Home and Garden calendar for Snohomish County and beyond
Published 1:30 am Thursday, January 19, 2017
Garden design: “Re-imagining Your Garden: A Practical Guide to Design Ideas and Implementation” with Phoebe Fine, 1 p.m. Jan. 22, Aaron Education Center at Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St., Bellevue. Hosted by Northwest Perennial Alliance. Doors open at noon for plant sale. NPA members free; nonmembers $15. More at www.northwestperennialalliance.org.
Eagle watch: See hundreds of eagles in the winter salmon runs. Weekends through Jan. 22, trained volunteers with the Eagle Watchers program will be posted along the upper Skagit River to help visitors learn more about the wintering bald eagle population. Volunteers will be available to answer questions about bald eagles, salmon and the Skagit watershed at Howard Miller Steelhead Park, 52804 Rockport Park Road, Rockport, and the Marblemount Fish Hatchery, 8319 Fish Hatchery Road, Marblemount, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Binoculars and spotting scopes available for visitor use. For more information, go to www.fs.usda.gov/mbs.
Field sketchers group: 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 25, Edmonds Library, 650 Main St., Edmonds. Make leaf print cards, suitable for Valentine’s Day. More at garden@pilchuckaudubon.org.
Natural yard care: Learn how you can plan a beautiful, healthy yard at Brightwater Center workshops. King County is partnering with the Snohomish Conservation District to offer a series of three classes to help people create a healthy, sustainable landscape. Classes are 10 a.m. to noon, free to attend, and there will be giveaways for attendees. Go to for one, two or all three classes at the Brightwater Center, 22505 Hwy. 9 SE, Woodinville. Feb. 4: “The Foundation of Your Yard.” What soil is made of and how to make it work better for your landscape. Feb. 25: “Watering Wisely.” How watering your landscape effectively can save you valuable time and money. Pre-register at http://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/brightwater-center/events.aspx. Call 206-263-9412 for more.
Camano Wildlife Habitat Project, sponsored by Friends of Camano Island Parks, hosts public presentations the third Wednesday of the month at Camano Multipurpose Center (blue building), 141 NE Camano Drive. For information, call 360-387-2236, visit www.camanowildlifehabitat.org or email camanowildlifehabitat@gmail.com.
Plant sales
Snohomish Conservation District Plant Sale: Order deadline is Jan. 31. More than 60,000 trees, shrubs, groundcovers and flowering natives and a variety of educational booths. Sale will be 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, Monroe, in the Commercial Building 400. Pre-order items by 5 p.m. Jan. 31 or come shop the day of the sale for select varieties. In addition to native plants, specialty items for sale this year include rain barrel kits, tree protectors and pollinator seed packets. Volunteers are also needed the entire week of the sale to help package and label plants. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.theplantsale.org/volunteer. More at www.theplantsale.org or contact cmoscoso@snohomishcd.org.
March mania plant sale: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 11, Aaron Education Center at Bellevue Botanical Garden, 12001 Main St., Bellevue. Sale features many specialty nurseries/growers who are generally not open to the public.
Plant talks
Winter Speaker Series: The Snohomish County Master Gardener Foundation annual series features Northwest garden personalities in eight sessions Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Lectures are held in the Social Hall of the Mukilteo Presbyterian Church, 4515 84th St. SW, Mukilteo. A pass for the complete series is $85; single sessions are $20 at the door. Jan. 20: Xerces Society Pollinator Conservation Program co-director Eric Lee-Mäder, “Bring Back the Pollinators.” Go to www. garden lectures.com for a listing of dates, speakers, topics and how to register.
Growing Groceries Education Series: Classes designed to help you learn how to grow your own food. Classes are Wednesday evenings from 7 to 9:30 at WSU Snohomish County Extension’s Cougar Auditorium, 600 128th St. SE, Everett. Cost is $20 per class. Register online at growinggroceries.eventbrite.com. For more, go to snohomish.wsu.edu/growing-groceries, call 425-357-6024 or email kate.ryan@wsu.edu. Feb. 1: “Small Fruits, Big Harvests.” Strawberries, cane berries, blueberries and other small fruit. Feb. 15: “Growing Heirloom Vegetables.” Flavor and adaptation make heirlooms a good choice. March 1: Growing Tree Fruit. Variety selection, care and management best practices. March 22: “Seed Starting &Growing Transplants.” Save money and raise the varieties that do best here.March 29: “Good Bugs, Bad Bugs, &Pollinators.” Learn who’s who and how to attract the good guys. April 12: “Weeding and Watering.” Get smart about weeds and water; save time, harvest more. April 26: “Growing the Heat Lovers in the Chilly NW.” Learn the tricks to growing ripe tomatoes, peppers and melons.
