Malibu Garden Club

Upcoming Events (subject to change)

• To be determined
  

Past Events

• January 4th - Rose Care
  Thanks to Rose Garden Horticulturist Amanda Everett who presented the latest in roses, including the latest information on sustainable care and various pruning techniques.

  Amanda grew up working for a family landscaping company, went to college for Biology at San Diego State University and focused primarily on plant taxonomy and ecology. Upon graduation she moved to LA in search of a job in the horticultural field and was hired by Descanso Gardens. She managed the rose garden at Descano for many years. During her time there she provided numerous lectures on rose horticulture, the history of roses and sustainable rose care.

  Amanda currently lives in San Diego and works in the private sector providing rose care and horticultural maintenance to homeowners in both San Diego and Los Angeles.

• December 7th - Make Your Own Holiday Wreath / White Elephant Gift Exchange
  Thanks to Nopalito Nursery, who conducted a wreath-making class. The gorgeous 17" wreath was made out of California Native plants. The folks from Nopalito Nursery brought plant materials and each attendee made their own wreath and took it home with them.
• November 2nd — Daylilies with William Wilk
  The Malibu Garden Club was pleased to have William Wilk from the Los Angeles County Arboretum at our November meeting.
  
  Bill is a retired university chemistry professor, but throughout his life botany has been his real interest. Currently he has about 600 registered daylily cultivars in his yard, and five years ago he started hybridizing new ones. He believes hybridizing daylilies is very rewarding and allows artistic and biological challenges to create new plants with spectacular blooms - ones never seen or grown before. The hemerocallis genus allows great variety each generation through normal hybridization - similar to the variety in the world of dog breading.
  
  Bill says mature daylilies bloom up to three times per year and at least one daylily is in bloom in his garden any day of the year. His garden soil is heavy clay which daylilies and plumeria don’t like, but they do well in a mix of: commercial potting soil, sand, perlite, and fine redwood chips and grown in plastic pots. He controls water retention (by hand watering with a hose), fertilizer, and even daylight levels by moving the pots between full sun and partial shade.
  
  He is a member of several clubs and organizations:
  • AHS (American Hemerocallis Society), life member
  • SCHAS (Southern California Hemerocallis and Amaryllis Society, Los Angeles area)
  • Nor-Cal (Northern California Daylily Club)
  • BADS (Bay Area Daylily Club - San Francisco)
  • CSSA (Cactus and Succulent Society of American)
  • Sunset Succulent Society (West Los Angeles)
  • Southern California Horticultural Society
  
  In addition he is a Garden Judge with the AHS. A Garden Judge does not judge gardens but individual daylily plants on a yearly basis. Daylilies are checked for good character: fast growing, good increaser, branching scapes, good color flower, good proportion of flower to plant, and so on. Individual plants among a list of hundreds can be awarded: Award of Merit (twelve winners), or Honorable Mention (many winners), or Stout Silver Medal Winner (only one winner) each year. The Stout Silver Medal Award has been given each year since 1950, and the Daylily Garden at the L.A. County Arboretum has an example of each - many are truly great daylilies that still please growers.
  
  The Daylily Garden at the Los Angeles County Arboretum is a registered AHS Display Garden and Historical Garden and is the only registered daylily garden in our area. The best time to see daylily blooms is middle May to middle June which is the height of daylily bloom.
  
  Bill also brought daylily seedlings for everyone to take home!
• October 5th — Monrovia Growers New Plant Introductions with Nicholas Staddon
  The Malibu Garden Club was pleased to have Nicholas Staddon from Monrovia Growers at our October meeting on Wednesday, October 5th at 7:00 pm Point Dume Club - 29500 W Heathercliff Road, Malibu. We got a look behind the scene's at Monrovia Nursery, learning how new plants are discovered, trialed, propagated and brought to market. We also got a first hand look at the recycling methods used in today's modern nursery. Nicholas guided us through the trends world wide and in the United States, finishing his presentation with an array of stunning plants, new & not so new, suited for your garden. Nicholas also provided some Monrovia "Swag" for a raffle after the presentation.
  
  Nicholas was born in Ipswich, England, which is filled with estates and country homes containing unusual plants, so he grew up with an appreciation of them. One of his early jobs was working as a steward on private yachts. One client, an American, owned Treeland, an independent nursery in Albuquerque, N.M. In 1984, Staddon accepted his offer to join the nursery staff as a sales-man. Learning about the nursery business brought him contact with Monrovia, which offered him a job in sales. Finding new plants is challenging. Each year, Staddon and his staff evaluate hundreds of new plant varieties. Plants are observed for at least three years. Only a few make the grade, an estimated one of every 50. Those that make the grade are propagated by tissue culture, grafting or growing from seed. Young plants are put in containers and remain in Monrovia's growing grounds for three to six years before they're de-livered to retail nurseries. If plants don't pass muster, they and their offspring are destroyed.
  
