Home and garden workshops, events around Sonoma County

PETALUMA: Fun, food, music at Art & Garden Festival

The Petaluma Art & Garden Festival on Sunday, July 12, is a street party where you can enjoy live music and food while perusing 145 booths with vendors selling creative home and garden décor as well as jewelry and art.

Among the vendors will be The Planter Box Guy with a big selection of handmade planter boxes, garden benches from Sonoma Garden Designs, Desert Mandala, with funky and inventive ways to bring plants into the home and garden and local nursery Cottage Garden Growers with a big selection of garden art and plants.

Experts will be on hand from the Petaluma Garden Club and the Sonoma County Master Gardeners to answer gardening questions.

The lineup of musicians includes Zebop, a Santana tribute band, singer-songwriter Bobby Jo Valentine and a new band Following Ghosts that includes Miles Schon, a guitarist and vocalist and son of Journey’s Neal Schon, and drummer Danny Thompson, who has toured with The Alan Parsons Project.

The event will include kid’s activities, an Italian chalk art competition from all ages between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. local beer and wine and food from area restaurants and caterers.

The festival is spread out along Kentucky and Fourth streets in downtown Petaluma between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Food, beer and wine tasting packages are available for $25, including a commemorative wine or beer glass designed by local artist Lisa Krieshok.

Each year, the festival’s artwork spotlights a different flower or plant, making it a fun collectible. This year’s featured plant is the pink trumpet flower.

For more information, call 762-9348 or visit petalumadowntown.com.

SANTA ROSA: Learn how to help wildlife

The Laguna Environmental Center is holding two events today and Sunday, July 11 and 12, to show people on how they can help wildlife in need of food, shelter and water.

Today, habitat landscaper Tony McGuigan will give a 90-minute talk about the why, who, how and fun of creating animal habitats in residential gardens.

He will talk about some of the challenges wildlife face in suburbia and offer solutions to create wildlife-rich neighborhoods. Cost is $10 for the 3 p.m. talk. No reservations are required.

On Sunday, McGuiguan will lead a more in-depth workshop on “How to Create Residential Wildlife Habitat.” Participants will learn how to “think like a plant” and “think like a critter” and how to creatively foster wildlife habitat and thriving biodiversity in their backyards.

The hands-on workshop starts with a presentation inside and then moves outdoors for a tour of habitat projects at the center followed by a work project creating several new wildlife habitats.

The hands-on component will offer tasks for every ability level, using local materials. Cost is $55. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The center is located at 900 Sanford Road, Santa Rosa. Participants must be at least 14. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. Preregistration is required. For information, contact anita@lagunafoundation.org or call 527-9277, ext. 110.

SANTA ROSA: Rose pruning workshop

The Redwood Empire Rose Society will hold a free workshop July 18 on the importance of property pruning. Barbara Ellis, a consulting rosarian with the American Rose Society, will lead the hands-on class from 9 a.m. to noon. Participants should bring their own clippers.

Luther Burbank Art & Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Ave., Santa Rosa.

YOUNTVILLE: Architectural, design advice

An architect and an interior designer will be available for free consultations July 18 as part of the Architects Cafe Series put on by Truitt & White and Marvin Design Gallery in Berkeley.

David Horobin and Jeanne Witte will meet with people contemplating a renovation.

Horobin is co-founder of Estudio Verde Architects and has won numerous awards for his green and energy-efficient designs.

One-on-one consultations are available at 8 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m by appointment at the Vintner’s Golf Club, 7901 Solano Ave., Yountville. To arrange a consultation, email Amy Hutton at ahutton@truittandwhite.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.