Home Front Home Front (October 07, 2005)

OPEN GARDEN TIME . . . Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County are holding an Open Garden on Sunday, Oct. 9 from noon to 4 p.m. at its demonstration garden near Eleanor Pardee Park, Center Street at Martin Drive, Palo Alto. The garden features African, Latino, Mediterranean and Asian vegetable beds, as well as an herb garden, fruit trees and a water-wise ornamental garden. Master gardeners will be on hand to answer questions and diagnose plant problems.

5,000 GLASS PUMPKINS . . . Wish you could enjoy orange -- or blue, green, dappled -- pumpkins all year round? The 10th annual Great Glass Pumpkin Patch returns Oct. 11-16 at the Palo Alto Art Center. Viewing of the glass goodies by 30 California glass artists is on Tuesday through Friday, and the sale begins Saturday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and continues Sunday, Oct. 16, 1 to 4 p.m. The show and sale supports both the Bay Area Glass Institute (BAGI) and the art center's children's art education programs.

MAXIMIZE PROFITS? . . . Palo Alto Weekly columnist Kit Davey will offer her class, "Stage Your Home for Sale: How to Maximize Your Profits," on Wednesday, Oct. 12, 7 to 9 p.m. at Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills. The class deals with creating curb appeal, maximizing on small improvements and room-by-room suggestions for staging a home for sale. Fee is $35 plus a $5 materials fee paid in class. Parking is $2 (in quarters). For information, call (408) 864-8817.

FALL NATIVE PLANT SALE . . . The Santa Clara Valley Chapter of California Native Plant Society will hold its annual fall plant sale on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Hidden Villa Ranch, CNPS Nursery, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills. For sale will be many hard-to-find native plants, seeds and bulbs, as well as books, posters and note cards. Experts will be on hand to discuss lawn alternatives, including native perennials, wildflowers and grasses. Parking is free. Shoppers are advised to bring boxes for carrying plants home. No credit cards. For information, visit www.cnps-scv.org, e-mail cnps_scv@yahoo.com or call (650) 691-9749.

BOTANICAL GOLD . . . Alane O'Rielly Weber, who teaches vermicomposting in San Mateo County, will offer a class on "Worm Composting," promising "everything you always wanted to know about worms, but were afraid to ask" tomorrow from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Common Ground, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. Fee is $25. For information, visit www.commongroundinpaloalto.org or call (650) 493-6072.

E-mail a friend a link to this story.