General Meeting Calendar
2018 - 2019
Thursday, September 13
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: "What is in a (plant) name?"
11:00 am Program: John Muir Land Trust
Linus Eukel, Executive Director of the John Muir Land Trust, will present an overview of the non-profit organization, that will include photographs, maps and video, as well as telling us about the latest exciting land acquisitions. JMLT protects and cares for opens space, ranches, farms, parks and shorelines.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing – Wendy Schmitz
Thursday, October 11
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: Soils and Amendments
11:00 am Program: “Don't Snub the Shrub.”
Rebecca Sweet, author and landscape designer, teaches us about the value of hard-working and beautiful shrubs in our gardens. Discover new varieties that will provide long-lasting color, texture, flowers and form.
Rebecca Sweet is a garden designer with her design firm 'Harmony In The Garden', located in Northern California. Her gardens have been featured in Sunset, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Woman’s Day and Country Living magazines as well as many regional publications. Rebecca and her gardens have also been featured on the critically acclaimed PBS series Growing a Greener World and has also been a radio guest on numerous programs, including Martha Stewart Living.
In addition to designing gardens, she is the author of Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture and Form and is the co-author of the national best-selling Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces (both Amazon Top 10 Garden Book selections.) In her blog Gossip in the Garden, Rebecca shares inside information about garden design, gardening tips, amusing observations and how-to videos for both the novice and experienced gardener.
Refresh Your Garden Design – Simple Strategies to Wake a Weary Garden
Have you ever been to a garden and you’re not quite sure why, but it reaches out and grabs your soul? Whether it’s a brightly colored perennial garden, a green and serene English garden or a minimalist contemporary garden, the effect is the same – you’re emotionally transported to a different place. As you walk through this garden your pace slows as you catch yourself marveling at the smallest details. What is it about this garden and how can you create this feeling in your own?
What you’re experiencing is harmony at work, and believe it or not you can have this experience in your own garden. But with all of the buzzwords and trends in gardening these days, how do you know where do you begin? Based off of my new book, Refresh Your Garden Design, I’ll share my secrets to reviving your garden in ways that are inspiring, informative, and easy to put into practice. Today, you’ll learn how to take your garden to the next level by using timeless design principles in unconventional ways.
Looking at your garden with ‘fresh eyes’
Introducing harmony back into your garden
Harmony with Color
- Nandina spp.
- Parney’s Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster parnyii)
- Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
- Coleus ‘Honeycrisp’
- Silverberry (Eleagnus pungens)
- Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter’s Fire’)
- Ceanothus ‘Marie Simon
- Sedum ‘Matrona’
- Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina ‘Compakta’, ‘Moyer’s Red’)
- Snakeroot (Eupatorium ‘Chocolate’)
Harmony with Foliage
- Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro)
- Cape Mendocino Reed Grass (Calamagrostis foliosa)
- Chondropetalum
- Waxleaf Privet (Lagustrum japonicum)
- Dwarf Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Globosa’)
- Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)
- Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus)
- Cranesbill Geranium (G. cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’)
Harmony with Form
- Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’)
- Dwarf Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Tiny Tower’)
- Juniper groundcover (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Bar Harbor’)
- Dwarf Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Frohburg’)
- Weeping Mulberry (Morus alba pendula)
- Golf Ball Kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’)
- Boxwood (Buxus microphylla ‘Wintergreen’)
- Alliums (Allium giganteum)
- Wire Netting Bush (Corokia cotoneaster)
- Euphorbia myrsinites
- Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla)
- Puya spp.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing – Julie Carlson
Thursday, November 8
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: See The Clippings for this month's presentation.
11:00 am Program: John James
The wonderful San Francisco flower arranger, whom we enjoyed so much during our 2017 Fashion Show, will inspire, entertain and amaze us with his breathtaking flower arrangements.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing – Miramonte High School (tentatively)
Thursday, December 13
Holiday Party!
11:00 a.m.
