the fossil fuels used for landscape maintenance, as well as the labor, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and even water that you use.”

Stormwater should be managed on your property, as well, Curry advised. It should be encouraged to penetrate the ground through rain gardens and permeable pavers, to recharge the water table, instead of diverting it into storm sewers.

“Using plants that are native to this area in your landscape also helps this process because they have deep root systems which help open the ground for more water penetration,” he said.

Keep in mind, he added, that many perennials naturally tend to grow in groupings or communities and therefore, survive better that way. So those who are planting perennials should try to imitate nature and plant their perennials in this same kind of grouping, wherever possible.

Jean Bragdon, operations manager of Lurvey’s Garden Center in Des Plaines, offers a great variety of the plants Curry advocates using, many of which are either native to the Chicago area or are well-suited to our climate and need little tending.

“We are not here to change people’s thinking about their landscaping, but we will help them be responsible and green if they choose to be,” Bragdon, a past president of MELA, explained.

To assist homeowners, Lurvey’s offers handouts and website information (lurveys.com) about suggested plants for different situations, those that “like wet feet,” for instance, versus those that are drought-tolerant.

They also sell many green products ranging from fertilizers that are pet and child-safe, to pavers made of 75 percent reclaimed materials, to tree gators which gather rain water and use it later to water the tree.

“We don’t install these products but offer them to those who want to do it themselves or hire a contractor to do it for them,” Bragdon said. “We tell our customers to look at the whole picture, study the products and plants available and then make their plans.”

She suggests that wise homeowners who cannot afford to execute an entire plan at once plant trees and other large items first, so they can begin to grow and shade their house. Then they should progressively add in the smaller items until the entire plan has been installed.

And if they think that native plants look too weedy for their tastes, consider the many other plants available which are well adapted to the Chicago area and don’t need much attention, such as like Knock Out roses and hydrangeas.

Landscaping provides people with a huge array of benefits from shade to rainwater absorption to the prevention of soil erosion and beautification.

But it delivers the maximum number of benefits to humankind and the planet when it is designed in such a way that it works with nature, instead of against it.

“It is a big waste when we spend lots of time, effort and money to keep something alive and then it dies anyway,” explained Mike Curry, adjunct professor with the horticulture department at the College of DuPage.

“We lose the potential for ecosystem and other benefits from landscaping when it does not grow to the correct size or does not survive at all,” he said. “That is why those of us invested in sustainable landscaping believe in putting the right plant in the right place so that no one has to put lots of energy, effort and inputs like water, fertilizer and insecticides into keeping it alive.”

Over the past five years, interest in creating landscaping that does not harm the environment or that enhances it by helping the ground absorb rainwater has skyrocketed among members of the public and landscape professionals, according to Curry.

Curry teaches his students at the College of DuPage about sustainable landscape techniques ranging from the use of rain gardens and rain barrels, to green infrastructure design, the use of permeable pavers, bio-retention design, construction of green roofs and beyond.

“The state of the landscaping industry has changed dramatically since I studied plant horticulture as an undergraduate in the 1970s,” he stated. “We knew then that much of what we were doing was detrimental to the environment, but there weren’t a lot of options. Since then, the manufacturers have been coming out with more products that allow us to create and maintain sustainable landscapes. That has made a huge difference in the industry.”

Curry should know. He also works in sales and marketing at Midwest Trading Horticultural Supplies of St. Charles and Virgil, which is a horticultural hardgoods supplier that specializes in “non-plant” landscape supplies, such as mulches, composts, structural soil, nursery containers, aquatic supplies, tools and growing media for landscapes, nurseries and rooftops.

Curry also is president-elect of the Midwest Ecological Landscape Alliance (MELA), a movement dedicated to creating, restoring and preserving sustainable landscapes through education, collaboration and networking. Its vision is to transform the green industry so that sustainable design, materials and methods are the professional standard.

Today, homeowners and those who manage large commercial properties can purchase irrigation controllers with smart technology tied to a weather station so that sprinklers do not go off when Mother Nature has already supplied needed moisture.

In addition, nutrient levels in fertilizers have been reduced so that they don’t run off lawns and into estuaries, fostering the growth of algae which smothers fish. Curry even instructs his students to do soil tests before putting chemicals on a property so that they can potentially cut back on the chemicals used.

