Placer County master gardeners to break ground on 11,000-square-foot project
This area behind the Loomis Library will become the demonstration garden for the Placer County master gardeners. Photo courtesy Loomis Library
A huge asset for Placer County gardeners – plus those from neighboring counties – is one step closer to reality.
On Tuesday morning, Sept. 19, the UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Placer County will break ground on their own demonstration garden behind Loomis Library. The public is welcome to the 9:30 a.m. ceremony to learn more about the project.
More than a year in the making, the new garden will replace more than 11,000 square feet of lawn with water-wise landscaping plus a demonstration orchard and edible garden.
“In collaboration with the Town of Loomis and the Loomis Library and Community Center, the Master Gardeners will be transforming an existing lawn into a beautiful water-wise garden showcasing California natives, pollinators, and edible plants,” say the master gardeners. “Opportunities for education in the garden will bring a living classroom to the community.”
It takes a community to create such a large new garden, which is being funded mostly via individual donations. The Placer County Water Agency is contributing about $10,000 in rebates and incentives for turf removal and irrigation upgrades. Wood chips and compost for the new garden will be provided by the Town of Loomis.
The Friends of the Loomis Library also are raising money for the garden through their “Buy a Brick” campaign; the engraved bricks will be used in a permanent garden display. You can support the garden by purchasing an engraved brick at https://www.polarengraving.com/floomisl. The bricks cost $120 ($130 with logo).
Or make a contribution directly to the master gardeners at www.pcmg.ucanr.edu.
As its name implies, the new demonstration garden will show how to grow a water-wise and wildlife-friendly garden that looks good year-round while attracting pollinators such as butterflies and bees as well as supporting birds. The garden also will provide space to grow vegetables, fruit, berries and herbs as part of educational displays.
Besides offering a living showcase of the master gardeners’ work, the project will save a significant amount of water by the replacement of all that old lawn. The garden’s design includes places to hold gardening workshops and other events. Signage will identify all the plants and offer tips for home gardeners.
According to library officials, the master gardeners hope to have the first phases of construction including the lawn removal completed in time for fall planting of California natives.
Loomis Library is located at 6050 Library Drive, Loomis.
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Flowers in My Back Yard Series
Sept. 15: Plant seeds soon for fragrant spring blooms (sweet peas)
Sept. 8: A must for fall gardens, asters are little powerhouses
Sept. 1: Yarrow an easy-care, sturdy flowering plant
Aug. 25: Crape myrtles, Sacramento's unofficial tree of summer
Aug. 18: Pollinators adore scabiosa, aka pincushion flower
Aug. 11: Hardy hibiscus adds big tropical impact
Aug. 4: Dianthus a deceptively hardy flower
July 28: Naked Ladies put on summer show
July 21: Thank Luther Burbank for these long-lasting beauties (Shasta daisies)
July 14: How to keep hydrangeas happy
July 7: Grow these bright cosmos for bees and butterflies
June 30: Agapanthus adds blue fireworks to the garden
June 23: Easy-care gazanias fill those hot corners
June 16: Daylilies are perfect for water-wise gardens (and a lot more)
June 9: Grow coneflowers for pollinators -- and yourself
June 2: Sunflowers capture Sacramento's summer attitude
May 29: Are your roses going 'blind'?
May 26: Zinnias are the summer flowers every garden needs
May 19: Plant dahlias now for late-summer flower power
May 12: Know your coreopsis from your bidens
May 5: Mums the word on Mother's Day weekend
April 28: Majestic Matilija poppy is worth a look
April 21: Celebrate roses, America's favorite flower
April 14: Small flowers with outsized impact
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April 3: Make Easter lilies last for years to come
March 31: In praise of a pollinator magnet (small-leaf salvias)
March 24: Azaleas brighten shady spots
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March 10: Keep camellias happy for years to come
March 3: Fruit tree blossoms are a fleeting joy
Feb. 27: Are your roses looking rusty?
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Feb. 17: How and why to grow wildflowers
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Garden checklist for week of Sept. 13
Now is the time to plant for fall. The warm soil will get these veggies off to a fast start.
* Keep harvesting tomatoes, peppers, squash, melons and eggplant.
* Compost annuals and vegetable crops that have finished producing.
* Cultivate and add compost to the soil to replenish its nutrients for fall and winter vegetables and flowers.
* Fertilize deciduous fruit trees. Make sure to deep water before and after feeding.
* Plant onions, lettuce, peas, radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, bok choy, spinach and potatoes directly into the vegetable beds.
* Transplant cabbage, broccoli, kale, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower as well as lettuce seedlings.
* Sow seeds of California poppies, clarkia and African daisies.
* Transplant cool-weather annuals such as pansies, violas, fairy primroses, calendulas, stocks and snapdragons.
* Divide and replant bulbs, rhizomes and perennials.
* Dig up and divide daylilies as they complete their bloom cycle.
* Divide and transplant peonies that have become overcrowded. Replant with “eyes” about an inch below the soil surface.
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How to squeeze more food into less space
Plant a fruit tree now -- for later
Win the weed war by tackling them in winter
Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables
Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space
Ways to win the fight against weeds
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Soggy soil and what to do about it
Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come
It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying
What to do with all those fallen leaves?
Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden
Plant a pea patch for you and your garden
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Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?
How to prolong the fall tomato harvest
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Enhance your food with edible flowers
Why won't my tomatoes turn red?
A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty
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Weird stuff that's perfectly normal
SPRING
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Where are the bees when you need them?
How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days
Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can
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What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?
Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)
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Don't be fooled by these garden myths
Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth
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