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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.
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Tree Care
June 11, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: John Huddleston, Owner, Precision Tree Experts
Trees are valuable! Did you know that a healthy and well-placed tree with a good structure could be worth tens of thousands of dollars...sometimes hundreds of thousands?! And think about the wildlife, aesthetics, and shade trees bring to the landscape. According to the study, the right amount of tree cover can lower summer daytime temperatures by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's discuss how to keep our trees healthy in this drought period and beyond.
Workshop Handouts: Practical guide to tree trimming | Waterwise tree care
PAST WORKSHOPS
Water harvesting methods for your home and garden
May 14, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Daniel Aaron Francis, Industry Expert
Water harvesting in the landscape and home is the best practice in an arid climate. Daniel Aaron Francis will take us on a journey through rainwater, irrigation, and greywater harvesting project that passively repatterns a landscape to actively sequester water. Water harvesting is our future!
Fire-smart Gardening
April 9, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Becky Levers, UCCE MG
Join us for an informative conversation on 'defensible space' landscaping surrounding your home and yard. UCCE Master Gardener and California Native plant enthusiast, Becky Levers, will walk us through the necessary steps to keep you and your family as safe as possible in the case of wildfire.
Low-water edible gardening
March 12, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Lucy Heyming, UCCE MG
Join us today as Lucy Heyming, UCCE Master Gardener, walks us through the necessary steps to create and maintain a beautiful and bountiful edible garden. Lucy will share her years of experience in successful vegetable gardening.
Beyond citrus in your yard
February 12, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Larry Dodson, UCCE MG
Larry Dodson, UCCE Master Gardener, Board member and past president of California Rare Fruit Growers, will discuss the alternatives to citrus such as stone fruit trees in Inland gardens. Larry will share a wealth of knowledge covering the essentials such as choosing your plants, caring of plants prior to planting, how to plant, water, fertilize, and mulch. This presentation will be followed by a Question-and-Answer session.
Workshop Handouts: Care and Maintenance Guide | Harvest Dates
Protecting your backyard citrus: HLB Greening Update
January 8, 2022 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Sonia Rios, Area Subtropical Horticulture Advisor
Join us for an update on the impacts of Citrus Greening—HLB disease—from Sonia Rios, Area Subtropical Horticulture Advisor, UCCE Riverside & San Diego Counties.
POP – The Power of Pollinators
November 13, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Michele Felix-Derbarmdiker, Naturalist
The Power of Pollinators (POP) presentation, introduces you to the subjects of natural resources, pollinators/pollination, human pollinator relationships, Western Monarchs and native milkweed. At the end of the presentation, participants will have the knowledge go forward and take meaningful action to be stewards of native pollinators, Western Monarchs and milkweed.
Current drought status—what it means to you
October 9, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: Celeste Cantú, UCCE Master Gardener
Join us for an important discussion on the impacts of the current drought conditions with Celeste Cantú, UCCE Master Gardener: climate change and impact on gardens, water-efficient gardening, and maintaining your garden through proven water-wise practices.
Adding style to your landscape
September 11, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Speakers: Rob Whipple and Alison Loukeh
Join us for a presentation by co-author of Western’s new Landscape Style Guide, Rob Whipple. Rob, and local plant expert, Alison Loukeh, will discuss the Guide’s eight landscape styles and plant lists. We are sure we have a style for you!
Growing avocados
Speaker: Linda Mullins, UCCE Master Gardener
Linda Mullins is a certified organic farmer in the Temecula Valley growing a variety of avocados and giant winter squash for restaurants and local grocers. She and her husband have been farming here since 2012 and have been certified organic since 2019. Linda has been a UCCE Master Gardener since 2015 and has taught the avocado session of the Master Gardener training classes in 2019 and 2020. The Mullins grow a wide range of fruits and vegetables on their farm for home and commercial markets.
Workshop Materials
Grow an edible bounty in containers
Saturday, April 10, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Speaker: UCCE Master Gardener, Kathy Swanson
UCCE Master Gardener, Kathy Swanson, will show you how to create an edible bounty in containers. With her proven techniques, all you need is a small space and a few various containers to be successful.
