Winter gardening workshops offered by water district, University of California Cooperative Extension

Three, free winter gardening workshops are being offered on the second Saturday of each month from now through March compliments of Western Municipal Water District (WMWD) and the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Riverside County Master Gardener Program. The workshops will be presented in WMWD’s water-efficiency garden, Landscapes Southern California StyleSM at 450 E. Alessandro Blvd., Riverside, at the corner of Mission Grove Parkway.

Although recent rain and snow throughout California has positively impacted the state’s five-year-plus drought the need for water conservation, and therefore well-planned and designed gardens area necessity. The winter gardening workshops are scheduled for the following Saturdays on the current and relevant topics:

Saturday, Jan. 14, 11 a.m. to noon – “Ancient Plants for Contemporary Gardeners: Lessons from Southern California Native Peoples” Plants that sustained the Cahuilla and other Inland Southern California native societies for hundreds of years are ideal choices for today’s aesthetic, drought-tolerant landscapes. Jean Weiss, a UCCE Riverside County master gardener, will talk about the topic.

Saturday, Feb. 11, 11 a.m. to noon – “The Beauty and Relevance of the Well-chosen Southern California Garden” Gardeners have more power to make a difference ecologically than most people realize. Nan Simonsen, a UCCE Riverside County master gardener, will talk about creating beauty around homes, which can create wildlife corridors, offer biodiversity that will attract beneficial insects, feed and shelter birds, contribute to carbon sequestration and affect climate change.

Saturday, March 11, 11 a.m. to noon – “Let’s Get Growing with Spring Vegetables” Whether someone has acres or a small city plot, they can raise vegetables that are better tasting. There are many choices beyond tomatoes and zucchini. Lucy Heyming, a UCCE Riverside County master gardener, will cover the basics and help gardeners decided what to plant and how to cultivate and harvest the crop.

Landscapes Southern California StyleSM showcases California native and climate-appropriate plants as well as irrigation systems that are designed to improve a landscape’s water-saving ability. Tours of the garden are available Wednesday through Saturday for groups of eight or more adults, including high school student groups. Tours are led by UCCE Riverside County Master Gardeners. A tour request can be submitted at www.wmwd.com.

For more information about Master Gardeners in Riverside County like the “UCCE Master Gardeners of Riverside County” Facebook page, follow “MGPRiverside” on Twitter or visit the Master Gardener website, http://ucanr.edu/sites/RiversideMG/.