Seminars, Workshops & Events
Master Gardener Plant Clinics 2025
The Master Gardeners are available to answer your questions from general information to advice about specific problems. Bring samples of your problem plants for better diagnosis. If you suspect insect damage, try to include some of the insects so they can be correctly identified. At the Kohl Pumphouse on the following Sundays. Come by anytime between noon and 3:00 pm.
March 2
April 6 May 4 June 1 July 13 |
August 10
September 7 October 5, November 2 |
Also visit: http://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu/plant-clinics/
https://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu
https://smsf-mastergardeners.ucanr.edu
2025 SEMINAR SCHEDULE
Unless otherwise stated, seminars and workshops are hybrid, offered with a small, in-person group and online using Zoom video conferencing. Online attendees will receive an email with a Zoom link the day before the seminar. In-person attendees will also receive a Zoom link in case they cannot attend at the last minute. Please notify SMAS as soon as possible if you are unable to attend in person. Registration is required for both in-person and video conference attendance.
SMAS may take photographs for educational and promotional purposes. Registering for an event implies permission to appear in a photograph. Your privacy is important to us. If you do NOT want to appear, please notify SMAS in writing (email is acceptable) at least two days prior to the event. We will do our best to accommodate your request.
SMAS may take photographs for educational and promotional purposes. Registering for an event implies permission to appear in a photograph. Your privacy is important to us. If you do NOT want to appear, please notify SMAS in writing (email is acceptable) at least two days prior to the event. We will do our best to accommodate your request.
March
DOG FRIENDLY NATIVE GARDENS
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SUNDAY - March 2, 2025
1:00 - 2:30 pm |
FREE! In person and via Zoom
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3
Do you dream of starting a native garden but worry that your dogs won’t have a place to run, rest or do their business? Wondering which plants are most dog friendly, and how you can discourage digging up your new plantings? Join us for a lively conversation about dog friendly gardening, and learn about the ways that you and your dog can enjoy a lush and biodiverse garden together. During this talk, we will explore how to
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3
Do you dream of starting a native garden but worry that your dogs won’t have a place to run, rest or do their business? Wondering which plants are most dog friendly, and how you can discourage digging up your new plantings? Join us for a lively conversation about dog friendly gardening, and learn about the ways that you and your dog can enjoy a lush and biodiverse garden together. During this talk, we will explore how to
- Incorporate your dogs’ instinctive habits into your garden design
- Choose resilient plants that bounce back if stepped on
- Avoid plants that are toxic to dogs (native and non-native list included)
- Select dog friendly native grasses, and learn which ones to avoid
- Protect new plants from damage
- Include natives with fragrant foliage that can perfume your pup
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Presenter: Jennifer Dirking
Jennifer has been an organic gardener for over 40 years, but only recently, in 2021, transformed her garden from a food desert to a habitat oasis in her suburban San Carlos neighborhood. Inspired by Doug Tallamy’s “Nature’s Best Hope,” she has reached beyond her garden fence to develop partnerships and inspire hundreds of others throughout the Bay Area to begin their own native gardening journey. She is currently the Chair of the Wildflower Ambassador program at the California Native Plant Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter, co-administrator of the Native Plant Resource Teams, and moderator for the Nextdoor group ‘Bring Back Bay Area Bees, Butterflies and Birds” https://nextdoor.com/g/7zda4zk0b/ |
In-Person Registration |
Zoom Registration |
HELP BEAUTIFY CENTRAL PARK'S ROSE GARDEN
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SATURDAY - March 8, 2025
10:00 am - 12:00 noon. (HEAVY RAIN POSTPONES EVENT) |
FREE!
Registration requested. Use the button below or call 650-579-0536x3
The Arboretum Society needs energetic volunteers to spread compost and mulch in the Rose Garden at Central Park. Bring thick gloves.
Location: Central Park Rose Garden - meet at the gazebo. Children ages 13-17 welcome with an accompanying adult. All volunteers are required to sign a City of San Mateo Volunteer Release and Waiver of Liability.
