Master Gardener Workshops

Western Municipal Water District partners with the University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardener Program of Riverside County to host FREE monthly workshops that focus on gardening and efficient outdoor water use.

Workshops are hosted on the second Saturday of each month. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, workshops are being held virtually.

  1. Upcoming Workshops
  2. Past Workshops

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Native Landscapes of Color, Safety, & Water Efficiency

Come explore the wonders of our exclusive California native plants that have evolved with our local climate, soil types, and animals over thousands of years. Becky Levers will cover how you can add beauty to your yard by proper plant placement. California natives are, by necessity, efficient water users. They provide color and habitat for pollinators, butterflies, and birds throughout the year. And for those of us who must add defensible space techniques to our home landscaping, natives can be excellent choices.

May 13, 2023 | 10 a.m.

Speaker: Becky Leavers

Sign up to view Zoom meeting details!

Learn about our plant of the month:

Purple Owl's Clover (Castilleja exserta)

Castilleja_exserta_image5Owl's Clover is a species in the Orobanchaceae (Broomrape) family. The genus Castilleja, which includes the Indian paintbrushes, includes numerous species. It was formerly included in the genus Orthocarpus, and some sources may still refer to it by that name. This species is native to the southwestern United States but may be found in places where it has been introduced, such as Hawaii. In California there are three recognized subspecies with fairly distinct geographical ranges.

The plant is an annual about a foot tall with a hairy stem covered in thready leaves. Although this species is variable in appearance and easily hybridizes with other Castilleja, it generally bears a brightly-colored flower cluster of shaggy pink-purple or lavender flowers that resemble clover (but they are not related). The thin, erect leaves are usually tipped with the same color, giving the flower cluster the appearance of a paintbrush. It produces pods containing seeds. Like other related plants in the family, this is a hemiparasite which derives some of its nutrients directly from the roots of other plants by injecting them with haustoria; this is the reason for its small, reduced leaves. Therefore, it is almost always planted with a perennial species to serve as the host plant.