Roundhill Country Club
3169 Roundhill Road
Alamo, CA
Thursday, January 14
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: Rose Pruning
11:00 am Program: Nyna Dolby, House Flower Arranger, Filoli
Beginning with something everyone has received - a Safeway bouquet - Nyna will demonstrate the basics of flower arranging, highlighting the importance of proper mechanics, the role of foliage and basic art elements in this ephemeral art form.
Garden Sharing: TBD - please see The Clippings
Thursday, February 14
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: Pomegranates
11:00 am Program: Shawna Anderson, owner of Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers, and Orchard Nursery designer
A demonstration of winter container plantings, and how they can shake the winter blues from our gardens.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing: Tuemmler
Thursday, March 14
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: Bulbs
11:00 am Program: Stefani Bittner
Author and Lafayette resident, will guide us to enhance our gardens with edible gardening and design.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing: Tracy Walklet
Thursday, April 11
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: See The Clippings for this month's presentation.
11:00 am Program: Juanita Salisbury, Landscape Architect
Juanita will show us the process involved in the installation of a public native plant/insect habitat and why it is important. Her goal: to teach us how to do this in our own gardens at home.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing: Carolyn Bybee
Thursday, May 10
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: See The Clippings for this month's presentation.
11:00 am - Dan Yansura, San Francisco Fern Society
Dan will share what ferns are, from the common to the rare, and how they grow, how they are propagated and which varieties will grow in our hot, dry climate.
Garden Sharing: Nancy Weatherford
Thursday, June 13
Garden Party
Location TBD
Social hour
Installation of Officers
Catered Luncheon
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: "What is in a (plant) name?"
11:00 am Program: John Muir Land Trust
Linus Eukel, Executive Director of the John Muir Land Trust, will present an overview of the non-profit organization, that will include photographs, maps and video, as well as telling us about the latest exciting land acquisitions. JMLT protects and cares for opens space, ranches, farms, parks and shorelines.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing – Wendy Schmitz
Thursday, October 11
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: Soils and Amendments
11:00 am Program: “Don't Snub the Shrub.”
Rebecca Sweet, author and landscape designer, teaches us about the value of hard-working and beautiful shrubs in our gardens. Discover new varieties that will provide long-lasting color, texture, flowers and form.
Rebecca Sweet is a garden designer with her design firm 'Harmony In The Garden', located in Northern California. Her gardens have been featured in Sunset, Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Woman’s Day and Country Living magazines as well as many regional publications. Rebecca and her gardens have also been featured on the critically acclaimed PBS series Growing a Greener World and has also been a radio guest on numerous programs, including Martha Stewart Living.
In addition to designing gardens, she is the author of Refresh Your Garden Design with Color, Texture and Form and is the co-author of the national best-selling Garden Up! Smart Vertical Gardening for Small and Large Spaces (both Amazon Top 10 Garden Book selections.) In her blog Gossip in the Garden, Rebecca shares inside information about garden design, gardening tips, amusing observations and how-to videos for both the novice and experienced gardener.
Refresh Your Garden Design – Simple Strategies to Wake a Weary Garden
Have you ever been to a garden and you’re not quite sure why, but it reaches out and grabs your soul? Whether it’s a brightly colored perennial garden, a green and serene English garden or a minimalist contemporary garden, the effect is the same – you’re emotionally transported to a different place. As you walk through this garden your pace slows as you catch yourself marveling at the smallest details. What is it about this garden and how can you create this feeling in your own?
What you’re experiencing is harmony at work, and believe it or not you can have this experience in your own garden. But with all of the buzzwords and trends in gardening these days, how do you know where do you begin? Based off of my new book, Refresh Your Garden Design, I’ll share my secrets to reviving your garden in ways that are inspiring, informative, and easy to put into practice. Today, you’ll learn how to take your garden to the next level by using timeless design principles in unconventional ways.
Looking at your garden with ‘fresh eyes’
- De-clutter your garden to de-clutter your eyes
- Photos don’t lie
- Spot your garden’s missing elements using black & white photos
Introducing harmony back into your garden
- Refresh your garden with color
- The power of color
- Creating unusual color echoes
- Refresh your garden with foliage
- Texture vs. Shape vs. Size vs. Color
- The power of foliage echoes
- Refresh your garden with form
- Adding visual weight to a garden
- The power of form echoes
Harmony with Color
- Beautiful berries
- Nandina spp.
