Home and garden happenings in Sonoma County

SANTA ROSA

Help fire victims ?rebuild landscapes

Daily Acts, the Sonoma County Water Agency and the City of Santa Rosa will be hosting two community input sessions Wednesday and April 5 to help fire victims with templates to re-made their gardens. The goal is to speed up the re-entry to their homes. The meetings will delve into the development of free, permit-ready landscape templates. These sessions will look at what’s possible in creating resilient landscapes and green infrastructure.

The organizers will review different plans for landscape aesthetics and features, and consider community feedback critical to ensure the templates will be useful. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Finley Community Center, 2060 W. College Ave. For more information, sign up for the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership’s e-newsletter at savingwaterpartnership.org/e-news.

HEALDSBURG

Create habitat garden to lure wildlife, beneficial insects

Bill Klausing will teach the home gardener how to create an environmentally sound landscape on April 7.

Klausing will show how gardeners’ decision-making has a significant effect on the web of living things in their own backyard. The master gardener will teach helpful tips for attracting more native birds, bees and insects to gardens.

He also will highlight many plants native to Sonoma County and how they are useful in a habitat garden. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m., Healdsburg Regional Library, 139 Piper St.

SANTA ROSA

Learn about the best way ?to grow plants in containers

Mary Frost will give a hands-on gardening presentation Monday on growing plants in containers.

The sole proprietor of the Gardening Tutor, Frost will demonstrate how to avoid the pitfalls of container gardening to keep plants happy. The talk will be followed by a short slide presentation on plant combinations and design ideas.

Frost is a past president and scholarship recipient of the Santa Rosa Garden Club. 1 p.m., Luther Burbank Art & Garden Center, 2050 Yulupa Ave. For information, email gardenclubevents@yahoo.com.

PETALUMA

Help plant water-wise garden on regional library’s grounds

The Petaluma Regional Library is creating a water-wise, edible learning landscape, and people are invited to further the cause today with hands-on planting.

They will learn about water-wise plants that offer food, beauty and habitat. To prepare for this day, more than 100 volunteers sheet-mulched the lawn last fall and installed rain gardens. The goal of the project is to save more than 100,000 gallons of potable water per year and capture thousands of gallons of rainwater before it becomes polluted stormwater.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., the rain date is March 31 at the same time, 100 Fairgrounds Drive.

GUERNEVILLE

Glean tips on how to keep store-bought orchids healthy

Ann Chambers’ hands-on workshop today will help you keep your supermarket-bought orchids alive and well. The master gardener wants you to bring your orchids to her free class to revitalize them so they’ll bloom for many years. 10:30 p.m. to 12:30 p.m., Guerneville Regional Library, 14107 Armstrong Woods Road.

SANTA ROSA

Nursery school’s sales offer diverse array of plants

Willowside School’s student-run nursery will offer a range of plants for sale on these Saturdays: today, April 14, May 5, May 26 and June 16. They will include plants that runs the gamut - from low water-tolerant and drought-tolerant perennials, to California natives to succulents, grasses, salvias and other plants that attract beneficial insects, buttterflies and hummingbirds.

The price is $4 for 1-gallon containers. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 5299 Hall Road at Willowside Road.

HEALDSBURG

Pruning expert offers insight on Asian, Western techniques

Topiary expert Jake Hobson will present his talk “The Art of Pruning” today, sharing the benefit of the physical act, as well as the aesthetic results.

Hobson is the founder of Niwaki Garden Tools in the U.K., and is a keen advocate of the hands-on approach. The discussion will explore the techniques of Japanese cloud pruning and western topiary and how he has blended them.

The fee is $15. 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; Healdsburg SHED, 25 North St.

SANTA ROSA

Free talk on germinating peppers in gardens

Master gardener food specialists will give a talk today on how to grow a range of peppers from sweet to hot. A hands-on germination activity will follow.

The talk is free. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; 1717 Yulupa Avenue.

PETALUMA

Get up to speed with garden basics with help of expert

Dave Gould will give a talk on gardening basics today. The master gardener’s free presentation will cover soil preparation and healthy maintenance for all plants. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Petaluma Regional Library, 100 Fairgrounds Drive.

SONOMA

Want to design bouquets? This workshop is for you

Tesoro Flowers is hosting a workshop Sunday to show how to craft two hand-held bouquets.

These can be put in a vase or given as a gift. Beginning with a smaller posy, you’ll graduate to a larger bouquet designed in the round, and wrap them in handmade decorative papers.

The fee is $125 and it will cover everything - the flowers, the wrapping paper, treats and local wines for those older than 21. On the day of the workshop, everything in the store will be 20 percent off. Advanced reservations and payment are required.

For reservations, call 707-939-6931. 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Tesoro Flowers in Cornerstone, 23566 Arnold Drive.

SANTA ROSA

Feeling spring fever? Glean some great gardening advice

Food gardening specialists will prep you for spring today by giving you plenty of options for creating ideal growing environments.

They’ll cover winter cover crops, organic matter and mulch and what spring crops can be planted now. Demonstrations in the garden will follow the talk.

The free presentation will offer Spanish translation. 10:30 to 12:30 p.m., Bayer Farm Community Garden, 1550 West Ave.

OCCIDENTAL

Check out what’s blooming ?at Western Hills Garden

Western Hills Garden is open Saturdays for tours and plant sales. This month the garden will reveal the end of Camellias, the middle of Magnolias and the start of Rhodies.

The retailer has a large assortment of plants propagated from the garden. If you’re a member of the garden, you can use your free passes for the “Walk and Talks” featuring popular topics. 16250 Coleman Valley Road.

ROHNERT PARK

Out-of-the-box idea for ?small spaces, poor soil

For those faced with a small space or poor soil, Marybeth Hull shares the option of Straw Bale Gardening in a free class today.

The master gardener will show how straw bales are a good option for the beginning garden, people with disabilities and those with very limited space. 10:30 a.m. ?to 12:30 p.m., Rohnert Park Regional Library, 6250 Lynne Conde Way.

SONOMA

Learn ways to keep weeds?at bay in landscaping

DJ De Prospero will teach a class today on Integrated Pest Management. This is a technique of dealing with garden pests in a way that considers the whole ecosystem, not just the pest.

The master gardener’s free talk will cover the principles of IPM and how to apply them to all gardens, whether it’s growing vegetables, fruits or ornamentals. 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Sonoma Valley Library, 755 West Napa Street.

SANTA ROSA

LandPaths shares ideas at urban farming teach-in

Jonathan Bravo of LandPaths will show people how to grow organic foods in their backyards on Monday. Bravo also will show people how to build healthy soil, as well as year-round gardening. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Carpenter’s Union Hall, 1706 Corby Ave.

You can send Home and Garden news to Peg.Melnik@pressdemocrat.com. Please send items in at least three weeks in advance of an event.