Our talks are held at the nursery in our demonstration gardens and are always FREE!
Join us – RAIN OR SHINE!
2024 Talks
| DATE | SPEAKERS |
| February 2024 | |
| Sat. Feb 24th | Gardening For Life! – A Free Talk with Author & Master Gardener Toni Gattone Have you gone to just “pull a few weeds” and a couple hours later, found yourself stiff and so sore? It happens to every gardener – that moment when you realize you have a “new normal” of what you can comfortably or safely do in your garden. Back by popular demand is author and master gardener, Toni Gattone, for this informative and inspirational talk that delivers dozens of tips, tools, and techniques to enable gardeners of all ages and abilities to garden for life in comfort and safety, with ease and joy. Toni’s mission is to help gardeners of all ages and all abilities keep doing what they love through adaptive gardening. Her passion and her purpose is to inspire you to never give up, even when physical challenges hold you back from gardening with gusto. After her presentation, she will have here book, “The Lifelong Gardener, Garden with Ease and Joy at Any Age.” available for purchase. WHEN: Saturday, February 24th, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ADMISSION: FREE |
| Sat. Feb 17th | Create a Native Planting List Using Calscape! A Free Talk with Jessica Woodard of CNPS (California Native Plant Society) If you tried to figure out a planting palette and been frustrated by inconsistent information and seemingly conflicting advice, this talk is for you. With all the sources of information available, developing a planting palette for your garden that is well considered is no small feat. Join Jessica Woodard of California Native Plant Society (CNPS) for this FREE talk where she will introduce what’s new with Calscape to help people better discover and find native plants suitable for their location. She will demonstrate the program’s new plant search features and planning tools. Learn about the importance of conserving California native plants and their habitats, highlighting the benefits of native plants in the garden. Jessica Woodard is responsible for Calscape, CNPS’s platform connecting new gardeners and experts with the coolest native plants for their garden. Prior to CNPS, she worked in water conservation, focusing on sustainable landscaping and using data-driven information and technology to better communicate messages across different audiences. She received her Master’s in Geography at San Francisco State University and a BA in International Development/World Religions from McGill University. Currently, she finds inspiration and hope in the plant communities she tends to with the Skyline Gardens restoration project in the Oakland/Berkeley hills. WHEN: Saturday, February 17th, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ADMISSION: FREE Start finding natives using Calscape & Learn more about CNPS. |
| Sat. Feb 17th | California Native Plant Extravaganza! A portion of all CA native plant purchases on Sat. Feb 17th will go to support the Bay Area’s Bringing Back the Natives Tour. WHEN: Saturday, February 17th, 9:00AM – 5:00PM Check out the Bay Area’s Bringing Back the Natives Tour Schedule, HERE. |
| Sat. Feb 10th | Introduction to Ikebana the Art of Japanese Floral Arrangement! A Talk & Workshop with Sahshah KoSen Middleton & Sharon Doi Join, Sahshah “Ko-Sen”, master Sogetsu Ikebana artist, for a FREE talk and live demonstration of Ikebana, the art of Japanese floral arrangement. Modern Sogetsu Ikebana differs from traditional Ikebana in its emphasis on individual expression and the use of both natural and unconventional manmade materials in unexpected combinations. Sahshah will discuss the history of Ikebana and Sogetsu, material selection and basic technique all while demonstrating the arrangement of multiple sculptures. Ikebana Workshop: Following the free talk will be a ticketed workshop where participants will work with a vase and green materials to make an arrangement to take home. Preregistration for the workshop is required and tickets can be purchased here: https://ikebanaforyou.ticketspice.com/an-introduction-to-japanese-flower-arranging-hands-on-workshop. Workshop registration ends Monday (2/5/24) at 12PM PST. Workshop may be subject to cancellation if there are less than a minimum registrants in which case, fees will be fully refunded. Sahshah “Ko Sen” was born in Singapore and graduated from the Nang Yang Academy of Fine Arts. She is a active member of Organization of Floral Art Designers (OFAD) and participates in the Bouquet to Arts flower show at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Currently, she is working as a popular floral wedding designer in the greater San Francisco Bay Area. She has been studying Japanese flower arranging for over 50 years and is a very popular ikebana demonstrator and exhibitor. WHEN: Saturday, February 10th, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm IKEBANA TALK: 10am – 11am, Free Admission IKEBANA WORKSHOP: 11am – 12pm, $60 per person. Preregister and purchase tickets by 12pm 2/5/24 HERE |
