Find local news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening. This week includes a water saving course at Common Ground Garden on Nov. 14, sandbag pickup through the City of Palo Alto on Nov. 15, Kid Powered! through Environmental Volunteers on Nov. 15, a rhododendron hunting trip presentation with the De Anza Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society on Nov. 18, and a rose care lesson from a Master Gardener on Nov. 19.
HOMESTEADING 101 … Learn how to both save water and plants on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2-5 p.m., at the Common Ground Garden, 687 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto. Participants will learn about water-saving methods such as rain catchments, rain tanks and greywater systems. To attend, participants are asked to donate a minimum of $25. Info: Homesteading 101: Greywater in the Drought
SANDBAG DAY … Pick up sandbags on Sunday, Nov. 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Municipal Service Center, 3201 E. Bayshore Road, Palo Alto. Volunteers and City of Palo Alto staff will be available to help load sandbags into vehicles. Info: City of Palo Alto
UNDER THE GROUND! … Learn all about what’s going on deep under ground on Sunday, Nov. 15, 12:30-2:30 p.m., at the EcoCenter, 2560 Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. During this program, kids can learn about how plates move, rocks form and the earth shakes. This is the third of a four-part series called Kid Powered! from Environmental Volunteers. The sessions are open to first- through fifth-grade students, and the suggested fee is $20 per child per session. The last program day will be “Walk with the Animals” on Nov. 22. Info: Kid Powered!
REAL ESTATE PREDICTIONS … Take a look into the future of the Bay Area residential real estate market on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 5 p.m. at the SF JAZZ Center, 201 Franklin St., San Francisco. The live webcast is presented by Pacific Union and will include leaders in the real estate business who will help predict the real estate market through 2018. Free tickets to attend the event in San Francisco are available online from Pacific Union, or people can stream the presentation live from the Pacific Union website. It will also be simulcasted in Mandarin. Info: Pacific Union presents Real Estate Economic Forecast
RHODODENDRON EXPEDITION … Hear about a rhododendron hunting trip on Wednesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. in Room 12 of the Hillview Community Center, 97 Hillview Ave., Los Altos. The De Anza Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society will present a program from Jason Martinez of the San Francisco Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum on his plant hunting trip in the Sikkim Himalayas and West Bengal regions of India. During the trip, the searchers located all but three species of rhododendrons endemic to that part of the Himalayas. The program is free, and refreshments will be served. Info: Travels with Steve Hootman to India
ROSE CARE … Learn how to care for roses through the winter on Thursday, Nov. 19, 7-8:30 p.m., at Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto. During the free program, Master Gardener Martha Carpenter will explain how to choose and plant bare-root roses, offer pruning tips, and discuss rose diseases and how to manage them. Info: Winter Care of Roses – Choosing, Planting, Pruning, and More!
Send notices of news and events related to real estate, interior design, home improvement and gardening to Home Front, Palo Alto Weekly, P.O. Box 1610, Palo Alto, CA 94302, or email bmalmberg@paweekly.com. Deadline is one week before publication.