Garden Mission
To promote water conservation in the California Central Valley landscape through excellent gardens, exhibits and programs that educate and inspire the public.
As another year ends, it’s time to reflect, count our blessings, and thank all of you for your support of the garden. We appreciate the valuable work of the many volunteers who donate countless hours to maintain/ improve the garden and gift shop, in addition to coordinating/donating and working during our special events. We celebrated the 20th anniversary of the garden this year and look forward to exciting new developments in 2023!
Upcoming Events
All special events at the garden have been suspended until our new Visitor Center is complete After many years of dreaming and the support of generous donors, we anticipate a groundbreaking ceremony in the Spring. There is much to do in preparation, but progress is “full steam ahead!” Regular visitors will notice that the area around the gift shop has been cleared, as well as some trees, shrubs, edging and drip systems. Benches, tables, the bike rack, and donor plaques have been temporarily relocated, making way for work on electrical, plumbing, irrigation, land grading, and other infrastructure systems. The Visitor Center, the last major project for the garden, will be a source of pride for the Clovis community and enable the garden to provide year-round activities. It is exciting to watch as progress continues.
Clearing the way for the new Visitor Center!


4th QUARTER ACTIVITIES
THE TWILIGHT THURSDAY CONCERT SERIES ended in October with Uncle Ephus and Band on the 6th, and Peter Emerson on the 13th. Both musical performances were enthusiastically received, as individuals in the audience sang along to the tunes or tapped their feet to the energetic rhythms! What a great way to spend autumn evenings!
“SUCCULENT PUMPKIN CENTERPIECES” was a garden seminar demonstration presented by Master Gardener, Roz Tampone. Her festive creation inspired “do-it-yourselfers” in the crowd and was donated as a door prize for the lucky winner!
The FALL PLANT SALE , held on Friday and Saturday, October 14th and 15th, was a wonderful success! Many garden enthusiasts purchased water-wise plants for their home landscapes, as well as items from the gift shop. Master Gardeners and CBG volunteers were available to answer questions, while other volunteers helped in many ways: event set-up, plant holding area, cashiers, plant loaders and the clean-up crew. Thank you to ALL volunteers, with a special note of appreciate to Ree Coy and Georgia Porcella for coordinating this wonderful event again this year! We still have plants for sale at the garden nursery located by the painted cargo bin.
The MEMBERSHIP BRUNCH was held on Saturday, October 27th, a beautiful morning with fall blooms to set the stage for a very informational and pleasant meeting. CBG Board Members provided the food, beverages, and decorations. President, Ann Clemons, summarized the progress made over the years, accomplishments of 2022, and major plans for the future. . Christann Roy, member and volunteer, provided a presentation the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly (egg, larva, pupa, and adult). We also learned that milkweed is the sole host plant for the Monarch. Christann’s project saved the milkweed at the garden’s entrance, which encouraged the Monarch Butterflies to lay eggs. Eventually we had Monarch Butterflies beginning life at Clovis Botanical Garden!
The 5th ANNUAL SCARECROW GARDEN delighted visitors from mid-October to mid-November. Despite days that were cold and rainy, our scarecrows survived, and more than 500 visitors voted for their favorites!
PEOPLE’S CHOICE WINNERS
1st Place: UCCE Fresno County Master Gardeners Association
2nd Place: Hanh Phan Tilley Elementary Kindergarten
3rd Place: Hearing Life
Honorable Mention: Vocation Plus Connections, Inc. and the Bence Family
Amazing scarecrows were also submitted by the Fresno Metropolitan Flood Control District, Ree Coy, the Davidson Family, Vocation Plus Connections (4 entries), Peaceful Passages Birthing Center, Clovis Friends of the Library, Georgia Porcella, and the Community Integrated Work Program (3 entries). Congratulations to everyone! You made a lot of visitors incredibly happy this Fall, and we hope you enjoyed the event too! Your support is greatly appreciated!
A FUNDRAISER FOR THE VISITOR CENTER was held on November 3rd in the Pavilion. Participants enjoyed appetizers and beverages as they met architect, Art Dyson, and learned about the planned Visitor Center. The Clovis Community Foundation presented a check for $60,000 to President, Anne Clemons, which was genuinely appreciated! Dwight Kroll donated 3 airplane flights over Yosemite for the Silent Auction that generated a lot of excitement too!
Tips for the Central Valley Gardener: Pruning By Elinor Teague
There no longer seems to be a normal pattern to our weather during this mega drought. This fall has brought us colder temperatures than we’ve seen for several years and slightly above average rainfall. Both are welcome blessings for gardeners and farmers. The cold temperatures are knocking deciduous trees and perennial plants and bushes into full dormancy right on schedule-in early December.
The last few winters have been so short and warm that we’ve had to recommend a light pruning because trees and plants were still actively growing in December and January. A light pruning entails removing only dead or diseased wood and branches that cross through the interior, a hard pruning trims back main branches to control size and growth direction. Giving plants a hard pruning when plants are not fully dormant can stunt growth and reduce flower and fruit production.
This year we can really get our deciduous trees and bushes into good shape with heavier pruning. One of the best pruning guides is Ortho’s ‘All About Pruning’ which is available online, new and used. Its detailed instructions and illustrations specific to each plant or tree are a great help to beginners, and many drought-tolerant trees and plants are listed. The Sunset ‘Western Garden Book’ lists just about every plant found in a western garden, but the pruning instructions are basic. I find written, illustrated pruning guides much easier to follow than YouTube videos.
Sharpen your pruning tools and take whatever pruning guide you’re using with you into the garden. Identify the plant and then just stare at it. Then stare at the pruning guide until the first cut becomes obvious. Every gardener has an ‘Oh, no!’ moment or two when pruning, so start slowly. If plants and trees are well-pruned or trained when young, they’re much easier to prune when older. It might be best to start this year’s heavier pruning with the youngest and smallest of your trees and bushes.
Welcome to our New Members!
Dave Madrigal
Gladys O’Brien
Gene Warnert
Julie Broyles
Pat Semrick
John Schleich
David Vinnedge
Tim Southern
Carole Warnert
Glenn Maupin
Kathy Ogden
Dora Downey
Charles Goraieb
Brad Anderson
Deborah Wagner
Stephanie Jones
Vickie Recchia
Carolyn Murphy
CBG BOARD MEMBERSHIP: After many years of loyal support, Carolyn Dickson has resigned from the Board. We will miss her enthusiasm and wish her well. Rodger Pachelbel became a new Board Member by unanimous vote. We welcome his expertise and insight as we move forward to improve and maintain the garden.
TWILIGHT THURSDAY CONCERT SERIES in October



