Another successful Sale was held on Saturday, March 20, 2010 at the Shepard Garden and Arts Center. This was our 10th Annual Vendor Sale. Fourteen vendors participated in this year's event displaying numerous products which included a collection of specialty nurseries, many from just outside the immediate Sacramento area. As a special addition, one of our members, Kirsten Solomon and her friend, Janice Kuykendall serenaded everyone with their delightful guitar music.
This Years Vendors:
Twisted Metal Ornamental Iron - Gates & Decor Sacramento, CA 95815
Mad Man Bamboo Bamboos: Clumping, Running, Rocklin, CA 95765 Rhizome Barriers & Books
Monte Cristo Farm Locally hybridized Azaleas & Placerville, CA 95667 Rhododendrons
Friends of Ceramic Pots, Vases & Handmade San Juan de Oriente Items from Nicaragua Sacramento, CA 95816
The Secret Garden Garden Art & Decor Elk Grove, CA 95624
The Coffee Garden Ceramic Pottery, Plants & Sacramento, CA 95818 Garden Art
Rustic Bird Houses Unique Bird Houses designed Magalia, CA 95954 from 'found materials'
Friends of Jensen Variety of Plants Botanical Gardens
Vermidragon Farm Worm composting supplies Browns Valley, CA 95918 and Worm Castings
Morning Sun Large variety of herbs Herb Farm and Veggie Starts Vacaville, CA 95608
The O G Cactus & Succulents: Wreaths Stockton, CA 95205 Rock & Dish Gardens
J Brian's Valley Harvest Gourmet Jams & Preserves Sacramento, CA 95819
The Office Garden Potted Succulents Sacramento, CA 95827
Master Gardeners Educational Information UC Cooperative Ext Sacramento, CA 95827
Madeleine Mullins & her raffle prize from The OG.
Barbara Lane-Piert at Twisted Metal.
Each Vendor donated a special item from their inventory for our raffle.
Thomas
Fischer, Editor-in-Chief of Timber Press Books was the guest Speaker.
His talk was titled 'Planting the Mediterranean Garden - Perennials'.
There were also a number of Timber Press Publications available for
sale at discount prices. This included Tom's newest book 'The
Gardeners Color Palette - Paint Your Garden With 100 Extraordinary
Flower Choices' released in February 2010.
Morning Sun Herb Farm
Janice Kuykendall and Kirsten Solomon - our Guitarists
'Look Whats Growning in our Members Gardens'
An antendee taking notes!
Mad Man Bamboo
Rustic Bird Houses
Friends of San Juan de Oriente
Spring Garden Tour - Old Broadway Cemetery
Hamilton Square - The Heritage Rose Garden
Saturday - April 10, 2010
Although our weather had been beautiful earlier in the week, when Saturday arrived it was a different story. With temps in the low 60's and the wind blowing at 12-15 mph, eight people put on their comfortable walking shoes, grabbed a wrap and joined SPPC members, Lonnie Ratzlaff and Jane Howell, to walk through this wonderful perennial garden and enjoy it's various flowers and plants and learn a bit of the history.
We strolled the pathways and grand avenues of the approximately 30-acre park-like cemetery designed to resemble a Victorian garden. This included the 'Trees of Mourning' grove through which the remains were brought to their final resting place. Established in 1849 and tucked away in the Historic Old City Cemetery at Riverside and Broadway, the City Cemetery is the oldest existing cemetery in Sacramento.
The Historic Rose Garden was gearing up for the annual Open Garden the next Saturday in which roses that were propagated from this historic roses, on site, are offered for sale. This is a big fund raiser to benefit the cemetery. The roses were putting on a grand show!
We took a walk down to Hamilton Square which is supported by the SPPC to see what mysteries Sue Mortensen could help us solve. It is always good to have a Master Gardener in the group. Most of us are novice gardeners and some of the names slip from our memory bank. Sharon Patrician is the caretaker of this area and always has some interesting and different plants to view.
The last stop was the Native Plant Reserve over by the Riverside Blvd fence. The Ceanothus trees were in bloom and the Flannel Bush trees were putting on a wondrous display with their large yellow blooms. It is kind of a hidden section in the cemetery, but worth the time to explore.
The cemetery is decorated with beautiful statues and dramatic historical markers - each with its own story. The roses are beautiful and the fragrance is heavenly. Several of our senses were entices - that of smell, sight and touch.
Following Dr. Paul Lichts' superb presentation at our monthly club meeting on Thursday, May 27, we were anxious to experience the UC Botanical Gardens at Berkeley. Fifteen PPC members and their guests met at the Garden Gates on a beautiful Saturday morning for a private docent led tour through some of the 34 acres of diverse plant collections including many rare and endangered plants. The weather was beautiful and the views on our walk were outstanding. During the tour we were treated to glimpses of the San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.
Established in 1890, the garden has over 13,000 different kinds of plants from around the world. cultivated by region in naturalistic landscapes. Our walk about included Asia, Australia, California, Eastern North America, Mediterranean, Mexico/Central America, New World Desert, South America and Africa - all within our 2 + hour stay! We also visited the Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden with its beautiful bridge and the Garden of Old Roses where the scent was unbelievable. This was just a 'taste' of what is available and we agreed that visitors will need to go back again and again.
Xanthorrhoea - Australia - Used by the Aboriginal people
Ready for our adventure!
Cycad - Dioon edulis
Cycad
King Protea - protea cynaroides
Agave (porcupine agave)
Agave
Aloe plicatilis
Pond and fountain near entrance to gardens
UC-Berkeley botanists have crammed an amazing array of vegetation and habitats into these hills. Nearly one-third of all native California plant species can be found on these grounds.
A Dragonfly takes a break
Views of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge
Bench's are scatterd throughout the gardens so that visitors can pause and enjoy their surroundings.
Monkey Puzzle Trees - Araucaria - Female on right & Male on left.
PPC members Jane Steele and Janice Sutherland - Garden of Old Roses - Rosa ' New Dawn' on left
Colletia spinosa - South America
Candelabra Primrose - Primula - Beesianna
A UC Botantical 'resident' sunning it's self
Bridge - Chinese Medicinal Herb Garden to Herb Garden
