Home briefs: From garden tours to history walks, here’s 11 ways to celebrate the coming of spring
Whether you’re looking to sharpen your gardening skills, want to take in early-spring blossoms or learn about local history and architecture, you’ll find plenty of opportunities in our March home & garden events calendar.
Filoli launches ‘Morning in the Garden’ podcast
Episodes available on Apple Podcast and Spotify | More information.
Filoli has launched a new podcast series that provides listeners tips and advice from staff horticulturists and a behind-the-scenes look at how they maintain the historic Woodside property’s 16 acres of formal gardens, greenhouses and more.
During the “Morning in the Garden” series, which airs every other week, interpretation manager Willa Brock explores Filoli’s changing landscape through the seasons and stops to chat with staff horticulturists about their plant passions and expert advice.
Listeners are invited to submit gardening questions in advance – some of which will be answered during the podcast.
Stanford educational farm volunteer days
9 a.m.-noon, March 8, 11-15, 18-20 | O’Donohue Educational Farm, 175 Electioneer Road, Stanford | Volunteers must be 10 years or older | Registration required
Come help keep the 6-acre O’Donohue Education Farm running. While farm work varies from week to week, volunteers are needed to perform various tasks such as keeping the fields free of weeds and rocks, planting new crop rotations, deadheading flowers, teaming up on irrigation, composting and mulching.
The farm, a living laboratory for the Stanford community and beyond, grows more than 200 varieties of vegetables, flowers, herbs, field crops and fruit. Over the course of a year, the farm will harvest more than 15,000 pounds of produce.
Volunteers should come prepared with close-toed shoes and clothes they don’t mind getting dirty. Gloves and tools will be provided. All volunteers are required to complete a safety waiver upon arrival.
Edible landscaping
9:30-11:30 a.m., Saturday, March 16 | Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | Members $40, nonmembers $55 | Registration required
Gamble Garden Director Corey Andrikopoulos will share design principles and techniques used at Gamble for a successful garden, including examples of plants used–vegetables, edible flowers and herbs. Held in the Carriage House, the classroom lecture and show will include an informational handout and edible plants for participants to take home. At the end of the class, there will be a walking tour of Gamble Garden showcasing some of the plants discussed and time for class questions.
Gamble Garden guided tour: Camellias
1:30-3 p.m., Tuesday, March 19 | Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | Nonmembers $15 adults, $5 under 18. Recommended for participants ages 10 and older | More information
Step back in time to explore the life of Elizabeth Gamble and her historic gardens. The 90-minute guided tour starts on the front driveway of the house. This tour will highlight Gamble’s extensive collection of camellias, which includes over 50 cultivars and over 60 plants. Visitors will find these stunning blooms in almost every corner of Gamble. Several cultivars were purchased by Miss Gamble herself, including Camellia japonica ‘Shiragiku’ (Purity) 1695, Camellia japonica ‘Usu-otome’ (Pink Perfection) 1875, Camellia japonica ‘Hikaru Genji’ (Brilliant Genji) 1859, and Camellia japonica ‘Kumasaka’ 1695, one of the oldest camellias in continuous culture.
Gardens of Ancient Rome
5 p.m., Wednesday March 20, private residence, Atherton | Free. To attend, contact De Anza Chapter, American Rhododendron Society [email protected]
The De Anza Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society is hosting a talk about the imperial gardens of ancient Rome. Speaker Laura Rich will shed light on how they came to be, what they looked like and what happened to them during “Find Out About Gardens of Ancient Rome.”
Rich began studying archaeology 10 years ago through Stanford Continuing Studies. Her focus is on Etruscan and Roman archaeology with a particular focus on the topography of Rome. She has excavated at multiple Roman forts in Northern England on Hadrian’s Wall, an Etruscan site outside Rome, in the Alps searching for evidence of Hannibal, and at Oplontis Villa B in the shadow of Vesuvius. She served for four years on the Board of Directors of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) as Vice President of Outreach and Education and still serves as a vice president for the AIA Stanford Society.
