PHOTO: Salvia ‘Phyllis’ Fancy’ catching late-fall morning light.
Some months are all about the busyness of doing and getting things done – April and December, for instance; some months are all about just being and surviving – the overexposed heat of July and the grey cold of February come to mind.
Still other months seem to be more about feeling. November is one of these. November is a month of rich sensory experience. It’s about turning leaves and falling light, the sharp, tangy taste of late fall fruits and early winter greens, the scent of cedar and evening wood fires, the sound of first winter winds, the bite of first frost, the lull of warm late fall afternoons saturated in color.
PHOTO: Fall trees.
If I did nothing whatsoever in my garden this month other than feel my way through – looking, listening, smelling, tasting and touching, my garden might even be better for it. Who knows, with keener powers of observation and the knowledge gained from just this, I might be a better gardener for it?
PHOTO: Mustard greens in the vegetable garden.
Some timely gardening activities if you must do something this month include continuing to plant for winter and early spring – onions, garlic, greens, sweet peas, eating peas, perennials and decorative spring bulbs. Winter crops in the edible garden could use a slow release organic feed mid-month, and while we are waiting for rains, keep watering the vegetable garden, your containers and recently planted trees, shrubs and perennials. Continue to compost or mulch with your leaf fall, discarding any diseased material. As you notice them, divide your overcrowded perennials and replant or give away as starts.
PHOTO: Frost on the leaves of a species geranium.
As we get closer to first frost or as frost becomes more frequent, keep protective covering at the ready to extend your late summer bloomers such as salvias, and to keep your tender winter plants, such as citrus, happy. Before frost becomes more frequent, consider flushing and turning off your irrigation system for the winter, and winterizing your water features and ponds. It’s nice for my hens if I get to giving the chicken coop a thorough cleaning before the holidays.
The November calendar of North State gardening events is full of offerings to help you feel your way through the month. The On-line Calendar of North State Gardening Events at jewellgarden.com adds events throughout the month. I do my very best to keep the calendar up-to-date and accurate, please confirm all events with the event host. If you have an event you would like listed, or if you are aware of a mistake on the calendar, please send all pertinent information to: Jennifer@jewellgarden.com. Thanks!
PHOTO: Architecture in the garden.
NOVEMBER
Nov 1 2 – Chico: Geffray’s Gardens OPEN FALL GARDENS SALE from 9:00 AM until 4:00 PM. There will be more than 10,000 Cacti and Succulents on sale at 20 to 40% off. They range from tiny plants in 2″ pots to large specimens in 15 gallons tubs. We now have a large selection of Hardy Cacti and Succulents for landscaping (dry garden, rock garden). Among them: Agaves, Opuntias, Trichocerei, Ferocacti, Echinopsis, Yuccas, Cylindropuntias, Sempervivums, Sedums, etc… They can be bought bare root from the growing beds, or in different size containers.We also carry a nice selection of Clay and Ceramic pots of all sizes at 15 to 20% off marked price. Our custom made cactus mix is available in small ,and big bags. Geffray’s Gardens is now on Facebook: I invite you to visit us there. We are located at 741 Carper’s Court. From Esplanade take East Avenue toward Hwy 32. Turn right on Alamo Ave, cross Henshaw Ave, go another 200 yards. Carper’s court is the first private road on your right. There will be signs in the adjacent streets. For further information , please call Claude at 345 2849. Sorry we do not accept credit cards at this time. We are open by appointment ONLY at any other time. Thank you for calling first. (7 days a week)
Nov 2 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: 10 Mile House to Big Chico Creek Upper Bidwell Park, Chico 8:45 Meet at Chico Park and Ride West Parking Lot (HYWS 99 32). Wear Hiking shoes, bring lunch, water sun screen/bug protection, and money for ride sharing. Call the leader for an alternate meeting place. We will drive 9 miles East on Hwy 32 to the Green Gate Trail. Fairly steep 2 mile walk in and out – we will see buckeye and black oak in fruit, as well as an old fig and persimmon near an old spring and homestead site on this historic Wagon Trail. Leader: Gerry Ingco (530-893-5123) and Wes Dempsey, phone (530-342-2239).