“Everything in the ecosystem is tied together,” Curry explained. “You want to minimize the fossil fuels used for landscape maintenance, as well as the labor, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides and even water that you use.”

Stormwater should be managed on your property, as well, Curry advised. It should be encouraged to penetrate the ground through rain gardens and permeable pavers, to recharge the water table, instead of diverting it into storm sewers.

“Using plants that are native to this area in your landscape also helps this process because they have deep root systems which help open the ground for more water penetration,” he said.

Keep in mind, he added, that many perennials naturally tend to grow in groupings or communities and therefore, survive better that way. So those who are planting perennials should try to imitate nature and plant their perennials in this same kind of grouping, wherever possible.

Jean Bragdon, operations manager of Lurvey’s Garden Center in Des Plaines, offers a great variety of the plants Curry advocates using, many of which are either native to the Chicago area or are well-suited to our climate and need little tending.

“We are not here to change people’s thinking about their landscaping, but we will help them be responsible and green if they choose to be,” Bragdon, a past president of MELA, explained.

To assist homeowners, Lurvey’s offers handouts and website information (lurveys.com) about suggested plants for different situations, those that “like wet feet,” for instance, versus those that are drought-tolerant.

They also sell many green products ranging from fertilizers that are pet and child-safe, to pavers made of 75 percent reclaimed materials, to tree gators which gather rain water and use it later to water the tree.

“We don’t install these products but offer them to those who want to do it themselves or hire a contractor to do it for them,” Bragdon said. “We tell our customers to look at the whole picture, study the products and plants available and then make their plans.”

She suggests that wise homeowners who cannot afford to execute an entire plan at once plant trees and other large items first, so they can begin to grow and shade their house. Then they should progressively add in the smaller items until the entire plan has been installed.

And if they think that native plants look too weedy for their tastes, consider the many other plants available which are well adapted to the Chicago area and don’t need much attention, such as like Knock Out roses and hydrangeas.

Click photo to enlarge

Marin

• The Marin Master Gardeners’ spring plant sale is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 4 at the Falkirk Cultural Center at 1408 Mission Ave. in San Rafael. Call 473-4204 or go to www.marinmg.org.

• Elizabeth Ruiz teaches “Pruning the Acid Lovers: Rhododendrons, Azaleas and Camellias” at 10:30 a.m. May 4 at Sloat Garden Center at 2000 Novato Blvd. in Novato. $5. Call 897-2169.

• A “Celebration of the Bees” event is from 1 to 4 p.m. May 4 at Hillside Gardens at 325 Sycamore Ave. in Mill Valley. Park at Mill Valley Middle School at 425 Sycamore Ave. $35. Call 457-3431 or go to www.superorg.org.

• West Marin Commons offers a weekly harvest exchange at 1:30 p.m. Saturdays at the Livery Stable gardens on the commons in Point Reyes Station. Go to www.westmarin commons.org.

• Volunteers are sought to help in Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy nurseries from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays at Tennessee Valley, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesdays at Muir Woods or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesdays or 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays in the Marin Headlands. Call 561-3077 or go to www.parksconservancy.org/volunteer.

• Gary Bartl of Marin Master Gardeners speaks about “Succulents” at a meeting of the Peacock Garden Club at 11 a.m. May 8 at the Falkirk

Cultural Center at 1408 Mission Ave. in San Rafael. Call 453-2816.

• The SPAWN (Salmon Protection and Watershed Network) native plant nursery days are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays and weekends. Call 663-8590, ext. 114, or email jonathan@tirn.net to register and for directions.

• Glenn Smith of Marin Master Gardeners speaks about “Basic Irrigation for Home and Container Gardens” from 9 to 10:30 a.m. May 11 at the Falkirk Cultural Center at 1408 Mission Ave. in San Rafael. $5. Call 473-4204 or go to www.marinmg.org.

• A Marin Master Gardeners “Beekeeping Introduction” seminar with Serge Labesque is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11 at the Indian Valley Organic Farm at 1800 Ignacio Blvd. in Novato. $50. Call 473-4204 or go to www.marinmg.org.

• The 17th annual Ross Garden Tour, “Beyond the Garden Gate,” is from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 11 starting at Ross School at Lagunitas and Allen avenues in Ross. A free shuttle departs from College of Marin Parking Lot 15 on Kent Avenue in Kentfield. $40 to $50. Call 457-2705 or go to www.ross gardentour.org.

