2nd Quarter 2024: In the Garden

Garden Mission: To promote water conservation in the California Central Valley landscape through excellent gardens, exhibits and programs that educate and inspire the public.

Celebration Announcement

The much-anticipated Groundbreaking Ceremony for the new Visitor Center has been scheduled. This will be an opportunity to celebrate a new beginning for the garden with community supporters. All are invited to attend on Wednesday, July 31st @ 9:00 AM. The brief program will include comments from architect, Art Dyson and CBG’s president, Anne Clemons. Jeff Millard will play the Swirl chimes to add a musical note to the festivities, and light refreshments will be served in the pavilion following the ceremony. Carpooling is encouraged due to limited parking availability. Please take a moment to RSVP, so we can plan accordingly. Download event flyer image.

Garden members who would like to assist with the event the day before and the day of the event are encouraged to contact Anne Clemons at [email protected]. We need help to set-up, greet visitors, and to clean-up.

2nd Quater Activities

April 11th

Clovis Community College students visited the garden to collect soil samples for a class project. Board Member Perry Coy assisted the students and answered numerous questions.

May 4th

The annual Clovis Trail Fest was a tremendous success again this year. Jeannette Warnert set up an information table along the Dry Creek pathway to greet participants, invite them to visit the garden, and answer any questions.

May 16th

Eight CBG Board Members and volunteers attended the Mayor’s Breakfast 2024. This is an annual event held by the Clovis Community Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to making our community a better place to live, work, and raise a family. The foundation supports future and current projects of many organizations, including the Clovis Botanical Garden . It was a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate appreciation for their generous support throughout the years.

April to June

Members of the Board were busy finalizing the details to begin construction on the new Visitor Center. Many hours were spent in meetings with the architect, construction contractor, Clovis Planning Department, and Clovis Fire Department, etc. The contract was signed just a week ago, and we are anxious to begin construction in August.

Social Media

CSU Fresno students enrolled in the “Digital & Social Media” class with Professor Cheryl Gardner, have produced videos for the garden that will be available for viewing soon on Facebook and Instagram. One features an interview with Art Dyson, architect for the Visitor Center (YouTube), and the other features Jeff Millard playing the “Swirl” chimes in the Sensory Garden. The impressive work of Jesus Santillano, Chris Armanza, Isaac Shapiro, Sharon Martinez, and Kellie Nakarama is greatly appreciated. Many thanks to Rodger Pachelbel as well, who was instrumental in facilitating collaboration with the university professor and students. In addition:

• Our architect’s visionary rendering video of the Visitor Center is now available on the CBG Facebook page.
• An article appeared in the Clovis Roundup, titled “Things to Know and Places to Go in Clovis: Discovering the Botanical Gardens” by Steven Sandage (June 25th). It highlights the wonderful features of the garden and an interview with Anne Clemons.

Welcome to Our New Members!

• Kimberly Paniagua
• Rebecca MacDonald
• Timothy Sullivan
• Heather Horst
• Dawn Scialabba
• Jill Kelley
• Ruthis Scott
• Kathy Huynh

Members of CBG receive a membership card, a monthly newsletter, a digital subscription to Better Homes & Gardens, and free admission to many public gardens in California and around the country through the American Horticulture Association Reciprocal Admissions Program. See all gardens around the nation and abroad that provide reciprocal admission.

Opportunities To Support The Garden

The Clovis Botanical Garden has many opportunities for volunteers to work in the garden with a congenial crew you will enjoy getting to know. Colorful shade trees, bushes and plants line the pathways, as well as healthy weeds that need attention. Volunteers help the garden thrive, as they make friends and learn more about growing water conservation plants that grow beautifully in local landscapes. You are invited to join the Gardening Crews on Thursdays, Fridays and/or Saturdays in the morning from 8 to 11 AM. Work hours are early to beat the heat, as the crew weeds and trims to keep the Garden looking its absolute best.

• Thursday Crew: Ree Coy, Supervisor
• Friday Crew: (1st and 2nd Fridays of the month only): Lorie Hutzler, Supervisor
• Saturday Crew: Anne Clemons, Supervisor

You can also support the garden through membership and donations. While funding to begin the construction of the Visitor Center has been secured, additional resources are needed for interior furnishings, the north parking lot, and general garden maintenance.

Summer Protection for Gardeners (From CBG’S Garden Volunteers Handbook)

Seek Shade.

