Home Front Home Front (November 11, 2005)

HAPPY RHODIES? . . . Bay Area arborist Barrie Coate will offer a slide program on "Disease Management for Rhododendrons" on Wednesday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hillview Community Center, Room 12, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. Sponsored by the De Anza Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society, the meeting is free and open to the public. For information, visit www.deanza-ars.com.

HEADS UP, FRUIT PICKERS . . . Valley of Heart's Delight volunteers will be picking persimmon, pomegranate, citrus and quince tomorrow from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in local yards. Trucks are provided, but drivers are needed. Volunteers -- wearing long sleeves and sturdy shoes -- meet at 8:30 a.m. at Foundation for Global Community, 222 High St., Palo Alto. To RSVP (or to offer your trees with ripe fruit for picking), call (888) FRUIT-411 or e-mail info@villageharvest.org.

GARDEN PROBLEMS? . . . Five or six Master Gardeners will host a free Plant Clinic Round Table tomorrow from 9 to 11 a.m. at Gamble Garden Center, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto. Come with questions, as well as soil and plant samples, to stump the Master Gardeners on plant diseases, landscape design and pests. For information, call (408) 282-3105.

A FEW SLOTS LEFT . . . If you're hoping to catch a holiday brunch or children's party at Filoli, part of Holiday Traditions 2005 -- A Winter Wonderland, choosing your favorite day is getting tough. The event runs from Friday, Nov. 25 through Saturday, Dec. 3 at Filoli, 86 Canada Road, Woodside. As of press time, there were still tickets for the Preview Gala dinner dances on Nov. 25 and 26 ($125 for non-members, $110 for members); some Holiday Brunches on Nov. 28 (1:30 p.m.), Dec. 1 (11 a.m., 1:30 p.m.) Dec. 2 (11 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 1:30 p.m.) ($65 for non-members, $55 for members); and some morning, afternoon or evening Holiday Boutiques ($25 for non-members, $20 for members). Visit www.filoli.org to download a reservation form, or call (650) 364-8600 for availability. All proceeds go to the preservation of Filoli.

LOCAL STAR . . . Palo Alto interior designer Joseph Hittinger, ASID, is working on Home and Garden Television's "Double Take," which duplicates a professionally designed room on a limited budget. His job is to assess how well both the pros and the re-creation teams did. The show premiers tonight at 9 p.m. on HGTV, and will run weekly. The show repeats Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. and Monday, Nov. 14, at 11:30 p.m.

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