Registration requested. Use the button below or call 650-579-0536x3
The Arboretum Society needs energetic volunteers to spread compost and mulch in the Rose Garden at Central Park. Bring thick gloves.
Location: Central Park Rose Garden - meet at the gazebo. Children ages 13-17 welcome with an accompanying adult. All volunteers are required to sign a City of San Mateo Volunteer Release and Waiver of Liability.
Register
April
ORGANIC SPRING/SUMMER VEGETABLE GARDENING
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SUNDAY - April 6, 2025
1:00 - 2:30 pm |
FREE! In Person and via Zoom
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3
Ring in the summer, start sowing in winter, for your fabulous tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash (yep, grown in SUMMER) corn, and more! This class will cover what is possible to grow and harvest in spring and summer in our area, as well as how to care for your spring/summer garden. We will explore sowing seeds, care for seedlings, when to plant them out, how to amend your soil before planting, how and when to harvest, all using sustainable and organic techniques. We will also review cover cropping and how to keep your soil alive.
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3
Ring in the summer, start sowing in winter, for your fabulous tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, zucchini, winter squash (yep, grown in SUMMER) corn, and more! This class will cover what is possible to grow and harvest in spring and summer in our area, as well as how to care for your spring/summer garden. We will explore sowing seeds, care for seedlings, when to plant them out, how to amend your soil before planting, how and when to harvest, all using sustainable and organic techniques. We will also review cover cropping and how to keep your soil alive.
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Presenters: Lisa Putnam and Kathleen Putnam
Lisa Putnam has a BS in Agricultural Economics from UC Davis and also studied nutrition science at Davis. She currently manages a small sustainable organic farm in Woodside and Portola Valley and is a UC Master Gardener and Master Composter. Lisa’s passion is soil and compost. Along with her sister Kathleen, has been teaching gardening at Lyngso’s, San Mateo County Fair, and Garden Clubs for the last 14 years. Kathleen Putnam is a professional organic vegetable gardener serving the Mid-Peninsula and is an ISA Certified Arborist. Kathleen has a certificate in Environmental Horticulture from City College of San Francisco and is a UC Master Gardener. Kathleen’s passion is fruit trees and soil. Along with her sister Lisa, has been teaching vegetable gardening and pruning techniques at many venues for the last 14 years. |
The In-Person class is fully booked. To join the waitlist, please register for the Zoom session. We will notify you if there are any cancellations.
In-Person - Fully Booked |
Zoom Registration |
May
PETALS AND PIXELS: CAPTURING NATURE'S BEAUTY
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SUNDAY - May 4, 2025
1:00 - 3:00 pm |
Fee: $10. In Person only
Registration required. Use the button below or call 650-579-0536x3
Join us for a 1.5-hour hands-on workshop at SMAS led by professional landscape photographer Marie Susa. Designed for all skill levels, this workshop will teach you how to capture professional-looking images of flowers and trees using your camera phone or SLR. Marie will start with a short lecture covering photography basics, followed by a guided walk through Central Park in San Mateo, where you'll practice photographing the park's native flowers and trees. Afterward, Marie will demonstrate simple editing techniques to help you perfect your images. Don’t miss this chance to hone your photography skills while exploring Central Park’s natural beauty!
Registration required. Use the button below or call 650-579-0536x3
Join us for a 1.5-hour hands-on workshop at SMAS led by professional landscape photographer Marie Susa. Designed for all skill levels, this workshop will teach you how to capture professional-looking images of flowers and trees using your camera phone or SLR. Marie will start with a short lecture covering photography basics, followed by a guided walk through Central Park in San Mateo, where you'll practice photographing the park's native flowers and trees. Afterward, Marie will demonstrate simple editing techniques to help you perfect your images. Don’t miss this chance to hone your photography skills while exploring Central Park’s natural beauty!
