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Whether you’re looking to tour a home, hone your gardening skills or explore local history, you’ll find plenty of opportunities on the Peninsula this spring. Check out our May home & garden events calendar.
May Day flower hike
10:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 1 | Picchetti Ranch Preserve, 13100 Montebello Road, Cupertino | Free | More information
Experience the delight of observing a rainbow of wildflowers with Docent naturalists Kate Bauer, Nick Yatsko and Bobbie Riedel will take participants on a moderately-paced 4.5-mile hike along the Zinfandel Trail to view a rainbow of wildflowers, including clarkia, poppies and globe lilies. You’ll rest for lunch at picnic tables under a canopy of mature sycamore trees before returning along the same route.
Meet at the preserve parking lot on Montebello Road.
Free seeds pickup at local libraries
Those planting a vegetable garden or looking to add some color to their yard might want to start at their local library. Several public libraries on the Midpeninsula include seed libraries stocked with vegetable, fruit, herb and native flower seeds that residents can bring home and plant for free. You can find the seeds stored in old library card catalogs at most libraries that offer this service – and you don’t need a library card. Available seed varieties are rotated seasonally according to optimal planting times for our area.
Rinconada, Menlo Park, Belle Haven, Mountain View and Redwood City public libraries are among those that operate seed libraries in the area. Contact your local library for more information.
Eichler talk & preservation awards
2-4 p.m., Sunday, May 5 | Palo Alto Art Center Auditorium, 1313 Newell Road, Palo Alto | Free | More information
As part of the Palo Alto Stanford Heritage (PAST) and the Palo Alto Historical Association’s 28th Centennial Plaque & Historic Preservation Awards program, Steven Eichler, grandson of California housing legend Joseph Eichler, will talk about Eichler homes and Palo Alto’s historic Greenmeadow neighborhood, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its prevalence of pristine Eichlers. The 22-block neighborhood, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, provides visitors a good look at the suburban utopia Eichler envisioned when he developed the area in 1954.
The annual awards program recognizes homes in Palo Alto on their centennial anniversary. This year homes built in 1923 will be recognized with centennial plaques. This year’s Preservation Award, which recognizes projects that rehabilitate or restore local historic buildings, will honor the recent work done at Palo Alto High School. Additionally, two individuals will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards for their contributions to preserving the history of Palo Alto.
‘Welcoming Beneficial Insects to Your Garden’
6:30 – 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, May 14 | Mountain View Library, 585 Franklin St, Mountain View | Free | More information
Master gardener Laura Westley will discuss the effective and environmentally sensitive approach to managing pests in your garden. Participants also will learn about beneficial insects, such as lady beetles and how to attract them to your yard.
‘Wonderful Pollinators’
7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 15 | Orchard Room, Los Altos Library, 13 S San Antonio Road | Free | More information
Learn about the different pollinators – birds, bees and butterflies – that are common in gardens in Santa Clara County. Master gardener Laura Westley will talk about the best plants that will attract them to your garden. Learn which flowers to grow throughout the year to provide food for pollinators active at different times of the year.
Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour
10 a.m.-4p.m., Saturday, May 18 | Self-guided home tour, various locations from Belmont to San Jose | Tickets and more information
Get a firsthand look at some of the best examples of modern architecture in the area during the annual Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour. Sponsored by the Modern Architecture + Design Society, the self-guided tour gives the public an opportunity to visit and explore seven private modern residences, as well as to talk with the architects, designers and builders who had a part in creating the homes. This year’s tour includes homes in neighborhoods in San Jose, Menlo Park, Los Altos Hills, Belmont and Redwood City.
Filoli bonsai exhibit & demonstration
10 a.m.- 4p.m., Saturday, May 18, Dining room terrace at Filoli, 86 Cañada Road, Woodside | Tickets and information
Filoli is home to a collection of historic artful miniature replicas of full-grown trees, including a 50-year-old redwood that is only 2 feet tall. Filoli’s bonsai collection, which will be on exhibit from now through May 31, consists of large historic plants from the Bourn- and Roth-family eras, as well as smaller plants donated after the Roth era. When the Roths purchased Filoli, these plants continued to be carefully maintained by Lurline Roth’s Japanese gardener Mr. Okasaki.
On May 18, the Kusamura Bonsai Club will be at Filoli’s Dining Room Terrace to demonstrate bonsai pruning and answer your questions about this ancient art form between 10 a.m. – 4pm.
Container gardening basics
4:30 – 5:30 p.m., May 23 | Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto | Free | More information
Want to grow vegetables but your in-ground area is too shady? Would you like to brighten up your patio or deck with some lovely flowering plants? Would you like to have less weeds to pull and better control over your planting area? These are all good reasons for gardening in containers. Come and learn what’s different from gardening in the ground and how to be a successful container gardener. Master gardener Martha Carpenter will talk about the types and sizes of containers will be discussed along with soil, fertilizer and water requirements.
Composting workshop
10:15 a.m.-noon, Saturday, May 18 | Mountain View Library, 585 Franklin St. Mountain View | Free | Registration recommended
Discover backyard composting basics and how compost provides nutrients for your plants at this free event for Santa Clara County residents. Learn about more city of Mountain View composting events at MountainView.gov/ZeroWasteEvents.
‘Stanford’s Palo Alto’ walking tour
10 a.m.-noon, Saturday, May 11 | train tracks at El Palo Alto Park, 117 Palo Alto Ave. | Free | More information
Explore the architecture and history of “Stanford’s Palo Alto” during this new guided walking tour hosted by Palo Alto Stanford Heritage. Stroll the area in and around Stanford and learn about Leland Stanford’s Palo Alto estate, Hoover Pavilion and the University Avenue train depot. (Don’t forget to bring water, sun or light rain protection.) Can’t make this tour? Palo Alto Stanford Heritage hosts walking tours of various neighborhoods every weekend in May, including Upper College Terrace, University Avenue and Greenmeadow. Find other tours here.
Bonsai show and sale
10 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday- Sunday, June 1-2 | San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo | Free | More information
Explore more than 60 bonsai trees on exhibit at the Sei Boku Bonsai Kai club’s annual bonsai show and sale. The two-day event includes trees on exhibit from members, demonstrations by invited artists on how to style a bonsai tree, and the sale of bonsai trees and other related items.
For those with questions about their bonsai, stop by the “Doctor Bonsai” table for a free diagnosis and prescription for improvement. ·