‘WHATS UP’ SONOMA COUNTY


Santa Rosa, CA. ~ Long-legged spiders have spun perfect webs on garden trellises. Moist grey fog of dawn has embellished them with sparkly diamonds. Quiet morning walks


in the


garden are just right for Feb- ruary, noticing the green tips of sprouting bulbs and early bloomers push- ing up to the ra- diant sunlight. Flower


bulbs


are coming up where we have planted them, where we have forgotten them and certainly where nervous squirrels have moved them to! It’s February! Tiniest of house fi nches, Titmouse, Chickadees, and Nuthatches are snacking at my bird feeders hang- ing from leafl ess branches of an- tique apple trees. Pleasant Valley Roses twining, climbing and drap- ing in the trees, white fl ower buds peeking out of green, evocative fragrance awaits. I’ve been drawing pictures and


designing layouts of herb gardens to plant soon and maybe you are


too! I absolutely love herbs. Look around for sunny locations shel- tered from intense afternoon sun although most herbs love sunshine similar to their Mediterranean ori- gin. Research and view Victorian Knot gardens, rare heirloom herb gardens, techniques of hugelkul- ture and other interesting designs. Be inspired! For starters there are culinary collec- tions, fragrant assortments, silver and gray herbs, moon gardens, creep- ing prostrate se- lections for edg- es and outlines, their sweet scents rising with each step. You can grow herbs especially


for brewing teas, concocting me- dicinal tinctures, hair rinses, dyes and on and on. All herbs attract and lure precious, endangered bee populations, butterfl ies and polli- nators. You know what bee keepers remind, “Bee Kind!!” It’s always good to start with


a theme to keep you on track, some substantial herbs to make the ‘bones’ of this garden. It’s a great idea to view the potential plant- ing ‘site’ at night and ‘draw’ your design ideas with white powdered lime (easily ‘erased’) which can act as the pencil for tracing out


ORDER BEES NOW!


border areas, squares and rounds. Evergreen and fragrant, Sweet


Myrtle, (Myrtus communis) has been a celebrated favorite from an- cient times. Shiny green


leaves, the color of sparkling lemonade are ½ to ¾ inch long. The en- tire plant smells sweetly


with delicate white blossoms giv- ing way to small edible purple ber- ries that freshen the breath. Micro- phylla c. varigata, a true dwarf, has creamy margins outlining the small green leaves; perfect in huge pots and a handsome architectural state- ment in the herb garden as well. Locally, gallon size plants can be ordered from Urban Tree Farm to


TM Quiet Morning Walks In The Garden


UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • February 2017 • 9 by Kimberly Childers • kimberlychilders@att.net


get your lovely herb garden started. Explore designs using santolina green and santolina gray as borders or corners, bold accents. Santolina is a fragrant medieval herb, moth repellant, drought tol- erant and loves to be shaped and pruned. Their yel- low button ‘fl owers’ stand up


above the foliage. It’s perfect to ‘weave’ throughout the herbal de- sign when mapping out your plan. Cut and dry santolina to stuff in silky ribbon-tied cheesecloth bags. Its wonderful aroma will keep hun- gry moths away. Consider laven- der, thyme, germander and sweet scented Roman chamomile min- gled with bricks and or fl agstone


for pathways. Intersperse perfectly elegant fl owers everywhere! Spend some time perusing Pinter- est searching for more ideas and designs on Victorian Knot Gar- dens, herb gardens and wild herb gardens. Look up amazing info on Hugelkultur and work those inter- esting ideas into your design. This is an era of so much enlightening information, hold on to your hat!! Plant the many varieties of shade loving Hellebores in the garden, long lasting elegant blooms, and deer proof too! Plant delectable sweet violets (Viola odorata), frilly new varieties of pansies in a myri- ad of incredible colors. They have sublime edible leaves and blos- soms to toss in your salads. Make sure your fruit trees and roses have been well-pruned. Get a complete pruning book or hire an expert, you decide! Between storms, work compost into your garden beds with a pitchfork, check & organize ... continued on page 23


Intro to beekeeping class February 18 or March 18! 10 AM - 1 PM FOR $15


Get started with bees, equipment, and supplies. Class held at Sebastopol Grange. SIGN UP ONLINE AT BEEKIND.COM


HONEY, CLASSES, SUPPLIES, CANDLES & GIFTS 921 Gravenstein Hwy. South, Sebastopol (707) 824-2905 beekind.com


Thurs Feb 2 - Seth Walker Fri Feb 3 - Junior Toots Sat Feb 4 - Soul Section Mon Feb 6 – Art Reception w/ music by French Oak Gypsy Band Thurs Feb 9 – The Beautiful Questions Fri Feb 10 – Stand Up Comedy Sat Feb 11 – Jay Field & Friends Tues Feb 14 – Dead Horses Thurs Feb 16 – Onye & The Messengers Fri Feb 17 - The Beer Scouts (members of the Sorentinos) Sat Feb 18 - Midnight Sun Massive w/ special guest Junior Culture Thurs Feb 23 – Addis Pablo (son of Augustus Pablo) Fri Feb 24 – Hour of Tour Sat Feb 25 - The Dream Farmers Mon Mar 20 – Davina & The Vagabonds Thurs Mar 30 - Afrolicious Thurs Apr 20 – Pablo Moses


Open Mic with DJ Loisaida on Mondays except for the fi rst one. Singer-Songwriter Competition most Wednesdays through April. Live Entertainment nightly, check out website for full schedule.


Restaurant & Music Venue 8240 Old Redwood Hwy, Cotati 707.795.7868


RedwoodCafe.com “We love our partners for who they are, not for who they are not.” ~ Aaron Lauritsen UPBEAT TIMES, INC. • February 2017 • 9


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