• The Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society’s plant sale is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11 at Green Point Nursery at 275 Olive Ave. in Novato. Call 892-9148 or email torgovitsky@comcast.net.

• The Sonoma Marin Saving Water Partnership’s third annual free self-guided eco-friendly garden tour is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 11. Go to www.savingwaterpartnership.org/programs/eco-friendly-garden-tour to register. Call 707-547-1933 for details.

• A free Marin Bee Company workshop, “The Basics of Beekeeping,” is at 11 a.m. May 11 at Whole Foods Market at 790 De Long Ave. in Novato. Call 878-0455 or go to www.marinbeecompany.com/work shops.html.

• The Marin Rose Society’s annual spring rose show is from 12:30 to 4 p.m. May 11 at the north end of Northgate Mall in San Rafael. Enter your own roses in the show from 7 to 10 a.m. Call 457-6045 or go to www.marinrose.org.

• Marin Open Garden Project (MOGP) volunteers are available to help Marin residents glean excess fruit from their trees for donations to local organizations serving people in need and to build raised beds to start vegetable gardens through the MicroGardens program. MGOP also offers a garden tool lending library. Go to www.opengardenproject.org or email contact@opengarden project.org.

• Marin Master Gardeners and the Marin Municipal Water District offer free residential Bay-Friendly Garden Walks to MMWD customers. The year-round service helps homeowners identify water-saving opportunities and soil conservation techniques for their landscaping. Call 473-4204 to request a visit to your garden.

San Francisco

• The Conservatory of Flowers, at 100 John F. Kennedy Drive in Golden Gate Park, displays permanent galleries of tropical plant species as well as changing special exhibits from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. $2 to $7; free on first Tuesdays. Call 831-2090 or go to www.conservatoryofflowers.org.

• The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society, at Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park, offers several ongoing events. $7; free to San Francisco residents, members and school groups. Call 661-1316 or go to www.sfbotanicalgarden.org. Free docent tours leave from the Strybing Bookstore near the main gate at 1:30 p.m. weekdays, 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. weekends; and from the north entrance at 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Groups of 10 or more can call ahead for special-focus tours.

Around the Bay

• Cornerstone Gardens is a permanent, gallery-style garden featuring walk-through installations by international landscape designers on nine acres at 23570 Highway 121 in Sonoma. Free. Call 707-933-3010 or go to www.corner stonegardens.com.

• The Luther Burbank Home at Santa Rosa and Sonoma avenues in Santa Rosa has docent-led tours of the greenhouse and a portion of the gardens every half hour from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays. $7. Call 707-524-5445.

• McEvoy Ranch at 5935 Red Hill Road in Petaluma offers tips on planting olive trees and has olive trees for sale by appointment. Call 707-769-4123 or go to www.mcevoy ranch.com.

• Wednesdays are volunteer days from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center at 15290 Coleman Valley Road in Occidental. Call 707-874-1557, ext. 201, or go to www.oaec.org.

• Quarryhill Botanical Garden at 12841 Sonoma Highway in Glen Ellen covers 61 acres and showcases a large selection of scientifically documented wild source temperate Asian plants. The garden is open for self-guided tours from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. $5 to $10. Call 707-996-3166 or go to www.quarryhillbg.org.

The Trowel Glove Calendar appears Saturdays. Send high-resolution jpg photo attachments and details about your event to calendar@marinij.com or mail to Home and Garden Calendar/Lifestyles, Marin Independent Journal, 4000 Civic Center Drive, Suite 301, San Rafael, CA 94903. Items should be sent two weeks in advance. Photos should be a minimum of 1 megabyte and include caption information. Include a daytime phone number on your release.

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FLORIDA GARDENING MAY 4-30: with Master Gardener Howard Jeffries, 10 a.m. May 4; 1 p.m. May 16, 30, DeBary Hall Historic Site, 210 Sunrise Blvd., DeBary. FREE. 386-668-3840.

SPRING FLING, MAY 5: vendors featuring vinegars, jellies and baked goods, plants, herbs, nature photography, jewelry, hand-crafted wood, music, poets, children’s activities and more, noon-4 p.m., Sugar Mill Botanical Gardens, 950 Old Sugar Mill Road, Port Orange. FREE. 386-427-9690.

