What's Happening in Southern California - Garden Editioin May 2012

May has a lot of fun gardening events, and if you ignore the 90 degree anomaly of April, being outside has been wonderful and will continue that way for a few more months. Get outside and enjoy!

As always, I want to remind you to shop local, and get the freshest produce around by heading out to the local Farmer’s Markets in Santa Clarita:

Sundays 8:00am – noon College of The Canyons Parking Lot Don’t forget to visit my friend Sara Scissorhands from Worldwide Exotics Nursery.

There is also another great Farmer’s Market: Thursdays in Old Town Newhall from 3-7pm.

Saturday May 5, 2012 – 9am – 12 noon Santa Clarita Valley Gardening Class - Saving Water Ideas for Indoor & Outdoor Conservation Cost: FREE Location: Castaic Lake Water Agency 27234 Bouquet Canyon Rd. Santa Clarita, California 91350 Located on the hill above Central Park. For more information please email us at mail@clwa.org

Sunday May 6, 2012 – from 10 am to 5pm The Memorial Garden Tour of Santa Clarita is a must!

This is a great cause and you get to see up to nine lovely gardens! I designed three of them, and helped the formation of the Community Gardens of Santa Clarita. I will be at my gardens for a couple hours each. If you want to visit when I am around I plan to be at the Dirkse Garden in the morning 10am– 12noon, the Berndt Garden 12 – 2pm and the Smight Garden 2 – 4pm. Then, maybe I’ll start all over again! Alex Ventura (the Stone Whisperer) of Ventura and Son Masonry who worked with me on the Berndt and Dirkse Gardens, will be there as well. Here’s the website for information and locations. You can also pick up a program at Green Thumb Nursery, Sunset Nursery, or Green Nursery in Santa Clarita.

Saturday May 12, 2012 – 10 am – 3pm
Placerita Canyon Nature Center Open House and Family Festival

Cost: Free Admission and Parking
Placerita Canyon Nature Center and Natural Area is located at:  19152 Placerita Canyon Road Santa Clarita, California 91321

 Placerita Canyon Nature Center's annual Open House and Family Festival. There will be animal presentations, guided hikes, craft demonstrations and informational booths (concerning wildlife, conservation and indigenous peoples).

 Learn to pan for "gold". Crafts will be available for children including face painting, rock and animal print painting (crafts and "gold" panning will charge a nominal fee) as well as a children's treasure hunt. Contact Sandra Balaram cell 661-803-6941 or email sandrabalaram@gmail.com or Deb Clem (event coordinator) phone 818-366-0456 or email u2bewell@gmail.com for more information.


Saturday May 19, 2012 8 am Busy Birds of May at Towsley Canyon

This is a great Nature Walk which is free. Meet at Ed Davis Park in Towsley Canyon 24335 The Old Road Santa Clarita, California 91321

 May is a busy month for birds; time for the youngsters to test their wings and leave the nest. Beginning birders are welcome. Binoculars optional. Meet at Towsley Canyon’s front parking lot. Contact Robin Smith at 310-858-7272 x131 or robin.smith@mrca.ca.gov

Thursday May 24, 2012 – 3:30 PDT Artists, Designers, and Things O My!

 This is a great Blog Talk Radio Show and I’m going to be the featured designer! The show is all about, people who are passionate about what they do and who can share their experiences on where they are today. Artists, Designers, Architects, Painters, Actors, and others. Please join us live by clicking on this link.  You can also set a reminder for yourself here, and I will send reminders out prior to the show.  It is going to be such fun!

Descanso Gardens:

The gardens are beautiful in May, I didn’t see any specific shows or tours listed on the calendar, but a visit to Descanso should be on everyone’s list anyway.

Here is the link to Descanso’s calendar:


LA Arboretum

Lili Singer’s has classes on Thursdays, so plan to make it to some of them, she’s very informative. There are quite a few shows this month at the Arboretum, there is Grow! A Garden Festival, a Mother’s Day Geranium Show, and more – take a look at the events link and choose your favorites.


If you like gardens and gardening, please be sure to put that Memorial Garden Tour on your calendar and be sure to visit me at one of my gardens!