Nov 2 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS FIELD TRIP: Brandy Creek Falls 9 am meet. This is an easy, four-mile, largely shaded round-trip hike to Brandy Creek Falls at Whiskeytown National Recreation Area. A good portion of the trail is under a dense canopy of tanoak with little understory. This is a good example of plant succession following clear-cut logging of the area in the early 1960s. Walk leader David Ledger will identify many riparian plants along the trail, and a plant list will be provided to participants. Meet at Redding City Hall’s south parking lot on Parkview Avenue at 9 AM. No dogs, please. For more information, call David at 355-8542. For more info: http://www.shastacnps.org
Nov 2 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Charlie Rabbit and His Friends 10:30 am. Join us the first Saturday of every month for an interactive program in the Gardens (or Greenhouse when it rains) for children, their siblings, parents and Grandparents. Join Charlie, our adorable jack rabbit puppet, in various gardening activities. Wear your favorite gardening clothes! Presented by Dennis and Sherrill Bambauer. Free with park admission! Meet at the Arboretum Botanical Gardens Office (1135 Arboretum Drive next to Nursery Greenhouse)
Nov 2 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum COMMUNITY PLANTING DAY: California Native Plant GATEway Garden 10 a.m.-12 p.m., California Native Plant GATEway Garden (behind the Davis Commons Shopping Center). In two hours participants in this community planting day will be responsible for kicking off the transformation of a once empty lot behind the Davis Commons Shopping Center to vibrant green space filled with flora specific to the lower Putah Creek watershed region. The event is free; participants are encouraged to walk or bike to the event, however parking is available nearby. Interested? Find out more and register to attend here: https://first-community-planting-day.eventbrite.com/
Nov 2 – Chico: 33rd Annual Farm City Harvest Celebration at Bidwell Mansion CNPS Mt. Lassen Native Plant Sale 10 a.m.- 2 p.m., The mission of the Farm City Celebration is to increase understanding about the value of agriculture to the urban community and show its importance to all within Chico and the surrounding communities. A FREE family fun event featuring activities including: kids arts crafts, interactive animal displays, bounce house, calf roping, antique and modern farm equipment, butter churning, food booths, nutrition education, bee demonstrations, Bidwell Mansion tours, food available from Madison Bear Garden, plant sale, horse-drawn carriage rides and much, much, more. Bring your family and enjoy this great day at the home of Chico’s first farmer, John Bidwell.
Nov 2 – Chico: Magnolia Gift Garden Fall Bulb Planting Workshop 10:30 am. Hosted By Trish This is a Free event here at Magnolia Gift Garden Learn all you need to know about planting Bulbs in the North Valley this time of year. For more info: magnoliagardening.com
Nov 2 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Winterize your Pond 11 am. Join Join Sherrie to learn how to get your water features ready for winter! Please note all of our classes are free, Please Call or Email to reserve you seat. 8026 Airport Road – Redding, CA. 96002 – 530-365-2256 – Email Us: inform@wyntourgarden.com. Hours of Operation: Monday thru Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Nov 2 – Chico: Chico State Herbarium Annual Meeting and Open House and Special Guest Lecture: Dr. Barry Rice: “Murderous Plants – Carnivorous Plants – that’s what?” 129 Holt Hall, CSU, Chico. Open House and Native Plant Photos Contest Viewing at 3 pm, Meeting at 4 pm; Dr. Barry Rice will speak at 4:30 in Holt Hall Room 170. For more information: http://www.csuchico.edu/biol/Herb/friends/Annual_Meeting_2013.pdf
Nov 3 – Daylight Savings Time – Clocks fall back one hour
