Master gardeners’ demonstration gardens great for a winter stroll
Take heart, gardeners and others who need a break from the holiday hubbub. Demonstration gardens maintained by region’s master gardeners are available for quiet strolls and plant contemplation.
The front half of the Fair Oaks Horticulture Center, called the Water Efficient Landscape, is open to the public during regular hours of the Fair Oaks Parks District. (The back half, with the orchard and other edible gardens, is open and staffed only during Open Garden Days and Harvest Day.)
The WEL is home to a variety of planting areas, carefully tended by a team of Sacramento County master gardeners. Visitors can find an area devoted to native plants, as well as ones focused on popular plants, wildlife habitat, perennials and drought-tolerant plants. A streetscape garden borders the parking lot. A shade garden is in the planning stages. Plants are labeled for easy identification and inspiration. See more about the WEL here.
The Horticulture Center is at 11549 Fair Oaks Blvd., next to Fair Oaks Park. The next Open Garden Day will be Saturday, Jan. 10, from 9 a.m. to noon.
The Placer master gardeners’ Loomis Demonstration Garden is on the grounds of the Loomis Library. It is open to the public during librrary hours, closing at dusk: generally 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays through Saturdays. (Note: With sunset so early this month, the garden could close earlier.)
The Loomis garden showcases California native plants, pollinator habitats and edible plants, along with a compost demonstration area, woodland and lawn-alternative gardens. All plants are labeled with a QR code to access more information.
Except for December, the Placer master gardeners staff the garden the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon, for docent information and answering visitors’ questions. The address is 6050 Library Drive in Loomis.
For more on the Placer demonstration garden, go to https://ucanr.edu/site/uc-master-gardeners-placer-county/demonstration-garden