Bees, pollinators and backyard wildlife
Saturday, March 13, 2021 | 10 a.m.
The humming of bees is the music of a garden. Chris McDonald, Ph.D. will take us through the natural history of backyard wildlife including bees, butterflies, and birds and teach us how to attract more wildlife to your yard with drought-tolerant and native plants.
Speaker: Chris McDonald, Ph.D.
Christopher McDonald Ph.D. Natural Resource Advisor, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial Counties. University of California, Cooperative Extension. Chris is the Natural Resource Advisor for Southern California. His expertise is in managing plants in wild lands with an emphasis on managing difficult weeds. He conducts research on habitat restoration by reducing weed populations as well as actively increasing native plant populations. He also conducts research on early detection of weed species, sensitive species habitat restoration and management techniques, including chemical and mechanical control methods. He educates the public about using native plants in backyards and to increase pollinators, sustainability and wildlife. Chris has conducted research and outreach activities in the southwestern US for nearly 20 years working almost exclusively in arid and semi-arid ecosystems.
Drought-tolerant plants
Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Relax in your vibrant and lively water-wise garden instead of toiling in a traditional turf landscape. Lynn Coffman, UC Master Gardener, will take us on a world tour of Mediterranean plants that also thrive in the Inland Empire. Join us as we continue our landscape design series.
Speaker: Lynn Coffman, UC Master Gardener
Lynn Coffman is a 3rd-year Master Gardener and life-long nature enthusiast. She began her horticultural and design studies in earnest after her children went into high school by selling plants in a wholesale/retail herb specialty nursery in San Diego County. Lynn had no idea that years later, she would become Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper (QWEL) Certified and become a garden coach for homeowners looking to transform their water-thirsty turf landscapes into water-wise oases.
Webinar recording: Drought-tolerant plants (Passcode: 3=M^Az32)
Home landscaping design
Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021 | 10 a.m.
Learn a simple process for creating a basic landscape plan Whether re-landscaping or updating an existing yard, you will learn to recognize unique conditions and apply design principles leading to your living work of art.
Speaker: Ralph Thompson, UC Master Gardener
Ralph and his husband, Jim, relocated to the Coachella Valley when they retired in 2016. Like many desert ‘transplants’ they soon discovered that their coastal gardening experience wasn’t directly transferable to the conditions of their new home. However, in the process of re-doing their new home’s landscaping, they realized that, while details may be different, the basics of plant care and landscaping are the same no matter the climate. Like many retirees, Ralph and Jim give back to their communities by volunteering with the Riverside County UC Master Gardeners, the Coachella Valley Plumeria Society, the Boys and Girls Club of Cathedral City, and the Cathedral City Senior Center. Their week is as busy in retirement as when working full time.
Workshop materials
Handout: 6 factors influencing yard layout and landscape design
Hydroponics: Gardening without soil
Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020 | 10 a.m.
Join us to learn how to grow healthy hydroponically-produced foods using commonly available household items.
Speaker: Kelli Shaw-Hague, UC Master Gardener
Kelli Hague-Shaw, UC Master Gardener and elementary school teacher, is certified in hydroponics from the University of Arizona. With a United States Department of Agriculture Farm to School Grant, and in partnership with her elementary school staff and students and with the City of Perris, she has provided fresh food for her school's lunch program. Presently, she is involved with the management of nine aeroponic towers—a type of hydroponics—and a commercial farm system.
Learn about our plant of the month:
Asclepias fascicularis – Narrowleaf Milkweed
Did You Know non-native Milkweed disrupts the migratory patterns of our local Monarch Butterflies? Narrowleaf Milkweed goes dormant in the winter, supporting the natural migration of the endangered Monarch species. Tropical milkweed is non-native to California and stays active all year round interrupting the natural migratory patterns of our Monarchs. When migratory patterns are interrupted, stress and illness put the species at risk. Asclepias Fascicularis can prevent the decline in the Monarch population. Growing Asclepias Fascicularis is easy, breezy, and tons of fun. From budding flowers and transforming larvae, this plant will bring you life and harmony. Native plant repopulation is up to us to restore, revalue, and regenerate. The Monarchs will thank you! (Courtesy of Moosa Creek Nursery)