Nov 6 – Chico: Cultivating Community North Valley: Hedgerow Workshop With Lee Altier Zeb Putterbaugh of FLoral Native Nursery Wednesday, November 6th 4:00 – 5:30 P.M. Organic Vegetable Project At the CSU Farm – 311 Nicholas C. Schouten Lane This workshop will discuss how to select perennials that will attract pollinators to your farm or garden, as well as how to plant, irrigate and maintain your perrenial hedgerow. Participation is open. No maximum occupancy for this workshop. Pre-Registration is required at cultivatingcommunitynv.org. Priority is given to Income-Eligible participants. Price for Income-Eligible participants: Free. Income-Ineligible participants may sign up for the waiting list: If there is space we will contact you within one week of event. Cost will be $10. Paid day of event at sign-in table. For more info: http://cultivatingcommunitynv.org
Nov 6 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society regular Monthly Meeting Program by Lawrence Janeway, “Three for the price of one” By: Lawrence Janeway, District Botanist – Feather River Ranger District: USFS. 7:30 pm Chico Butte County Library. For more information see website at mountlassen.cnps.org
Nov 8 – Anderson: Anderson Valley Garden Club Monthly Meeting 12 noon – 1 pm, public welcome. Anderson Valley Garden Club meets the 2nd Friday of each month at the Anderson City Hall Community Room unless otherwise stated. Meeting begins at noon. For more information call Nancy: 530-365-2014. Fri Jul 12, 2013 12pm – 1pm Anderson City Hall Community Room
Nov 9 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum GUIDED TOUR: Native American Uses of California Plants 11:00 a.m., Buehler Alumni Visitors Center, UC Davis campus. Enjoy an engaging, family-friendly tour of the Native American Contemplative Garden and discover traditional uses for a variety of California plants. Free parking is available in the Gateway District Parking Structure on Old Davis Road across from the Mondavi Center. For more information and directions, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/calendar.aspx.
Nov 10 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: OLD USDA Plant Introduction Station and Arboretum Meet at the gate of the Mendocino Natl Forest Genetics Resource Center on Cramer Lane at 10 am. The station was established in 1904 as a research center to test plants from around the world for their use in agriculture, industry and medicine. Leader: Gerry Ingco (530-893-5123) and Wes Dempsey, phone (530-342-2239).
Nov 11 – Paradise: Paradise Garden Club Regular Member Meeting Horticulture/Gardening Program Where: Terry Ashe Recreation Center, 6626 Skyway, Paradise When: 12:30 PM Program: Begins 1:00 PM. Speaker: TBD Topic: TBD General Membership Meeting follows program. Plant Sale, Benefit Drawing, Refreshments. For more info: http://www.paradisegardenclub.org
Nov 13 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum Walk with Warren: Exploring Oaks from Around the World 12 p.m.-1 p.m., UC Davis Arboretum Gazebo, UC Davis campus. Join Warren Roberts, the Superintendent Emeritus of the Arboretum and famous storyteller and punster for an always engaging noontime exploration of fall at the UC Davis Arboretum’s west end gardens. The event is free; limited free one hour parking is available along Garrod Drive near the Gazebo or in nearby Visitor Parking Lot 55 where parking can be paid by meter or by purchase of an $8 daily pass. For more information and directions, please call (530) 752-4880 or visit http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/calendar.aspx.
Nov 13 – Chico: Chico Horticultural Society Regular Member Meeting 9:30 am. Refreshments and socializing 9:30 – 10 am, Program 10 – 11 am. Business meeting: 11:15 – 12 noon. Please join us for our monthly meetings and programs to learn more about home gardening and horticulture in Chico, Butte County and beyond. More information, call or email Chico Hort President Carol J: ajcarol@aol.com or 530-345-4824.
