September Special Events

September 16, Sunday, 2:30pm (gates open at 2:00): Symphony Sunday in The Gardens. Music in the Gardens at Lake Merritt (at Lakeside Park Garden Center) with Michael Morgan & The Oakland East Bay Symphony featuring the Oakland Jazz Choir. Tickets $10 per person. Order online at https://www.trilogyticketing.com/oakland/ Bring the family and a picnic for a delightful afternoon in The Gardens.

September 22, Saturday, noon-1pm: Alameda County Master Gardeners present Creating Butterfly Habitat in Your Backyard.  Learn how to attract butterflies to your backyard. Master Gardener Marla Lee will cover the butterfly life-cycle, how to host butterflies in all of their forms, along with which plants thrive in our climate to keep butterflies in our yards. Marla created the Bay Farm Elementary School Butterfly Habitat garden in Alameda. This talk is free and open to the public.  Please join us, and bring your own gardening questions!

Download the full Workshop Series schedule here: 2012 Lake Merritt Trials Garden MG Workshop Series. For more information, visit  http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/Demonstration_Gardens/Lakeside_Trials_Garden/

September 23, Sunday -1pm-3pm: Introduction to Bonsai: Interactive Demo and Questions in the Bonsai Garden. This free workshop (held every fourth Sunday of the month) covers the art of Bonsai including techniques, styling, care and grooming.  You are welcome to bring your own tree for some TLC.

Community Work Party Events 

” A special thanks to the volunteers for making these Gardens the pride of Oakland,” Dick Austin, President, Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt. Saturday volunteers receive a half-off  brunch coupon for Bacheesos!

Every Thursday Morning – 9:00am to noon:  Meet at the Succulent  Garden.

Every Tuesday Evening – 5:30pm-7:00pm: Meet in the Sensory Garden.

Every Wednesday Group Gardening -By appointment: Edible Gardens (contact Garden@PeoplesVictoryGarden.org) Schedule time to learn to grow your food and have lunch with your friends.

September 1, Saturday- 9am-1:30pm: Mediterranean and Succulent Gardens

September 15, Saturday- 9am-12pm:   Sensory, Palmetum, and Rhododendron Gardens

September 29, Saturday – 19:30-11:30: Edible Community Garden. (New volunteer sign-up and orientation) Meet at the People’s Victory Garden.

Bring a friend and a garden tool. When volunteering, tell the kiosk  attendant you are a volunteer with the Friends of the Gardens at Lake Merritt for free parking.

September Gardening Tips

Prepared by the Alameda County Master Gardeners

• Register now for the October 20, 2012 Seminar Digging Deeper: Revitalizing the Urban Garden in the Bay Area  http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/Fall_Seminar/
• Continue harvesting. Feed that compost pile as summer crops are removed (unless crops are diseased).
• As summer crops are removed, cover crops (also called green manure or compost crops) can be planted. Read an article on cover crops here.
• Continue to plant cool season plants.
• Plant onions from seeds (West of the East Bay Hills). Check out Onions 101 for an in-depth look at growing onions.
• Set out cool season annuals (pansies, primrose, stock, etc.). Wait until next month for hotter areas.

For more information on gardening tips and information from the Alameda County Master Gardeners, go to http://acmg.ucdavis.edu/