Home Front for Jan. 16: Home Front for Jan. 16: (January 16, 2004)

MAJOR BLOOMERS . . . E. White Smith and Lucie Sorenson of Bovee's Nursery will talk about vireya (Malaysian) rhododendrons at the next meeting of the De Anza Chapter, American Rhododendron Society, on Wednesday, Jan. 21 at 7:30 p.m. Good examples of vireyas can be found at Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park, where they bloom throughout the year. The group meets at Hillview Community Center, Room 16, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. For information, visit http://www.deanza-ars.com/. For additional information on vireya rhododendrons see http://www.vireya.net.

MAXIMIZE YOUR GARDEN OUTPUT . . . David Basile will teach a couple of workshops on Saturday, Jan. 24, including "Introduction to Grow Biointensive," from 10:30 a.m. to noon, and "Grow Biointensive Seed Propagation," from 2-3:30 p.m. Cost is $17 for each class. Biointensive gardening is designed to raise yields through using double-digging beds, composting and rapid soil-building techniques. Classes are taught at Common Ground, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. For information, visit www.commongroundinpaloalto.org or call (650) 493-6072.

NATURE IN OUR BACKYARDS . . . John Steiner will teach a class on Native Plants and Wildflowers (Biology 103) at Canada College on Saturdays, beginning Jan. 24, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Students will visit biotic communities in San Mateo County and learn common and scientific names and family affiliations of about 150 plant species. Lectures will deal with the basics of botany, including collecting skills and plant parts. For information, come to the first class at Canada College, 1400 Farm Hill Blvd., Redwood City, Room 16-212, visit the Web site at http://websmart.smccd.net/ or call (510) 523-1604.

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