GG at Home

Green Gardener at Home Series | Utility Exploration Center

Tuesdays | February 4 - March 22 | 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Saturdays | February 22 & March 22 | 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. 

Welcome to the Green Gardener at Home webpage. Below you will find each week’s course materials. These include a PDF of the PowerPoint presentation and handouts for you to view and/or download. New materials will be posted each week on the Friday before your class.

Class Schedule

Feb. 4 - Watershed-wise landscaping fundamentals

Feb. 11 - Understanding soil health and your role as its caregiver

Feb. 18 - Practical irrigation

Feb. 22 - Saturday, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. Optional Demonstrations and Q&A on for Classes 1, 2 and 3

Feb. 25 – Right Plant, Right Place

March 4 – Backyard bounty, edibles in every garden

March 11 - Pruning with purpose for your California garden

March 18 - Pest prevention & management

March 22 - Saturday, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. optional demonstrations and Q&A for classes 4, 5, 6 and 7

Saturday sessions are an opportunity to talk with class instructors and get answers to questions about class topics and others on your mind. Get your hands on gardening materials and equipment and learn how to apply what you’ve learned in class. 

Class Facilitator

Cheryl Buckwalter
[email protected]
(916) 207-8787  

Picture of water-wise landscaping (photo credit: Gary Kernick, Change of Seasons)
Week 1 - February 4
Watershed-wise landscaping fundamentals

Class description

The days of mowing a lawn once a week, trimming shrubs into spheres and squares, overusing fertilizers and pesticides, and watering with sprinklers that gush water are fleeting and unnecessary. The goal for Making Water Conservation a California Way of Life requires a fresh approach to our landscapes and their care – the watershed-wise way. Learn the basics of how to work with nature to build and protect healthy, living soil; capture rainwater as a resource; select and care for California native and climate-appropriate plants; use highly efficient irrigation; manage pests without toxic chemicals; and support the health of our waterways. Fundamental principles will be covered to set the stage for the upcoming classes that will dive deeper into these topics and provide practical practices for your fabulous California garden.

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional Resources

picture of soil in hands with worms
Week 2 - February 11
Understanding soil health and your role as its caregiver

Class description

Soil is not just a dirty word or a planting medium for growing plants and trees. Discover why soil is more important than you think and how to become an exceptional soil caregiver for productive, pest- and drought-resistant plants. This class will cover components of how your soil functions and impacts plant health, ways plants and soil biology collaborate, and tools and techniques to utilize (and avoid). Discover how to create a robust, regenerative ecosystem for healthy, living soil that yields thriving gardens for the betterment of your family and our environment.

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional Resources

picture of sprinkler
Week 3 - February 18
Practical irrigation

Class description

Irrigation doesn’t need to be complicated. In this class, you’ll learn down-to-earth ways to improve the efficient use of water. Discover how to replace an irrigation controller, a simple way to schedule the watering of your garden, and how to change a spray system to drip to keep water where it’s needed and not in the gutter. It’s all much simpler than you think.

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional resources

Picture of flowers along path
Week 4 - February 25
Right plant, right place

Class description

This secret can make or break your garden! Laugh with us through the good, the bad, and the ugly as we explore how to choose and site plants for our intense dry heat and windy winter storms. Hint: CA Natives rule! Bonus: Get the low-down on the best ‘unlawn’ options for the Sacramento region. Lively discussions encouraged! Learn how to reduce maintenance, lower water use, and have the most gorgeous habitat yard in the neighborhood with least effort.

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional Resources

picture of garden bed
Week 5 - March 4
Backyard bounty, edibles in every garden

Class description

Produce more garden yum! What is your edible style? Low-water edibles integrated into your landscape? Raised bed bounties in a separate corner? Potted patio pleasures outside your kitchen to harvest for your next meal? Together we’ll explore beginner basics and fresh ideas for experienced gardeners from a garden designer’s watershed-aware perspective. Regionally based knowledge and resources provided. Eat your garden!

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional resources

pruning sheers cutting branch
Week 6 - March 11 
Pruning with purpose for your California garden

Class description

This class addresses pruning in California gardens. We’ll cover California native and low-water plants, grasses, perennials, shrubs, hedges, ornamental trees, and more. Your purpose is to create a garden that is successful here in California, is resilient, and works with our natural systems. You’ll learn to prune with unique goals for plant health, longevity, and resiliency. We provide resources to give you guidance beyond the end of the class. (This class will not address fruit tree/shrub pruning. Enjoy other UEC workshops on these topics.)

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional resources

close up picture of aphids
Week 7 - March 18
Pest prevention and management

Class description

Our gardens are full of life, although sometimes it’s with unwanted visitors like insects, pests, weeds, and diseases. This class will cover pest prevention practices that will avert disaster and put your concerns to rest. You will learn effective physical, mechanical, and biological pest management options, and last-resort organic and least toxic pesticides to do the job so you avoid using toxic synthetic pesticides that can be dangerous to you, your family, pets, and the environment.

PowerPoint Presentation PDF

Handouts

Additional resources