Recently in Events Category

Middles of Nowhere: Dry Lakes of the Mojave

drylakes_cuddeback_600.jpgDry lakes are places in the desert where drainage stops, and goes no further. Landscape dead-ends, they attract activities drawn to nowheres. Many dry lakes have no name, marked on maps only as alkali flat, salt flat, sink, mudflat, wash, or playa (if at all). 


A current exhibit in Los Angeles looks at approx. 70 dry lakes in the Mojave valued enough to have names and be recorded on maps by the US Geological Survey. These are the nowheres that have become, at the very least, somewhere. 

Leave it to The Center for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI) to curate such a creative and interesting show. A research and education organization, CLUI is dedicated to the increase and diffusion of knowledge about how the nation's lands are apportioned, used, and perceived. They find new meanings in the intentional and incidental landforms we individually and collectively create, and believe that the manmade landscape is a cultural inscription, which can be read as insight into who we are and what we do.

Seminar on Natives at San Mateo Arboretum

c-noevalleysustainable09.jpgGo native, stay modern!  In this free presentation by Madrono president Geoffrey Coffey, we will learn that native plants are wildlife friendly, drought-tolerant, and locally appropriate — not to mention beautiful.  Learn how you can weave color, texture, and aroma into the garden using the natural flora that lived here long before we did. 


WHERE: the Kohl Pumphouse in San Mateo Central Park. 
Enter at 9th & Palm Avenues, follow path to iron dog statue. Go through white gates to the left of the statue, and the Pumphouse is behind the Victorian fountain. 

WHEN: Sunday, October 4 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm

Seminar on Vertical Gardens at the Going Native Garden Tour

GNGT-logo.jpgAt the upcoming Going Native Garden Tour, a free annual tour of private native plant gardens in Santa Clara Valley and the Peninsula, Madroño president Geoffrey Coffey will appear at Garden #16 in Los Altos Hills to serve as docent, where he will speak at length on Vertical Landscaping.

This garden features a modern green wall composed of perforated steel panels, designed and installed by Madroño in 2008. The four-acre property also features several mature valley oaks, one spectacular black oak, and a multitude of choice native flowering shrubs and perennials including Dr. Hurd Manzanita, Ceanothus 'Julia Phelps,' Redbud, Fremontodendron 'Ken Taylor,' Wax Myrtle, Bush Anenome, Western Azalea, and many more. 

This year's event will also feature a plant sale by Bay Natives nursery, featuring many of the same plants growing and thriving in the garden.  Please join us!

To get the address, you first must register on the tour website.

WHO: Native plant aficionados of every stripe

WHAT: Going Native Garden Tour

WHERE: Garden #16 (please register to get the exact address)

WHEN: Sunday, April 21, 2013, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

WHY: To meet Madroño president Geoffrey Coffey and learn about the benefits of green walls, to enjoy the pleasures of a private estate garden in Los Altos Hills, and to buy choice native species from Bay Natives nursery, the San Francisco source for native plants.

See you there!


Madroño Wins "Best Overall Design" at S.F. Garden Show

pacific-rim-fusion-PBF.jpgThe award for Best Overall Design in the Small Spaces Living section of the 2013 San Francisco Home & Garden Show was given to Madroño Landscape Design Studio and Bay Natives nursery for "Pacific Rim Fusion," an exhibit of California native landscaping with Japanese inflection. 


The 8'x8' display included a milled redwood slatted screen with Japanese-style trim, designer teak furniture from Indonesia and Brazil, the ultra-modern Rimbou Venus sun shade, a custom concrete planter by Mary Oros, and choice native plants including bentgrass (Agrostis pallens), seep monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus), Tule rush (Scirpus californica), and the Paradise manzanita (Arctostaphylos pajaroensis 'Paradise').

2013-SFFGS-best-overall-design.jpg

Special Event at California Academy of Sciences

native-plants-through-a-modern-lens.jpgMODERN & NATIVE:
Contemporary Design Meets
California Native Plants

Join Madroño founder and president Geoffrey Coffey for a talk and slide show on modern design approaches using California native plants in the built landscape.

WHEN:  
Sept. 21, 2011 from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: 
California Academy of Sciences
(Use Staff Entrance on Middle Drive East)
Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

ADMISSION: 
$20
(APLD members free)

More info here: Modern & Native

Program begins at 4:30 sharp. Meet at the staff entrance on Middle Drive East. Academy staff will escort us as a group to the lecture hall for this special event; please respect their time and be prompt.

RSVP to Alan Good, AGood@calacademy.org

Sponsored by the San Francisco chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD).

Laundry to Landscape Pilot Program

greywater-plan.jpgIn a push for citizens to install greywater irrigation systems in their homes, the SFPUC (city water department) has launched a program to offset the cost of materials for qualifying households.  The so-called Laundry-to-Landscape program requires a formal application with proof that the property has a working washing machine and a yard that is level or downsloping away from the machine's outflow.  The first 150 qualifying households will receive a 95% subsidy toward the purchase of a hardware kit (hub connectors, three-way valves, etc.) to divert greywater from the sewers and use it to irrigate the garden.

Only 1- or 2-unit residential buildings are eligible, and only these buildings are allowed to install greywater systems without a permit from the building department. To encourage and promote the use of graywater systems in larger and/or commercial or industrial buildings, the SFPUC also offers a rebate up to $225 toward the cost of obtaining a permit. To be eligible, the graywater system must be used for subsurface irrigation only.

For more information on the program, check the SFPUC's dedicated greywater page.  For help with the application and permitting process, or to order a professional greywater design for your property, contact Madroño.


Talk & Slide Show at Brisbane Library

Join Madroño founder and president Geoffrey Coffey for a talk and slide show at the Brisbane Library on modern gardens using locally appropriate native plants.

WHEN:  
May 14, 2011 from 2-3 p.m.

WHERE: 
250 Visitacion Ave.
Brisbane, CA 94005

ADMISSION:
Free!
Sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society.