Harmful ultraviolet light exposure is greatest between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and less in the early morning and late afternoon. Experts recommend staying inside during those hours. However, if you need to be outside during these peak hours, try to seek shade to help limit your exposure to UV rays.

Wear a Hat.

Protect your face, ears, neck, and the top of your head, with a hat that sports a wide brim to cover exposed skin. As the American Cancer Society notes, although baseball caps can protect your face and scalp, they miss your neck and ears, places where skin cancers commonly develop. Try to find a hat with at least a 2-to 3-inch brim.

Wear Coverups.

Not all cover-ups are created equal. Avoid clothes that you can see light through. Remember: If light is getting through, then ultraviolet radiation is getting through too. The weave of your clothing is also important. The tighter the knit or weave, the smaller the holes and the less UV rays can get through. Some manufacturers provide extra-protective clothing with UPF labels (Ultraviolet Protection Factor), which indicate exactly what protection the clothing provides. For example, a shirt with a UPF of 45 lets in just 1/45th of the sun’s UV rays.

Apply Sunscreen.

Apply sunscreen and protective lip balm with SPF 30 or higher every day to prevent sun damage. Look for a broad-spectrum formula, which protects from both UVA and UVB light.

Spring Blossoms In The Garden

Tips for the Central Valley Gardener – Summer Watering

by Elinor Teaque

Long range weather forecasters are predicting that inland temperatures in California will be hotter than normal, and temperatures will be cooler than normal along the California coast this summer beginning in late June. Central Valley gardeners are accustomed to the changes in their irrigation routines beginning the first week of July. When daytime temperatures are above 95 degrees, a three to four-inch layer of mulch needs to be maintained in planting beds to slow evaporation and keep roots cooler; automatic timers are reset weekly to increase irrigation times; container plants and new seedlings and transplants are hand-watered twice daily, and every plant and tree needs deep irrigation before a predicted heat spike.

One effect of the intense and long-lasting summer heat here in the Central Vally, is that plants (including succulents, cacti, and other drought-tolerant plants) enter a state of dormancy when temperatures are above 95 degrees. Growth and flower production slows and even stops during heat spikes. Most of the plants in our gardens need increased watering to survive, but there are a few exceptions. Overwatering in summer is the major cause of death for cacti and succulents, as well as several woody-stemmed Mediterranean herbs, including rosemary and lavenders (although tender-leafed tarragon is also susceptible to death by overwatering).

As a general rule of thumb, most plants require watering in the summer when the top inch or two of soil is dry to the touch of a finger. Deep watering to a depth of twelve (12) inches to thoroughly soak the roots is always best for most plants and trees. Dormant cacti and succulents, however, should be watered only when the soil around the roots is nearly completely dry and only with enough water to dampen the soil, not to soak it. Mediterranean herbs need water when the top three to four inches of soil is dry to the touch and again, only enough water to dampen or moisten the soil. A moisture meter is a great tool to make sure you are giving your cacti, succulents, and herbs only as much water as they need, when they need it.

President’s Message – June 2024

Thanks to many generous donors, construction on the Visitor Center can begin. The longtime dream of having a cool place in the summer and warm place in winter for events is about to be realized. This architectural gem will be added to the nationwide list of Arthur Dyson’s buildings, calling architects, their students and fans of Art Dyson’s work to tour this new building.

Installation of the parking lot at the north end of the garden is deferred until after the building can be occupied. We are happy that the surface can be stabilized decomposed granite, a water permeable surface. Runoff is greatly reduced when this product is used, as compared to asphalt. This makes the parking lot consistent with the Garden’s mission of wise resource use.

Thanks to all in the Clovis Planning Department, Fire Department, and City Manager John Holt for helping Clovis Botanical Garden reach this dream. [Besides a beautiful garden structure, we will be able to have a refrigerator for ice cream too!]

Join us on Wednesday July 31 at 9am for the Groundbreaking Ceremony to celebrate this momentous occasion!

Anne Clemons, President

Newsletter Ideas

Ideas or contributions to the Garden’s quarterly newsletter will be welcomed and sincerely appreciated. Contact Carole Bence, Board Secretary and Newsletter Editor via [email protected]

Board Members

• Anne Clemons, President
• Patricia Wynne, Vice President
• Andrea Reed, Treasurer
• Carole Bence, Secretary
• Perry Coy
• Leticia Ramirez
• John Pape
• Rodger Pachelbel

Advisory Committee

• Eric Aller
• Dwight Kroll
• Karin Chao Bushoven
• John Bushoven, Ph.D.

Garden Consultant

• John Pape