| Sat. Feb 3rd | Growing a Bouquet with Spring Annuals! A Free Talk with Jill Sowards of Violetear Studio Creating bouquets from your own flowers is one of the most rewarding parts of gardening. Join Jill Sowards of Violetear Studio for a FREE talk where she will share the fundamentals of growing flowers for cutting, featuring spring annuals. Jill will explain how to use the principles of traditional flower arrangement to guide your planting scheme. She will show how to combine different plants, make selections and placement, and how to stagger your planting for successive waves of blooms. Now’s the time to plant spring annuals for beautiful spring bouquets. and Jill can’t wait to share her favorite tips and tricks. WHEN: Saturday, February, 3rd from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ADMISSION: FREE Find out more about Violetear Studio & check out Jill on Instagram @violetear_studio |
| January 2024 | |
| Sun. Jan 28th | Botanical Dyeing with California Natives & Garden Favorites! A Workshop with Jill Sowards of Violetear Studio Join Jill Sowards of Violetear Studio for this botanical dyeing workshop! Jill will share the fundamentals of botanical dyeing, from preparing different types of natural fiber, to selecting plants, and making dyes. She’ll discuss how to make both dye and ink from different sources, including garden plants and pantry staples. As an extra bonus, she will highlight some California native plants that make great dye sources. With step-by-step instructions, Jill will demonstrate how to make a dye bath and dye fabric samples. Attendees can then choose from a selection of dyes to make their own botanical-dyed bandana or napkin to take home. All materials and equipment are included in the ticket price. WHEN: Sunday, January 28th, from 11:00 am – 1:00 pm WORKSHOP FEE: $95 per person Preregistration is required. Purchase your workshop ticket here: https://violetearstudio.as.me/schedule.php?appointmentType=57479509 Jill loves hosting these workshops as an opportunity to engage and observe plants in a different way. It gives us a chance to slow down and take in our surroundings, while also stepping into sometimes ancient traditions of observational science and decoration. Whether you have a gardening space large or small, or are simply exploring your local flora, these practices allow us to preserve the seasons and record intangible moments. Find out more about Violetear Studio & check out Jill on Instagram @violetear_studio |
| Sat. Jan 27th | Prepping your Garden for Spring! A Free Talk with Lori Caldwell – The Compostgal Join Lori Caldwell, The Compostgal, to learn about prepping your garden for spring! It’s time to start thinking about that Spring & Summer Garden. Lori will discuss topics such as seeds vs. starts, building healthy soil, non-toxic pest control, great crops for Spring, and transitioning from your fall garden. WHEN: Saturday, January 27th, from 11:00am – 12:30pm ADMISSION: FREE Check out Lori on Facebook |
| Sat. Jan. 20th | Pruning Roses! A Free Talk With Eileen Jackson & Mike Myrick Learn how and when to properly prune your roses from the experts! Rosarians, American Rose Society Judges, and rose buds Eileen Jackson & Mike Myrick will simplify rose pruning for the home gardener. They will host a straightforward, hands-on interactive program that will empower you to confidently cut back your roses to foster health, beauty, and big blooms. Ms. Jackson’s experience and accomplishments span decades, and her roses continue to earn prestigious awards. She grows more than 70 roses and is a pillar within the local rose community. Mr. Myrick credits his late grandmother Martina with giving him a lifelong love of growing roses. He delights in using unconventional materials to create rose arrangements and grows 70 different roses that he features on his popular Instagram channel. Both Eileen and Mike are members of The North Bay Rose Society and are co-chairing the 42nd annual Vallejo Rose Show May 4, 2024 at Blue Rock Springs Golf Course in Vallejo. Eileen and Mike are former nurses and current friends who spend time giving each other ulcers and then complaining to each other that their tummies hurt. WHEN: Saturday, January 20th, from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm ADMISSION: FREE Learn more about North Bay Rose Society & Check out Mike on Instagram @BayAreaRosarian |
| Sat. Jan. 13th | Bareroot Trees! A Free Talk with Ed Lavio Join Ed Lavio, author of Backyard Orchard Culture, for an exciting and FREE talk about growing bare root fruit trees! Ed has spent years amending and refining his growing and pruning techniques, both on his own and while working at Dave Wilson Nursery and the Urban Tree Farm in Santa Rosa. He will share his lessons learned and best practices with you to help ensure your fruit tree growing success. Over his career, Ed has developed a philosophy and techniques to control fruit tree size in the home garden. He literally wrote the book about it, ‘Backyard Orchard Culture’. Come learn how to get more fruit out of less space and over a longer period of time all while decreasing your maintenance chores. Bring your pictures and questions for Ed! Annie’s Annuals is expecting our first shipment of bare root fruit trees for the season in early January, 2024.so our nursery will be stocked with over 60 varieties to choose from. WHEN: Saturday, January 13th, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ADMISSION: FREE |
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