‘Planning a Simple Native Garden for Beginners’
7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 20 | Orchard Room, Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos | Free. Registration require
California’s native plants can be easy to grow, bloom year-round and bring birds and butterflies to your yard. Plus, they need one-tenth the water and maintenance of a traditional landscape. But where to start?
Join UC Master Gardener Paula Stapleton to learn each step of a plan for a successful, thriving native garden. Come away from this presentation with an easy checklist and all the resources you need to get started in your own yard.
Composting workshop
10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, March 23 | Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos | Free. Registration required.
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) is taking participants on an exciting journey into the world of rot during the two-hour workshop “Composting Basics.” This workshop will focus on backyard composting of yard trimmings and food scraps and how to apply it to your soil.
Participants will also learn how to transform their household kitchen scraps into a rich, fine, and nutritious soil amendment for their gardens using worms. Come prepared to learn about worm care and compare vermicompost techniques.
Downtown Mountain View history tour
2-4 p.m., Sunday, March 24 | Centennial Plaza, 600 W. Evelyn Ave. , Mountain View | $15 donation suggested. Registration required.
Discover the hidden history of Downtown Mountain View during this 1-mile walk. Volunteers from the Mountain View Historical Association will share stories of historic sites and buildings on and around Castro street that stretch back as far as 150 years.
Participants meet under the “Centennial Plaza” metal arch on the corner of Castro Street and Evelyn Avenue. A standard tour takes one-hour and ends near Eagle Park. Bonus “round trip” tours back to Centennial Plaza exploring historic sites along downtown’s side streets may be offered depending on tour guide availability and tour group interest.
Tours take place once a month on Sundays. Tour donations help the association continue its mission to preserve and share Mountain View’s history with the community. More information.
The history of Los Altos street names on exhibit
Noon-4 p.m., Thursdays-Sundays through April 7 | J. Gilbert Smith House at Los Altos History Museum, 51 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos | Free
Discover the stories behind Los Altos’ street names at the losaltoshistory.org/Streets.
“What’s in a Name? History of Los Altos Street Name” exhibit. Using county subdivision records, U.S. Census records and museum archives, the exhibit uncovers the origins of more than 150 street names and sheds light on a lesser-known facet of the community’s legacy. Many of the streets honor historical figures, such as early explorer and politician John C. Fremont and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, as well as early settlers, landowners and European immigrants.
The exhibit features an array of artifacts, including vintage Los Altos street signs, original maps of the area, and photographs of the streets mentioned. A pie chart visually breaks down street names into categories and types of names utilized, such as trees, cities, last names and Spanish words.
‘Signs of Spring’ hike
9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 13 | Parking area at Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve, Edmonds Road, Redwood City | Free | More information.
Join docent naturalists Liz F. and Mike Lohr to search for signs of spring. During this 4.2-mile hike, participants will see an array of early-season wildflowers and various oak tree species and take in views of the San Francisco Bay and surrounding hills while hiking the Blue Oak and Dick Bishop trails, which lead to the top of the ridge on the Dusky-Footed Woodrat Trail. This is a moderately-paced outing with a 600-foot elevation gain and some uneven terrain.
Spring cleaning: Household hazardous waste drop-off
7:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m., Thursday – Saturday, year-round | various locations | Appointment required.
Through the Household Hazardous Waste Program, Santa Clara County residents can dispose of unwanted household products labeled as flammable, toxic, corrosive or reactive for free at one of the county’s designated drop-off sites in San Jose or San Martin. Along the Peninsula, temporary sites in Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara will be open on select Saturdays in April. Once you make an appointment, the address of your drop-off location will be emailed to you.
Common products that can be dropped off include auto fluids, batteries, electronics, fluorescent and LED light bulbs, garden chemicals, household cleaners, paint and many other products that require proper disposal to prevent harm to humans and the environment.
Note: Palo Alto residents who want to schedule a drop-off need to contact their city’s household hazardous waste program at 650-496-5910.
