Home & Garden Digest – Santa Cruz Sentinel

A fruit and flower sale is being held at Birdsong Orchard in Watsonville. (Nadine Schaeffer/Contributed)

WATSONVILLE

Birdsong Orchards holds fruit and flower sale

Birdsong Orchard’s Summer Sale is here. Peaches, plums galore along with potted roses marked down to $15-20. The rose field is back open for YOU-PICK to the first 25 people. Stop by from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at the orchards, 613 Lakeview Road, Watsonville. If you’d like to pick roses, please make a reservation in advance at birdsongorchards.com.

SANTA CRUZ

How to save monarch butterfly film screening

Patagonia Santa Cruz is hosting Fraser Jones to show his film “Where the Butterflies Go,” a film about how to save the endangered monarch butterfly. The screening is set for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Patagonia Santa Cruz, 415 River St. Suite C, Santa Cruz. As we all know the monarch butterfly migration to our little coastal town is a special time of year and has been slowly dwindling. Their numbers are now down 99.9% since the 1980s. That is why we have asked Groundswell Coastal Ecology, The Natural History Museum and Natural Bridges to join the filmmaker in a discussion surrounding conservation along with an open Q&A. If you can’t make this screening, Palo Alto is also screening the film at 6 p.m. Wednesday in their store. This event is open to the public. To RSVP your attendance, visit wherethebutterfliesgofilmscree-42d0.splashthat.com/.

FELTON

Park offers bioregional herbalism course

Summer is here and it’s time to make some medicine during this Bioregional Herbalism course from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, Felton. This course will provide a full day of plant education from two experienced local herbalists and foragers. You will learn to identify some common wild edibles/medicinals and their uses. Harvest and process plants. Make your own medicinal tinctures, syrups and salves (keep the medicine you make). Understand the history of this land through a decolonial lens. Tour a productive herb garden in the Santa Cruz Mountains. This event is made to be accessible to those with little experience, though you are welcome to join if you have some foraging knowledge and would like to learn more about medicine making. There are two scholarships available. Text QTBIPOC 510-221-8744 to apply. Please contact us for accessibility information as we aim for this event to be accessible to as many as possible. To view event schedule and ticket purchase visit, eventbrite.com.

LIVE OAK

Monday yoga in the garden

The Rego Ranch is hosting its Yoga in the Garden from 10-10:45 a.m.  Monday. You will be enjoying a morning of yoga in the garden, sampling the Rego Ranch’s locally sourced and produced honey and shopping Sew Fresh 831 selection of custom apparel. Love the honey, purchase a jar or two. Reservations are required. The Rego Ranch is located in the Live Oak neighborhood and specializes in honeybee products and heirloom seed-to-table veggies, starts, herbs and flowers. A yoga mat is required. Please bring your own. After ticket purchase, send email for location. To reserve a spot visit, eventbrite.com or email mrsrego@theregoranch.com.

SAN JOSE

Urban Forestry Education Center posts pop-up plant swap

Stop by the Urban Forestry Education Center to browse small, drought-tolerant plants for sale or simply stroll through the OCF Arboretum.

The pop-up plant sale is scheduled for 9 a.m. to noon Aug. 12 at Urban Forestry Education Center, 391 Chynoweth Ave. San Jose. Browse our selection of drought-tolerant plants for sale. Bring a plant to swap. We will have a wide selection of 4-inch and 1-gallon plants as well as T-shirts, honey and posters available to all attendees. In the past year, we have planted more than 50 trees at our 2-acre site near the intersection of Chynoweth Avenue and Snell Avenue. There are plenty of opportunities to build and maintain our ever-increasing number of projects here. Come out and stroll through the urban arboretum, peruse the drought-tolerant garden, or simply get resources or info for your own green projects.

For information visit, eventbrite.com.

CAMPBELL

Nursery holds Gardening in a Mediterranean Climate class

Learn how to create a vibrant and sustainable garden that thrives in the Bay Area with plants that grow in a Mediterranean climate from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Aug. 20 located at SummerWinds Nursery, 2460 S. Winchester Blvd., Campbell. In the Mediterranean Masterpiece class, you will dive into the art of gardening in a Mediterranean climate. This class is designed to help you create a vibrant and sustainable garden that thrives in the Bay Area with plants that grow in a Mediterranean climate. You’ll learn which plants are Mediterranean-friendly, including drought-tolerant perennials, succulents, aromatic herbs and many other species. We will show you how to choose plants that are both aesthetically pleasing and well-suited to our specific microclimate. Discover the importance of healthy soil in Mediterranean gardening and learn about techniques for improving soil structure, fertility, and water-holding capacity.

Explore organic and sustainable fertilization methods to provide essential nutrients to your plants while minimizing environmental impact. Whether you’re a gardening enthusiast or a novice, this class will inspire you to embrace the beauty and resilience of plants that thrive in these unique conditions. To sign up, visit eventbrite.com.

The Garden Digest is compiled by Jesselyn Rego. To submit items for the calendar including events, meetings, resources, or anything garden related, email sentinelhomeandgarden@gmail.com.