Nov 13 – Chico: North Valley Orchid Society Regular Member Meeting 7 pm. in the Conference room at the CARD Lakeside Pavilion 2565 California Park Drive Chico* ( SEE DIRECTIONS BELOW) PLEASE NOTE the change!!! We are pleased to welcome back Dr. Nick Burnett who will speak on “Orchids and Integrated Pest Management” Orchid growers are often frustrated in dealing with insect pests in their collection. This talk introduces Integrated Pest Management (IPM) as a safer and more ecologically rational approach to dealing with orchid pests. Supported by research from UC Davis, IPM seeks to offer safer and less expensive alternatives for dealing with the nastier things in your orchids. Nick will be bringing plants to our raffle table as well bringing plants to sell. Nick is an Accredited American Orchid Society Judge and a newly minted UC Master Gardener. He grows paphiopedlums and phragmipediums at his house in Sacramento. He recently retired as a Professor of Communication Studies from Sacramento State and is a regular speaker at orchid societies around Northern California. Refreshments will be served. Direction: Take Hwy 32 , past the Hwy 99 underpass and turn left on Bruce road. After several blocks turn right on California Park Drive. The Pavilion will be on your right. Turn right after the lake. Lots of parking! For additional information, contact Tricia Edelmann @ 891-4224
Nov 16 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Sustainable Landscaping, A Healthier Garden and Yard 10 am – 12 noon. Learn some easy and practical ways to make your landscape sustainable from Master Gardener, Doug Mandel. This broad-ranging program will cover many topics, and give you practical methods on improving urban water quality and conservation, using safe pest management practices, recycling and composting, reducing energy, and encouraging wildlife in urban areas – all while still having a beautiful landscape! Members and Turtle Bay volunteers FREE, nonmembers $3 Meet at Arboretum Botanical Gardens Office – 1135 Arboretum Drive (Next to Greenhouse in Nursery) Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Nursery on immediate left.
Nov 16 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Wire Basket Workshop 11 am. Join Ellen and create a living work of art to enjoy throughout the year! Please note all of our classes are free, Please Call or Email to reserve you seat. 8026 Airport Road – Redding, CA. 96002 – 530-365-2256 – Email Us: inform@wyntourgarden.com. Hours of Operation: Monday thru Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Nov 16 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS FIELD TRIP: Oregon Gulch Outing 9 am meet. This fieldtrip will be on 385 acres of City of Redding owned land in southwest Redding. Seven organizations in the area, including the Shasta Chapter CNPS, are advocating keeping this land as open space, preserved as a natural area. This area is gray pine-blue oak woodland with extensive chaparral and a riparian stream that is federally listed for steelhead trout. We will walk the length of the area and identify plants along the way. This hike will be 3 to 4 miles, mostly level but on uneven, undeveloped trails, steep in a few areas, with a 200 ft. elevation climb to great views of western mountains. Meet at Redding City Hall parking lot on Parkview Avenue at 9 AM to carpool to the trailhead. No dogs, please. For more information call David Ledger at 355-8542. For more info: http://www.shastacnps.org
Nov 16 – Chico: Chico Permaculture Guild Monthly Meeting 1 – 4 pm Butte County Library. CPG EDUCATION/WORKSHOPS: 1. Permaculture design concepts -The next step after learning the Ethics and Principles of Permaculture is Design Basics. Over the next few months we will help members understand mapping (using Google Earth and more), assessment/analysis (water, access, structures etc.) and the different types of design overlays (sectors, zones, etc.). We will spend approx. 45 minutes during each gathering (through March 2014) on this topic. 2. November PermaBlitz at W. Lindo Gardens… yes, we’re trying to make this happen. Scheduling has been problematic. NEWS/UPDATES: 1. Finally! The lowdown on field trips, workshops and excursions that happened over the summer/fall:
Joan’s trip to Beacon Food Forest in Seattle,
Sherri’s medicinal herb workshop in the Bay Area,
Geoff Lawton talk in Sacramento attended by Elena and Gary, Joan, Rik, Brian and Stephanie and
Edible Forest Garden workshop Stephanie and Brian attended in Reno, NV with Eric Toensmeier. 2. CSLL update and work party schedule. WHAT TO BRING: 1. Please bring a small dish to share as well as your own dishes, utensils and cup for the POTLUCK –beverages (sun tea) will be provided. 2. If you have anything in SURPLUS (vegetables, eggs, fruit, seed, plant starts etc.) please bring it along and we’ll ‘Share the Surplus’ after the Potluck.