“SHORT SWEET” HORTICULTURE SERIES, MAY 6: presented by Ruth Micieli, Horticulture Program assistant and Master Gardener coordinator, and Louise Leister, Water and Environmental Education Program coordinator with the University of Florida, Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, Flagler County Extension Service, learn how to plan and manage your landscape, based on the Florida Friendly Landscaping principles, 2-4 p.m., Coastal Gardening, Wickline Senior Center, 800 S. Daytona Ave., Flagler Beach. $5 per person, includes refreshments and program materials. Preregistration required: 386-437-7464.

SECOND SATURDAY PLANT SALE, MAY 11: 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, 6400 N. Ocean Shore Blvd., Palm Coast. Regular park entrance fees apply, $5 per car up to 8 people; $4 single occupant. 386-446-6780.

“YES YOU CAN! GROW ROSES IN FLORIDA,” MAY 11: rose workshop with Park Services Specialist Joseph Woodbury, 10 a.m.-noon, Washington Oaks Gardens State Park, 6400 N. Ocean Shore Blvd., Palm Coast. Regular park entrance fees apply, $5 per car up to 8 people; $4 single occupant. 386-446-6783.

ORCHID SHOW AND SALE, MAY 11-12: “Garden of Orchids,” presented by the Volusia County Orchid Society, includes a presentation by ArtHaus, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Volusia County Fair Expo Center, S.R. 44 and I-4, DeLand. $4, 12 and younger free. 386-679-9853.

HYDROPONIC VEGETABLE GARDENING, MAY 15: with Christine Kee, local gardener and wellness educator, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., DeLand Regional Library, 130 E. Howry Ave., DeLand. FREE. 386-822-6430, ext. 20768.

ANTIQUE ROSES, MAY 16: with Master Gardener Pat LeClaire, 1 p.m., Ormond Beach Public Library, 30 S. Beach St., Ormond Beach. FREE. 386-676-4191, ext. 100.

ALL ABOUT TEA HERBS, MAY 18: uses for culinary, tea, aroma, health and the language of herbs, 10-11:30 a.m., Full Moon Natives, 1737 Fern Park Drive, Port Orange. FREE. Reservations requested: 386-212-9923.

ORGANIC GARDENING, MAY 21: workshop with representative from Urban Sunshine garden shop, 2 p.m., Port Orange Regional Library, 1005 City Center Circle, Port Orange. FREE. 386-322-5152, ext. 28.

Note, the Garden will be open this Sunday, May 5th, from 12:00pm – 5:00pm. More details.

The Garden of Cosmic Speculation is a private garden created by Charles Jencks. Located at Portrack House near Dumfries in South West Scotland, the garden is inspired by science and mathematics, with sculptures and landscaping on these themes, such as Black Holes and Fractals. The garden is not abundant with plants, but sets mathematical formulae and scientific phenomenae in a setting which elegantly combines natural features and artificial symmetry and curves. It is probably unique among gardens, and contrasts nicely with the historical and philosophical themes. The garden is private but usually opens on one day each year through Scotland’s Gardens Scheme and raises money for Maggie’s Centres, a cancer care charity named for Maggie Keswick Jencks, the late wife of Charles Jencks. The garden is the subject of an orchestral composition by American composer, Michael Gandolfi, which he composed for a joint commission from the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Music Center. The piece was subsequently recorded by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra conducted by Robert Spano, and nominated for “Best Contemporary Classical Composition” at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

http://www.charlesjencks.com
Photos by Paulus Maximus

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The Gardens of Madison County isn’t just about flowers.

Of course, there are bountiful plantings of roses, Confederate jasmine, daylilies, camellias, geraniums, crape myrtles and more dotting the gardens open for tours this Saturday and Sunday. But, then there are the special touches that make each of the eight gardens unique, like outdoor kitchens, pools, nature trails and bits of artistry unique to the homeowners. Special presentations on flower arranging, cooking, book signings and gardening and landscaping tips are also part of the weekend’s activities.

For the 19th year, Madison-Ridgeland Academy is sponsoring its fundraiser, The Gardens of Madison County. Gardens at seven homes and one on the MRA campus will be open for the cost of a ticket — $12 in advance and $15 on the weekend.

Tickets can be purchased online, www.mragardens.com or at the school before or during the weekend. During the weekend, tickets also can be purchased at any of the garden homes. A ticket covers both Saturday and Sunday tours and events.

“It’s getting bigger and better each year,” said Sherry Kirby, a member of the 2013 steering committee.

