Quarry Lakes Demonstration Garden - UCCE Master Gardeners of Alameda County

03/29/2024

Looking for a beautiful, drought-tolerant native shrub to include with you succulents?

Succulent gardens are very popular and usually need very little water. But they often suffer from a lack of color and life. At our demo garden we have been including California native plants in amongst the agaves and aloes.

The Calliandra 'Sierra Starr' is a hybrid of two Calliandra species, one native to the Anza-Barrega desert and the other native to Baja. It flowers year-round in the demo garden, but is putting on a beautiful show now, which is appreciated by the local Anna's hummingbirds!

It has acclimated quickly to our succulent garden and is adding a wonderful pop of color this spring. 😀

03/29/2024

Is the 'Amethyst Bluff' sage the most beautiful native sage in California?

This native sage, a selection of Salvia leucophylla from Santa Barbara, is not commonly seen in native gardens, but I find it to be one of the most beautiful of the California native sages. The color of the flowers is a wonderful, deep amethyst purple, unlike the many blues commonly seen in native sages.

We have one in the demo garden that was grown from a cutting of a plant from my front yard. I had to take it out because it kept growing larger and larger, until it overgrew the site I had for it. And that, I believe, is the reason it isn't commonly grown - it's just too big! While nurseries list the mature size as small as 6' tall x 10' wide, it keeps growing to a much wider size here in Fremont.

Here's a link to a good description of this sage: https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=2373

If you have the space (or just like amethyst flowers), come look at the specimen at our demo garden, as it is in bloom now! 🥰

03/29/2024

You too can help preserve endangered California Native plants.

Many California native plants with limited natural range are severely imperiled, usually by human development and encroachment. By growing them in your garden, you can increase the population and help save the plant, all while also enjoying it in your landscape.

One example of this at our demo garden is Nevin's barberry, Berberis nevinii. As a barberry, it has tough, pointy leaves that are great for barriers. They have slightly fragrant, pretty flowers and are quite floriferous. However their most beneficial feature may be the many small red berries that last on the plant into fall. These berries are great for native birds and other wildlife, as their high fat content is well-suited for migrating birds.

More info is here: https://calscape.org/Berberis-nevinii-(Nevin's-Barberry)?srchcr=sc66061f33c2572

Also, they're pretty tasty for snacking in small quantities. 🙂

03/29/2024

The Fremontias are blooming! 😍

One of the most drought tolerant and beautiful native shrubs / small trees, Fremontia cultivars are typically hybrids of native species that have been selected for the vigor and beauty.

Here's a link to the largest Fremontia in the garden:
https://calscape.org/Fremontodendron-californicum-'Pacific-Sunset'-(Pacific-Sunset-Flannelbush)?srchcr=sc66061a79d98b8

There are several at the demo garden, each is (importantly) planted at the very top of the slope, above the irrigation system. We hand water them for a year or two to get them established and then leave alone. It's tempting to water them during summer, but unfortunately that may lead to their demise.

They are generally very resistant to deer once they get some size on them, as they are covered with stiff hairs (trichomes in botany parlance) that must be irritating to a deer's mouth and may cause dermatitis for gardeners. I always wear gloves when pruning them and they haven't been a problem to date.

03/29/2024

The stinkhorn is back!

A mulch decomposer, Clathrus ruber or the lattice stinkhorn mushroom, shows up every year at the demo garden. It emits an odor similar to rotting meat when mature, which attracts flies, who subsequently spread the spores.

Wikipedia states that it bioaccumulates manganese, among other minerals. It appears sporadically in the fall and early spring to summer at the garden, feeding on the generous layer of woodchips.

03/14/2024

Looking for a small flowering tree for your landscape? The 'Ray Hartman' California lilac is a fabulous choice! A hybrid of Ceanothus arboreus and Ceanothus griseus, it tolerates garden conditions, but thrives when neglected once established.

It is loved by native bumblebees and is a keystone native, hosting caterpillars of charismatic butterflies such as the Pale Tiger Swallowtail and the California
Tortoiseshell, among many others.

Calscape provides additional info here:
https://calscape.org/Ceanothus-'Ray-Hartman'-(Ray-Hartman-Ceanothus)

Check it out in full bloom in the demo garden now - just follow the buzz of the native bumblebees visiting it. 🙂

03/08/2024

California native pink-flowering currant, Ribes sanguineum v. glutinosum, blooming spectacularly at the demonstration garden. 🙂

03/08/2024

Join us April 13th-14th, 2024, for the Incredible Edible Plant Sale at Pleasanton Senior Center, hosted by UCCE Master Gardener Program of Alameda County. Discover a variety of vegetable seedlings and herbs for in-person purchase from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. both days. Check out our catalog for the available plants for purchase.
Attend free workshops like Beginning Care for your New Plants, Container Gardening, and Help your Tomatoes Thrive. Proceeds support community education initiatives, including the Pleasanton Educational Garden and local food donation operations.

Don't miss this chance to enrich your garden and support sustainable practices! Follow us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/Alame...) and Instagram (https://shorturl.at/iuLR1) for updates. Visit acmg.ucanr.edu/plant-sale for more. Let's cultivate a greener future! .

09/05/2022

Our September newsletter is here! Learn more about in-person garden talks | Are summer pests still picnicking on your garden plants? Learn some DIY Plant Doctoring tips in our help desk blog | Read the full newsletter here https://conta.cc/3RnvT4e

Get inspired in the garden with these new articles and events. UC Master Gardener Program of Alameda County Sweltering in September Here are your September Gardening Tips September can be sweltering,