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Forthcoming Events 2009
Sunday 21 June - Livermore Valley
A visit to Alden Lane Nursery
MGS member Ze’ev Vered will talk about mediterranean herbs. We will also visit an olive farm and hear about olive oil production.
3 & 4 October - Mar Monte Hotel, Santa Barbara, CA.
Gardening Under Mediterranean Skies VII: Lessons in Sustainable Gardening
Join Pacific Horticulture in Santa Barbara for the seventh in its series of symposia exploring the challenges and delights of California's mediterranean climate. This two-day event is co-sponsored by the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden and the Mediterranean Garden Society.
(Contact Branch Co-Heads for details of both these events)
5-8 November - Limassol, Cyprus
MGS Annual General Meeting
The Annual General Meeting is being held in the Mediterranean island of Cyprus this year.
This year's meeting promises excellent talks on very low water gardening and the exotic location should be quite fascinating.
Click to view the full programme or for registration and hotel information.
The Garden Resource Guide for Northern California's Mediterranean Climate
 The Northern California Branch has created resource guide for mediterranean gardeners in our region, which includes the best places to purchase plants and garden accessories, recommended books and articles, places to take classes and virtually everything else the gardener might need to know.
To order your copy, please send a donation of $10.00 to:
The Mediterranean Garden Society
Northern California Branch
P.O.Box 542 BP, Lafayette, CA 94549
Past Events
March 2009 - California in Drought
Despite heavy rainfall on the day of his announcement, Governor Schwarzenegger announced in March that California was officially in a drought emergency and requested a voluntary water reduction of 20% from all residents. It rained almost daily for 3 weeks but after one of the driest Januarys on record, and now the third year of below normal rainfall, our reservoirs are only about half full. We would need 263% of normal rainfall over the month of March for them to reach average capacity. In our state 80% of water goes to agriculture, 20% for urban use. Our climate has always fluctuated but global warming will increase wild swings in the weather cycles. This will be a perfect year to educate the public about Mediterranean gardening.
January 2009 – Branch members meet
The MGS members of Northern California met on January 24 at the Gardens at Lakeside Park in Oakland. Jeff Rosendale gave an exciting talk and slide show, “Art in the Mediterranean Garden” and brought some of his interesting plants to show and to sell. Nancy Swearengen and Sean O’Hara were thanked for their many years of stewardship of the branch. We are happy to report that they will stay active in Branch activities, Nancy will continue on the Executive Committee and Sean will join the Advisory Board.
Photograph by Jean-Pierre Bouchez
For more information, see this page
Susan Bouchez
"For 25 years I have enjoyed gardening in California with its mild mediterranean climate. Coming from the Midwest US and then the Netherlands I encountered an entire new palette of plants to learn, new landscape to marvel at and a climate with far less water. I have always avidly gardened and my background in art and architecture naturally led me to an interest in garden design. So for a few years I worked with a good friend in a small landscape design firm. To me garden design is not all about plants, but about color, form and place. In our mediterranean climate much of our living is out of doors. Gardens in the Bay Area are generally private with walls, fences and shaded patios. This is such a contrast to other areas of the US where open lawns and foundation planting or island flower beds dominate the landscape. How lucky we are to sit under the canopy of our 150-year-old oaks, shielded from heat and extreme cold. Our garden tends to the “natural garden” style: filled with low-water, low-maintenance perennials and shrubs. Even in this urban area we make sure that there is habitat for wildlife, birds, and insects. We grow seasonal vegetables and fruit because we love to eat well and the mild winters support year-round vegetable growing.
Our summer garden is in France, in the pre-Alps, an area that receives abundant rain most of the year. There I can plant flowers or vegetables and, when I leave, know that rains will keep the plants alive until I return."
Bracey Tiede
"I live in San Jose, California, where the summers are hot and dry and winters are cool and, recently, not very wet. I am fortunate to live about 300 feet above the Santa Clara Valley frosty floor in a 'banana belt' which allows us to grow some tropical plants that need a bit more warmth. Something is always blooming. Our garden is the garden of a collector. After working in architecture and software programming in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, I've turned my full attention to horticultural opportunities, learning much and making many friends. Richard, my husband, shares my enthusiasm for gardening and is becoming quite a salvia connoisseur in his retirement."
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