Janna McIntosh is opening her home’s garden to the tour this year, but her involvement with The Gardens of Madison County goes back to its inaugural year, when she was a senior at MRA. “I was on the dance team and we served as hostesses,” she said.

As a parent of four, McIntosh has also been involved for years on various committees planning the event. Being a part of the tour this year is different, she said.

Within her backyard at 108 Wildwood Drive are a variety of plants and four separate garden areas for each of her four children. Eleven-year-old Savannah has a bulb garden — “right now, it has lilies,” McIntosh said.

“My 9-year-old is all about bugs and insects so she has a butterfly garden. All the plants in it attract butterflies and dragonflies,” she said about daughter Lydia’s garden.

Katsy Swan traces her love of flower arranging and gardening back to her years at the University of Kentucky, where botany was her favorite class and she turned down a date with a long lusted-after boy to gather wild bittersweet flowers with her father.

“My mother said, ‘You have to be kidding! You’ve wanted to see this guy for months and now here you are saying no,’ Swan recalled. “I said, ‘I know. But this is more important.'”

Swan, one of this year’s six Avenidas Lifetimes of Achievement honorees, has left her mark on the Midpeninsula garden scene, both public and private. She has designed the Stanford Hospital gardens and taken on many private projects.

Swan left her hometown of Lexington, Ky., after graduating from college in 1956 to teach school in Coronado, Calif., where she met her husband, Ben. After moving to Swarthmore, Pa., so he could finish his degree at the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, the two moved back to California. They have lived in the same Palo Alto home for 48 years.

While raising her three children, who all attended Palo Alto High School, Swan volunteered for the Palo Alto PTA. She also started doing flower arranging as a volunteer activity for the Committee for Art at Stanford, creating flower displays for the The Iris B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts (formerly known as the Stanford University Museum of Art), the Thomas Welton Stanford Art Gallery and various fundraisers in the area.

But she got her big break arranging flowers and revamping the gardens at the official Stanford presidential home, Hoover House.

“The gardens at Hoover House are seen by so many people because that’s where they entertain all of their donors,” Swan said. “So the donors wanted to know who did their flowers and who did their garden.”

This exposure helped Swan develop a wealthy clientele throughout the Bay Area, for whom she went to the flower market at 4 a.m. to purchase and condition flowers and then to their houses to decorate and plant.

But she soon realized that many projects needed more than just a garden re-do.

“I’d get there (to a client’s house), and the driveway would be in the wrong place or the deck was in the wrong place, and I would recommend a landscape architect. So I called a landscape architect friend two or three times, and by the third time he said, ‘You need to go get your landscape architecture degree.'”
She started taking night classes at the University of California Berkeley in between tending to Hoover House and other clients’ gardens.

Hoover House was also the catalyst for Swan’s involvement in the Stanford Hospital gardens project. Helen Bing, a major Stanford donor who often had dinner at the house, was serving on an art committee at the hospital at the time.

“(Bing) walked in to go to her first meeting and saw that the landscaping was terrible. She called me and said, ‘If my husband Peter says yes, will you come re-landscape this hospital? It’s a mess.'”
That was 1989. Every year since, Swan has worked on re-landscaping some portion of the gardens, projects that are completely paid for with donations from Bing. Most recently, Swan worked on the main entry way to the new hospital.

“It’s probably the most rewarding thing that I do,” Swan said about the hospital gardens. “You do a lot of beautiful private gardens. I do gardens in Hillsborough and Woodside and all over the Bay Area. But those people, I think because they’re wealthy, they don’t see them as much.”

She also designed the UCSF Cancer Center courtyard garden and the Earth Sciences Courtyard at Stanford.

But Swan’s gardening expertise is not just for the wealthy. She also volunteers at local nonprofit Gamble Garden and the Palo Alto Garden Club, giving lectures and teaching gardening classes.

“They (participants) have access to me without hiring me,” she said. “If they just want ideas, they can come to my classes.”

Swan has also raised money for Gamble Garden for the past 10 years by taking donation-based tours to famous gardens in England, Wales, Scotland, Italy and France.

She continues to design and landscape, with no plans to slow down anytime soon.

“All my other friends are traveling and playing bridge and going for walks and things like that, and I don’t ever envy them. That’s how I know I’m doing what I want to do. I just love what I do. It’s all a challenge.”

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