Busy Fall!

by Margaret WiddowsonPosted onPropagation
Busy propagation session on November 10.
Busy propagation session on November 10. Photo by Doug Mandel.

The Propagation Team had a very busy fall this year, participating in many events and keeping a busy propagation schedule!  In addition to our Fall 2019 Native Plant Sale that we held in October, we also participated in the following:

  • Turtle Bay Arboretum Fall Sale.  As usual, we manned a table at this event, answered questions on native plants, and advertised our fall plant sale.  Thanks to the Turtle Bay staff for welcoming us to their event!
  • Fall Plant Give-Away.  We took the opportunity to partner with Master Gardeners to give away native plants that were approaching their “expiration date,” as per CNPS’s better management practices, to reduce the risk of Phytophthoras and other plant pathogens.  It was a win-win for all concerned.  We got to make space in the nursery for the next batch of plants that we’re propagating for the Spring 2020 Native Plant Sale and, most importantly, those who lost so much in the Carr Fire got the opportunity to learn about native plants and how to use them in their new landscape, and got to take a few plants home to get them started—healthy plants, ready to plant.
  • Matson-Mowder-Howe Celebration Garden.  Renewing our partnership with the North Valley Art League, we spent a few sunny hours surveying the fall Celebration Garden to help identify the native plants and discuss maintenance of the natives and potential new plantings to fill in some gaps.  Sarah Jarrett is representing the Celebration Garden Team for our Chapter.
  • Seeds of Regrowth, an Art From The Ashes (AFTA) event.  We took our materials, knowledge, and enthusiasm to downtown Redding’s California Street Labs and put on a free propagation workshop at this special event that benefited Whiskeytown National Recreational Area.  Three tables were set up to demonstrate three easy ways to start native plants—seeds, divisions, and cuttings—and we encouraged the public to make their own plant starts.  Kids and adults alike took home pots of yarrow, Cleveland sage, and California poppy, and sowed pots of native annuals like clarkia, bluebells, and lacy phacelia.  We also had beautifully drawn coloring sheets for kids that showed the life cycle of the Monarch butterfly.
Susan Libonati-Barnes (left) and Chris Gray (second from left) demonstrating how to take Cleveland sage cuttings at the AFTA Seeds of Regrowth event.
Susan Libonati-Barnes (left) and Chris Gray (second from left) demonstrating how to take Cleveland sage cuttings at the AFTA Seeds of Regrowth event. Photo by Bud Widdowson.
Sarah Jarret (left) prepares a bucket of yarrow divisions for planting, while artist Elizabeth McClellan draws a yarrow stem at the AFTA Seeds of Regrowth event.
Sarah Jarret (left) prepares a bucket of yarrow divisions for planting, while artist Elizabeth McClellan draws a yarrow stem at the AFTA Seeds of Regrowth event. Photo by Bud Widdowson.
Margaret Widdoson describes seeds to a young attendee at the AFTA event.
Margaret Widdowson describes native annual seeds to a young attendee at the AFTA Seeds of Regrowth event. Photo by Bud Widdowson.
Monarch butterfly coloring sheets bty Catherine McNeight at the AFTA event.
The beautiful Monarch butterfly life cycle coloring sheets, designed and drawn by our own Catherine McNeight, that were used at the AFTA Seeds of Regrowth event. Photo by Bud Widdowson.