Spruce up your garden with fresh plants and new skills

OCCIDENTAL

Organic nursery opens for the season

The Occidental Arts & Ecology Center welcomes visitors beginning April 6 to peruse its eclectic offerings, ranging from heirloom vegetables and flowers to culinary and medical herbs. Most are started from seed and propagated from plants in the nursery’s Mother Garden. The plant collection is weighted to food crops of special genetic, cultural and historical importance. Guests can ask expert gardeners on site for advice about the best plants to conserve water. The garden will be open from April through November, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday. Weekdays are by appointment only. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 15290 Coleman Valley Road, Occidental, 707-874-1557 or oaec.org

PETALUMA

Plant sale to benefit school grants

The Petaluma Garden Club is having its annual plant sale April 6, offering garden tools and pots as well as starts. There will be a broad range available for spring planting, including organic vegetables, perennials, succulents and drought-tolerant plants. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1939 Castle Drive, Petaluma.

SANTA ROSA

Orchid Expo?Instagram photo op

The public is invited to enter the mysterious world of orchids during the annual Educational Orchid Expo & Sale today and tomorrow.

The event is a chance to learn more about growing and caring for orchids and to shop for gorgeous orchids suitable for every skill level - all while surrounded by some of the most amazing plants on the planet.

Skill sessions range from “How to Grow and Re-bloom Orchids and “How to Re-pot Cymbidiums” to “How to Grow Orchids Outdoors in the San Francisco Bay Area.”

At 3 p.m. Sunday there will be a slide show of Unusual Orchids. At noon both days there will be docent-led tours of the show to learn about rare and beautiful orchids on display.

Other highlights include an “orchid doctor” to troubleshoot your plant problems, vendors from all over the state, hourly drawings, a silent auction and a boutique. $8; free for kids under 13. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. Put on by the Sonoma County Orchid Society. Sonomaorchids.com

SANTA ROSA

Bargains abound?at school sale

The Willowside School nursery is back in business for the season with bargains for your spring planting. The next plant sale is slated from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 13. The nursery will have a variety of low-water and drought-tolerant perennials, California natives, a multitude of succulents, as well as grasses, salvias and plants to attract beneficial insects, butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. The nursery also has more than 40 varieties of special Japanese maples starting at $25. Plants are $4 for a gallon container. 5299 Hall Road, Santa Rosa, at Willowside Road. For information call Jan Lochner at 707-569-4724 or 4lochs@comcast.net.

SANTA ROSA

Out of the box ?gardening

Master gardeners will hold a free workshop today to talk about creative approaches to container and row planting. Some clever options for holding tanks include wine barrels and mounds, and one fetching vine idea is having tomatoes climb a fence. Guests will be encouraged to participate, so bring a hat and garden gloves. If it rains, the event can be held indoors. Registration is not required. 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., 1717 Yulupa ?Ave., Santa Rosa, www.sonomamastergardeners.org.

SANTA ROSA

Men’s Garden Club plant sale

There will be an eclectic offering of plants at the Men’s Garden Club plant sale April 6 and 7. The range includes heirloom and hybrid tomatoes, as well as a large selection of geraniums and succulents. Many of the plants are grown by the group’s members and are ones you may not be able to find at local nurseries. All proceeds for the sale provide scholarships for Sonoma County students. 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 6; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 7, Coddingtown Mall, look for plant sale banner.

HEALDSBURG

Rose gardening?for dummies

The Russian River Rose Co. is hosting a workshop April 6 and 7 to help gardeners prep for spring. It will cover tips on water-wise planting, fertilizing, mulching and grooming roses, and there will be a demonstration on how to properly plant a rose. For those wanting to peruse the garden, there will be hundreds of roses, irises and perennials. Guests also will be given plenty of informational handouts. A $2 donation is requested. ?10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Russian River Rose Company, 1685 Magnolia Drive, Healdsburg, russian-river-rose.com.

Send Home and Garden news to peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com. Send email at least three weeks in advance of an event.