Novato Native Plant Day; Celebrate California’s beautiful Oak Woodlands.
Tour a California oak woodland, take a (bring your own) lunch, and learn about gardening practices, especially planting under oak trees.
Advanced registration is required; limited to 15 particpants; $30 fee per participant.
Celebrate California’s beautiful Oak Woodlands at Novato Native Plant Day.
Come join us for an an almost all-day event including a tour, lunch and workshop ‘In The Woods’.
Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
Advanced registration and payment is required for this event. Registration instructions are given below (or click here).
This event is co-sponsored by the Marin Chapter of CNPS and North Marin Water District (NMWD) .
Start with a walk thru the woods.
We start the day promptly at 10:00 AM by taking a walk through the woods with author Kate Marianchild. During the walk Kate will discuss oak woodland flora and fauna, emphasizing plant/animal/fungus/lichen interrelationships, survival strategies, anatomical marvels, and social structures.
The route of the walk will include views of the native habitat garden on the property, where native pollinators and western fence lizards will be dancing attendance on and under the plants.
Please bring binoculars, including close-focusing binoculars if you have them (Pentax Papilios 8.5×21’s are recommended).
Lunch Break – Noon to 1pm.
Bring your own brown bag lunch for the noon time break, and settle yourself into one of the many quiet, beautiful areas in the habitat garden for a picnic.
If you’ve ever wondered about acorn food – Now’s the time to try it! You’ll have a chance to sample acorn cakes hand made by ethnobotanist Jolie Egert Elan. Restroom, and additional water, is available to participants.
Tour the Habitat Garden.
At 1:00 PM,after the lunch break, we start the tour of the Oak Woodland Habitat Garden. Learn more about gardening under native oaks as Charlotte Torgovitsky leads a tour through her extensive native habitat garden. You will learn about native plants compatible with oak trees and how to create enhanced foraging opportunities for wildlife. We’ll also discuss sustainable, organic gardening practices, and methods useful to getting native plants established without permanent irrigation systems. During the garden tour we’ll also view each plant as a potential ‘mother plant’.
Elena Freeman, NMWD water conservation specialist, will be along on the garden tour to discuss various irrigation options and water-saving techniques.
A hands-on Workshop to end the day.
After the garden tour we will propagate plants! We’ll work with native seeds, seedlings and rooted cuttings; you will go home with a selection of plants for your own garden.
Location and Registation information:
When: Saturday, April 18, 2015, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Where: A location in eastern Novato (near Atherton and Olive). Details (address, directions, and a waiver to be signed) will be provided to (maximum of 15) paid, registered participants.
Cost: $30 per person, paid in advance.
Advance registration and payment is required. To register and pay (credit card only), click here (have your credit card available and follow the about-5 step process).