- Parney’s Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster parnyii)
- Color under the leaves
- Autumn Fern (Dryopteris erythrosora)
- Coleus ‘Honeycrisp’
- Silverberry (Eleagnus pungens)
- Stunning stems
- Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter’s Fire’)
- Ceanothus ‘Marie Simon
- Sedum ‘Matrona’
- Vibrant new growth
- Heavenly Bamboo (Nandina ‘Compakta’, ‘Moyer’s Red’)
- Snakeroot (Eupatorium ‘Chocolate’)
Harmony with Foliage
- Highly textured leaves
- Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro)
- Structure abounds
- Cape Mendocino Reed Grass (Calamagrostis foliosa)
- Chondropetalum
- Visually heavy plants
- Waxleaf Privet (Lagustrum japonicum)
- Dwarf Blue Spruce (Picea pungens ‘Globosa’)
- Visually light plants
- Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra)
- Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus)
- Cranesbill Geranium (G. cantabrigiense ‘Biokovo’)
Harmony with Form
- Exclamation Points
- Sky Pencil Holly (Ilex crenata ‘Sky Pencil’)
- Dwarf Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens ‘Tiny Tower’)
- Draping/Weeping
- Juniper groundcover (Juniperus horizontalis ‘Bar Harbor’)
- Dwarf Norway spruce (Picea abies ‘Frohburg’)
- Weeping Mulberry (Morus alba pendula)
- Globes
- Golf Ball Kohuhu (Pittosporum tenuifolium ‘Golf Ball’)
- Boxwood (Buxus microphylla ‘Wintergreen’)
- Alliums (Allium giganteum)
- Plants with motion
- Wire Netting Bush (Corokia cotoneaster)
- Euphorbia myrsinites
- Spiral Aloe (Aloe polyphylla)
- Puya spp.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing – Julie Carlson
Thursday, November 8
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: See The Clippings for this month's presentation.
11:00 am Program: John James
The wonderful San Francisco flower arranger, whom we enjoyed so much during our 2017 Fashion Show, will inspire, entertain and amaze us with his breathtaking flower arrangements.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing – Miramonte High School (tentatively)
Thursday, December 13
Holiday Party!
11:00 a.m.
Roundhill Country Club
3169 Roundhill Road
Alamo, CA
Thursday, January 14
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: Rose Pruning
11:00 am Program: Nyna Dolby, House Flower Arranger, Filoli
Beginning with something everyone has received - a Safeway bouquet - Nyna will demonstrate the basics of flower arranging, highlighting the importance of proper mechanics, the role of foliage and basic art elements in this ephemeral art form.
Garden Sharing: TBD - please see The Clippings
Thursday, February 14
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: Pomegranates
11:00 am Program: Shawna Anderson, owner of Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers, and Orchard Nursery designer
A demonstration of winter container plantings, and how they can shake the winter blues from our gardens.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing: Tuemmler
Thursday, March 14
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: Bulbs
11:00 am Program: Stefani Bittner
Author and Lafayette resident, will guide us to enhance our gardens with edible gardening and design.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing: Tracy Walklet
Thursday, April 11
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 Horticulture: See The Clippings for this month's presentation.
11:00 am Program: Juanita Salisbury, Landscape Architect
Juanita will show us the process involved in the installation of a public native plant/insect habitat and why it is important. Her goal: to teach us how to do this in our own gardens at home.
1:00 pm Garden Sharing: Carolyn Bybee
Thursday, May 10
9:30 am Socializing
10:00 am Meeting
10:30 am Horticulture: See The Clippings for this month's presentation.
11:00 am - Dan Yansura, San Francisco Fern Society
Dan will share what ferns are, from the common to the rare, and how they grow, how they are propagated and which varieties will grow in our hot, dry climate.
Garden Sharing: Nancy Weatherford
Thursday, June 13
Garden Party
Location TBD
Social hour
Installation of Officers
Catered Luncheon