Nov 17 – FULL MOON
Nov 18 – Cottonwood: Cottonwood Garden Club Regular Member Meeting 10 – 12 pm. Cottonwood Cummunity Center, 20595 Gas Point Road (behind the little league fields). The meetings are educational and social with a potluck following meetings. Different speakers teach a variety of topics from scarecrow making to attracting birds into your garden. Call 530-347-3852 for more information.
Nov 21 – Chico: Mt. Lassen Chapter of the California Native Plant Society FIELD TRIP: Trees of Bidwell Mansion and CSU, Chico Arboretum 10 AM. Trees of CSU Chico Bidwell Mansion. Meet in front of Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park. Leaders: Gerry Ingco, phone (530)893-5123 Wes Dempsey, phone (530) 342-2239.
Nov 21 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS Regular Monthly Meeting Program: Jay Terri Thesken for a photo presentation of their month-long trip to Chile in March 2013 7 – 9 pm. Shasta College Health Science University Programs building, downtown Redding, 1400 Market Street, Community Room 8220 (Southwest corner of Market Tehama Streets). Chapter business followed by Jay Terri’s slide presentation. They covered about one-third of this very long country and saw fantastic forests of Araucaria, or monkey puzzle, trees as well as several Nothofagus (beech) species and other plants foreign to us. The public is welcome and encouraged to attend Chapter Meeting. Meet at 7 PM at the Shasta College Health Science University Programs building in downtown Redding, 1400 Market Street, Community Room 8220 (clock tower building at the north end of the Market Street Promenade; enter on south side of building). For more info: www.shastacnps.org
PHOTO: A sweep of beckoning, waxy-cap mushrooms brighten the forest floor. Photo Courtesy of John Whittlesey.
Nov 23 – Chico: Friends of the Chico State Herbarium WORKSHOP – DISCOVERING FUNGI How to Find, Name, and Learn about the Hidden World of Mushrooms with Debbie Viess of the Bay Area Mycological Society 9 am – 4:30 pm. Meet in 129 Holt Hall, CSU, Chico. A day long workshop dedicated to discovering and understanding the mysterious world of mushrooms. Debbie Viess of the Bay Area Mycological Society will lead us into this world. Debbie, aka “Amanitarita,” is a biologist and naturalist, writer and artist. A former zoologist and animal behaviorist, she was seduced away from her work with the furred and feathered by the fascinating world of fungi, and has been seriously obsessed with various fungal studies, and especially the genus Amanita, for over twenty years. A long time Bay Area resident, she is the Co-Founder of the Bay Area Mycological Society (BAMS!). Debbie has written about mushrooms extensively both online and in print. The workshop will meet Saturday, November 23rd, 2013, at 9:00am, in Holt Hall, room 129 at CSU Chico. After a brief classroom introduction to fungi in their myriad forms, and a bit of training on how to find and collect them in the field, we will carpool to the Big Chico Creek Ecological Reserve for several hours of mushroom hunting. We will return to the lab in the early afternoon and spend the remaining time discussing and attempting to identify our collections. Participants should dress for being both indoors, and outdoors in field exploration mode – i.e.with boots, hat, etc. – and with rain gear if conditions require. Bring lunch and water, a personal copy of “Mushrooms Demystified” by David Arora to help in your own identifications, both in this class and in your (hopefully) mushroom-filled future! An optional copy of the pocket field guide, “All that the Rain Promises and More…,” by the same author, can also prove useful to you in the field. Also bring a basket or cloth grocery bag with a flat bottom and wax sandwich bags brown are best).How to Find, Name and Learn about the Hidden World of Mushrooms The registration fee is $100.00 personal, $125.00 business, $90.00 for members of Friends of the Herbarium, $40.00 student (only 2 seats available at the student price). Please register in advance; class size is limited to 25 participants (class cancelled without a minimum of 10 participants). For information about workshop content or logistics please contact John Whittlesey at johnccnd@gmail.com. For more information about workshop registration please contact the Biology office at (530) 898-5356 or jbraden@csuchico.edu.
