The Master Gardeners of Fresno County maintain a demonstration garden near the corner of McKinley on Winery, and is located south of the Discovery Center. This garden shows examples of growing many different plants, shrubs and trees for the home landscape. The picture above is of the "All America" Garden showing plants selected from this and past years. The All America selections are various new flower and vegetable seeds that have been grown in trials in various parts of the United States, and have been found to be easy to grow, pest- and disease-resistant, and can be grown in many different climates.
This is a picture of the Cottage Garden. There are many different kinds of flowers that can be included in such a garden, and they are easy to grow, too. There is quite a variety of flowers in this corner bed.
Here we see part of the Patio Pot (container) Garden, which showcases flowers. There are many different kinds of containers in various sizes---something for everyone!
This last picture is of part of the Perennial Garden. Perennials are those plants that die back each winter, and return to grow and bloom the next spring.
Lest you think all they have are flowers, that is not the case. They have quite a Vegetable Garden covering several raised beds. I didn't get a picture of that because they are newly planted with summer vegetables and weren't as showy as the flowers! Other gardens they showcase are:
---Small Space Garden
---No Barriers Garden
---Sun/Shade Garden
---Low Maintenance Garden
---Herb Garden
---Children's Garden (children can go through the maze; see, touch and smell plants)
---fruit trees are scattered all over the garden, plus in an orchard
---Berry Garden (boysenberries, raspberries, blueberries)
---Vineyard
The Master Gardeners also hold classes here, with a minimum cost (twice a year there is a vegetable class that is free), on Wednesday and some Saturday mornings. To sign up to be on the mailing list for these classes go to http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/survey/survey.cfm?surveynumber=915&back=none . For more information or class registration, call UCCE at (559) 456-7285 or the Garden of the Sun at (559) 456-4151.
The Garden of the Sun is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 9 am - 1 pm, and is staffed by Master Gardener volunteers. There is no charge to walk through the garden. If you would like a tour, it is $2 per person. All you have to do is go through the front gate and a Master Gardener will give you a tour. Otherwise, you can wander on your own. The grounds are connected to the Discovery Center, but to use those facilities you need to go through the Discovery Center building and pay a slight fee (which also includes a visit to the Garden of the Sun).
The Garden of the Sun is located at 1944 N. Winery; phone (559) 456-4151; online at http://mgfresno.ucdavis.edu . Master Gardener Hotline: 559-456-7563.
I was at the Garden of the Sun (the Master Gardener demonstration garden) Wednesday to finish up some required hours, so I took my camera and got some pictures of what's growing in their vegetable gardens. This picture shows cole crops, and some bok choi.
This lettuce mix looks really happy, growing nice and green.
Here are more cole vegetables, probably planted later than the first picture's crop.
This shows a nice mix of vegetables that grow well during our winters.
This picture shows a flower bed that is raised just a few inches. The bricks help to keep the soil in place, so that it looks tidy.
Even dwarf fruit trees are boxed! With trees, the box is prepared and filled with soil, then the tree is planted. These trees have been growing for close to 20 years and are still producing fruit.
This picture shows green beans that are flowering, which will produce a nice crop before it gets too cold.
This picture looks like the box is sitting above the ground. Actually, I believe the box was placed on the soil, but over the years the dirt walkway has been hula-hoed and raked away, until the box is sitting up higher than it used to. It has a structure so that a crop cover cloth can be draped over to protect plants from a late heat or early frost.
This shows the cover cloth protecting growing plants, perhaps from the whiteflies or aphids. It also keeps the soil cool underneath.
This last picture shows pepper plants that are being shaded from the high heat we recently had.
This last picture is of part of the Perennial Garden. Perennials are those plants that die back each winter, and return to grow and bloom the next spring.