• September 7th - Roses for the Southern California Garden
  The Malibu Garden Club was pleased to have Master Consulting Rosarian Dan Bifano at our September meeting. With his A-List of clients (for a rosarian), he's been on the Oprah show many times, where she refers to him as "Dan the Rose Man!" He brought to life Oprah's Legend Rose. You can read about him in Barbara Streisand's own book! He is the man who helped Barbra Streisand choose the rose that bears her name. Dan is a Master Rosarian and has grown roses for over 50 years. He is also a Horticultural and Arrangement Judge for the American Rose Society and judges nationally and internationally. He has been designing professionally for about 20 years in Santa Barbara, Malibu and Bel Air.
• August 3rd - Make the most of your summer tomato harvest
  The Malibu Garden Club is excited to have Laura Taylor at our August meeting. Laura spoke about tomatoes. We found out how the season was progressing and then indulged in some tomato recipes, including Tomato/Cucumber Salsa, a traditional Tuscan Panzanella (bread and tomato salad) and her Signature Gazpacho. Of course, everyone took recipes home with them!
• June 1st - California Natives Gardening Kathleen Bullard, Manhatten Beach Botanic Garden
• May 21st - 13th Annual Garden Tour
• May 4th - Water Gardens, Ponds & Fountains
  The Malibu Garden Club proudly presented "Mr. Fish," Bob Morris of Mr. Fish Aquarium & Pond Service. Mr. Fish presented on how you can produce a successful water feature in your yard, covering construction and maintenance to fish and plants.
• April 6th - Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, A Visionary Look at the Future of Gardens
  We were pleased to have Owen Dell, an award-winning, internationally admired landscape architect, author and educator, and the principal of Owen Dell & Associates in Santa Barbara, specializing in sustainable landscape architectural services. Owen presented Sustainable Landscaping for Dummies, A Visionary Look at the Future of Gardens. He shared his vision of how environmentally and socially conscious landscaping can make a huge contribution to a brighter future. This dynamic, eye-opening talk forever changed the way we understand our relationship to the landscape.
• March - TOMATOMANIA!
  A big thanks to Scott Daigre of TOMATOMANIA!, for giving us an inspiring, engaging, educational and funny presentation on tomatoes. We heard from several of you that you ran out and bought different types of tomato seeds! Thanks Scott!
  
• February - 21st Century Cutting Edge Garden Design
  The Malibu Garden Club was pleased to have Alice Joyce speak about 21st Century Cutting Edge Garden Design. Alice is a well-known author of "1001 Gardens You Must See Before You Die" and writes for Gardens Illustrated, London, Garden Design and The American Gardener, and is a regular contributor to the San Francisco Chronicle.
• January - Plant & Landscape Panel Discussion
  Attendees participated in a panel discussion led by Aaron Landworth & Laura Knauss, experts with each over 30 years in the Landscape Industry, both own their own businesses.
  
• December - Holiday Crafts Class
  Gift wrap and paper expert Wanda Wen showed us what it meant to give thoughtfully wrapped presents. With expert tips, techniques and creative vision, she described how to use natural, uncommon and everyday materials to perfectly dress any gift.
• November - Out of Your Gourds!
  You would not believe what you can do with gourds! But luckily we will have Susan Sullivan at our meeting to explain.  
• November - Special Paid Members Tour
  Imagine having over 258 fruit trees in your own backyard? Arnold Bernstein does because it’s his backyard! Arnold was an incredible host for a tour put on for our paid members.
• October — Master Pumpkin Carver
  Master pumpkin carver Gene Granata join us. Gene's incredible talent has given him over 20+ years of carving experience, appearances on many television shows, magazine features and customers worldwide. And now he will be sharing it with us!
• September — Olive Trees & Olive Oils: a Tasting and Education
  A very special night of learning all about olive trees and indulging in an olive oil tasting. Robert Jaye, owner, from the Malibu Olive Company educated us on the proper way to taste olive oils.
• June 2 — Viticulture & Enology or Grape Growing & Wine Making - A Local Tour
  Today’s shed is no longer hiding in a far corner of the backyard. Instead, it occupies a starring role in the landscape. Gardeners are transforming this once-humble structure into a backyard sanctuary – a retreat, just steps from the back door. Sheds have become as individual as their inhabitants, but the best of them fulfill three needs: function, recreation and inspiration.
• May 15 — Annual Malibu Garden Tour
  Annual Garden Tour & presentation / recognition of student recipients of our annual scholarships.
• May 5 — Chic Succulents
  Debra Lee Baldwin informed and inspired us to design with these remarkable plants. Her book Designing with Succulents has come to symbolize the new garden style associated with Southern California living. Her latest book Succulent Container Gardens packs beautiful photos of creations by top designers from across the country to inspire in new creative ways.
• April 7 — Good Bugs, Bad Bugs
  Ms. Heather Teodoro, L.A. Vector Control Dept. Spring has sprung and so have the pests.
• March 3 — Gardening Within Your Watering Means
  Nan Sterman, author of California Gardener's Guide explained our water situation, presented lovely examples of water wise gardens, covered 30-40 examples of water-wise plants, and ended with tips for success in growing those plants.
• February 3 — Chocolate Theobroma cacao — CHOCOLATE — The Plant (of course!)
  The History, The Delicious indulgence, A tasting of fine Artisan Chocolates from around the world.
• January 6 — City of Malibu Biologist Dave Crawford
  Learn about the new 2010 state and local landscape and irrigation regulations that will affect all of us. Also learn about native plants and invasive species.