Nov 23 – Chico: Plant Barn and Gifts WORKSHOP: Dig to Share: Perennial Dividing Workshop 11 am. Divide and share perennials swap-no charge. Bring perennials to swap. Learn to dig and divide perennials if you are new at it! Saturday at 11 am. Bring your divisions or come see what can be shared and just how to do it! Kind of like a seed swap-only dirtier! The Plant Barn 406 Entler Chico CA 95928 345-3121. www.the plantbarn.com
Nov 23 – Redding: Wyntour Gardens: Centerpiece Workshop 11 am. Join Wendy and create a centerpiece for the holidays! Please note all of our classes are free, Please Call or Email to reserve you seat. 8026 Airport Road – Redding, CA. 96002 – 530-365-2256 – Email Us: inform@wyntourgarden.com. Hours of Operation: Monday thru Saturday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Sundays: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Nov 24 – Davis: UC Davis Arboretum COMMUNITY PLANTING DAY: California Native Plant GATEway Garden 10 a.m.-12 p.m., California Native Plant GATEway Garden (behind the Davis Commons Shopping Center). In two hours participants in this community planting day will be responsible for kicking off the transformation of a once empty lot behind the Davis Commons Shopping Center to vibrant green space filled with flora specific to the lower Putah Creek watershed region. The event is free; participants are encouraged to walk or bike to the event, however parking is available nearby. Interested? Find out more and register to attend here: https://first-community-planting-day.eventbrite.com/
Nov 24 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS PLANT PROPAGATION SESSION 10 am meet. Two-hour work session starting at 10 AM at the Shasta College greenhouses. The greenhouses are located at the back of Shasta College, near the livestock barns. We will be weeding, potting up, and propagating cuttings and seeds. Any propagative material or California native plants you may want to donate are always appreciated! Please call Jay Terri Thesken at 221-0906 for further information. For more info: http://www.shastacnps.org
Nov 26 – Chico: Butte Rose Society Regular Monthly Meeting and Program 7 pm Public Welcome! At the Chico Veterans Memorial Hall on 554 Rio Lindo Ave in Chico, California. Find us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Butte-Rose-Society/189382585776 Or contact us by US Mail at: Butte Rose Society, P. O. Box 8888, Chico, CA 95927For more info: http://www.butte-rosesociety.org
Nov 30 – Redding: McConnell Arboretum Botanical Gardens at Turtle Bay: Walk with Horticultural Manager Lisa Endicott 10:30 am. Bring your notebooks and camera! We’ll make our way through the Gardens with frequent stops for discussions about (what else?) plants! Free with Park or Garden admission. Meet at West Garden Entrance. Take N. Market Street, turn on Arboretum Drive. Take the right fork. Parking lot and entrance are on the left.
Nov 30 – Redding: Shasta Chapter CNPS FIELD TRIP: Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area Hike 9 am meet. This will be a hike of about 4 miles in the Sacramento River Bend Recreation Area south of Battle Creek, featuring open grassland, blue oak woodland, and riparian areas. Some parts of the trails are fairly rough and will require balance and agility. Meet at Redding City Hall’s south parking lot on Parkview Avenue at 9 AM. No dogs, please. For more information, call David Ledger at 355-8542. For more info: http://www.shastacnps.org
PHOTO: Two luminous fall-colored ginko leaves.
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In a North State Garden is a weekly Northstate Public Radio and web-based program celebrating the art, craft and science of home gardening in Northern California and made possible in part by the Gateway Science Museum – Exploring the Natural History of the North State and on the campus of CSU, Chico. In a North State Garden is conceived, written, photographed and hosted by Jennifer Jewell – all rights reserved jewellgarden.com. In a North State Garden airs on Northstate Public Radio Saturday mornings at 7:34 AM Pacific time and Sunday morning at 8:34 AM Pacific time. Podcasts of past shows are available here. Weekly essays are also posted on anewscafe.com a regional news source that is simultaneously universal and positively North State.
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