Register
June
SUMMER ROSE CARE FOR BEAUTIFUL BLOOMS
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SUNDAY - June 1, 2025
1:00 - 2:30 pm |
FREE! In Person and via Zoom
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3 With a few simple care techniques, many roses can flower multiple times through the year in the Bay Area. Learn how to care for your roses in the summer months to maximize repeat and profuse blooming. Healthy roses are great performers in the garden and this talk will also cover recognizing and handling pest and disease. Presenter: Archana Singh Archana is a San Mateo Arboretum Society Rose Garden Volunteer and has been growing roses for over 25 years. Her small garden is filled with 75 roses and more than a 150 different types of plants selected to attract birds, butterflies, bees and other pollinators. She believes in a no-nonsense approach to rose gardening and loves to share her passion with anyone willing to listen! |
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In-Person Registration |
Zoom Registration |
July
GARDENING SAFETY, TOOLS AND TIPS AS WE AGE
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SUNDAY - July 13, 2025
1:00 - 2:30 pm |
FREE! In Person and via Zoom
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3
Gardening is a wonderful hobby that can provide mild exercise, stress reduction, and even increase your lifespan, according to recent research. However, gardening can also pose some challenges and risks for older adults, such as risking falls, and present difficulty bending, lifting, digging, kneeling, and getting up and down. If you have special limits talk to your doctor.
In this talk, Stu Dalton will share his experience and suggestions on how to make gardening safer and more pleasurable as we age. Stu has gardened over 60 years, and is a UC Master Gardener and American Rose Society Master Rosarian. He does have two total knee replacements and has had to learn how to deal with the limits in the garden. His Menlo Park garden has over 150 roses, flowers, fruit and vegetables. He will cover topics such as safety, warming up, preventing falls and being aware of hazards, using tools, technology, and tips to make gardening easier and more enjoyable. He will discuss safety, proper clothing and gloves, study shoes, stretch before starting. Not only that, but he will suggest what to do to assess hazards and your needs.
Gardening tools can make your work easier and faster, but they can also cause strain, pain, and fatigue if they are not used correctly or if they are not suitable for your needs. So he will cover how to reach, prune, lift, weed, dig, kneel and reduce falls as well as getting down and back up. The goal is more enjoyment and fewer physical limits.
Registration required. Use the buttons below or call 650-579-0536x3
Gardening is a wonderful hobby that can provide mild exercise, stress reduction, and even increase your lifespan, according to recent research. However, gardening can also pose some challenges and risks for older adults, such as risking falls, and present difficulty bending, lifting, digging, kneeling, and getting up and down. If you have special limits talk to your doctor.
In this talk, Stu Dalton will share his experience and suggestions on how to make gardening safer and more pleasurable as we age. Stu has gardened over 60 years, and is a UC Master Gardener and American Rose Society Master Rosarian. He does have two total knee replacements and has had to learn how to deal with the limits in the garden. His Menlo Park garden has over 150 roses, flowers, fruit and vegetables. He will cover topics such as safety, warming up, preventing falls and being aware of hazards, using tools, technology, and tips to make gardening easier and more enjoyable. He will discuss safety, proper clothing and gloves, study shoes, stretch before starting. Not only that, but he will suggest what to do to assess hazards and your needs.
Gardening tools can make your work easier and faster, but they can also cause strain, pain, and fatigue if they are not used correctly or if they are not suitable for your needs. So he will cover how to reach, prune, lift, weed, dig, kneel and reduce falls as well as getting down and back up. The goal is more enjoyment and fewer physical limits.
Presenter: Stu Dalton
Stu has been a member of the Peninsula Rose Society and American Rose Society (ARS) since 1985. He became a Consulting Rosarian in 1988 and has provided garden visits and education on rose care for decades. He also is a UC Master Gardener and has given numerous presentations on rose care appropriate for various times of the year. He covers equipment, safety in the garden, management of pests and diseases, principles of pruning or deadheading as well as demonstrating rose care techniques. He grows over 200 roses of many types in his Menlo Park home. |
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In-Person Registration |
Zoom Registration |