Garden seminar

Fall Plant Sale


Scarecrow Garden
1st Place

2nd Place

3rd Place

Honorable Mention


Membership Brunch



Visitor Center Fundraising Event


Due to inflation and the city’s requirement to install a parking lot in the garden’s north section, additional funding is needed to complete this project. Your in-kind and monetary donations will be greatly appreciated. All donations will make a difference! Engraved acrylic plaques are available for donations of $500 or $,1,000 as well. What a beautiful tribute to acknowledge and highlight your support or honor a loved one. Plaques will be displayed on a wall of the new Visitor Center!
Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer experiences are available for virtually every interest and experience level – docent, event planner, fund-raiser, gardener, gift shop greeter and more! We are actively searching for volunteers in the areas of bookkeeping, volunteer coordination, and facility use coordination. Those interested are encouraged to contact us soon at www.clovisbotanicalgarden.org. We’d love to meet you!
Amazon Smile
ATTENTION AMAZON USERS! Amazon will donate to the charity of your choice for each purchase at no cost to you! Just go to “Amazon Smile,” list Clovis Botanical Garden as your charity of choice, and shop on Amazon as you usually do. It could not be easier, so please sign-up today and shop throughout the new year!
A Message from President, Anne Clemons
Thank you to all who have helped the garden this year. The dedicated help of volunteers with funding, maintenance, record keeping, and visitor education has made this a most memorable year. From celebrating 20 years since the first tree was planted in April, to clearing the way for the new visitor center in December — this was a year to remember!
Perry Coy has chosen wood from the entry clearing process to make memorial bowls using his wood turning skills. They will be on display in the new visitor center. Andrea Reed and Joanne Fiedler have scanned all the garden paper records, so now our documents are on the CBG computer. That’s a big leap from 20 years ago.
A temporary office is set up off-site, and soon the William Scotsman rental office will be returned. There will be no scheduled events at the garden until construction is complete, including tours.
Well, we will have a groundbreaking party for sure! Watch for the announcement and join us on that most happy day.
Happy New Year!
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