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Whether you’re looking for tips on how to maintain your winter landscape, want to head outdoors on a guided hike to explore fungi during the rainy season or find homebuying resources, you’ll find plenty of opportunities in our January home & garden events calendar.
Winter fruit tree pruning
6:30-7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 9 | Webinar hosted by Mountain View Library | Free. Registration required
Winter is the best time to prune fruit trees because they’re dormant and you can see the tree structure. UC Master Gardener Allen Buchinski will teach participants proper winter pruning timing and technique that allow your trees to produce the best fruit during this one-hour online workshop. Allen has worked at the Emma Prusch Park Farm High-Density Fruit Orchard where the trees are kept small and at a reduced height to make harvesting ladder-free.
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Fun with Fungus
10 a.m. – noon, Saturday, Jan. 13 & 27 (Part I), 10 a.m.- noon, Saturday, Jan. 20, Feb. 3 & 17 (Part II) | Hidden Villa, 26870 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills | $30 per class. Register for Part I here. Register for Part II here.
Learn about the major types of fungi, how to identify them, how to make a spore print, best practices for collecting, safety considerations and more in this two-part series at Hidden Villa.
In the first class “Fun with Fungus Fundamentals, Part 1,” participants will look at slides and collected specimens to learn about the awesomely strange, wonderful and utterly essential world of fungi in preparation for the second half of this series, which takes participants out into the field.
In Part II, participants will explore in the field for the entirety of the class, applying the skills introduced in Part I, in search of examples of the wide variety of fungi that occurs at Hidden Villa during the rainy season.
Slime molds are not true fungi, but will be included anyway, just for fun. Participants will also search for examples of “mycelial networks” in action, “purple fuzz,” fungi eating other fungi, organisms that live on or in fungi, and more.
Classes are offered in two parts: Each class may be taken individually, but pairing the two class parts is highly recommended.
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Gamble Garden guided tour
1:30 – 3 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 16 | 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto | Nonmembers $15 adults, $5 under 18. Recommended for participants ages 10 and older. More information
Step back in time to explore the life of Elizabeth Gamble and her historic gardens. The 90-minute guided tour starts on the front driveway of the house. Inspired by the theme of water, the tour will reflect on Gamble’s long-gone well and water tank, the optimism of watershed gardening, the property’s tranquil fountains and some surprising irrigation methods. Note: The tour will include information on Elizabeth Gamble’s historic home but will not go inside due to renovations.
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Free gas appliance safety checks
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is accepting appointments online for free in-home safety checks of gas appliances.
PG&E customers may schedule an inspection onlineor by calling 800-743-5000.
The utility said its goal is to ensure that water heaters, furnaces and ovens are operating safely to reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is invisible and odorless.
So far this year, PG&E has responded to more than 6,100 incidents where carbon monoxide was suspected, the company said Friday.
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Learn about plant names while hiking
9 a.m.- noon, Saturday, Jan. 20 | Thornewood Preserve, 707 La Honda Road, Woodside| Free. More information.
Join docent naturalists Frances Reneau and Helena Cohen for a deep dive into plant names. The focus of this leisurely paced 3.5-mile hike will be the ferns and forbs in the deep shade of Sequoia sempervirens. Walk along the Shilling Lake and Bridle trails while learning about who gave these plants their names, what they mean, and why it matters. Why not just say “redwood”?
Meet at the Thornewood Parking Area on La Honda Road.
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Succulent open house & plant sale
9 a.m.- noon., Saturday, Jan. 20| Martial Cottle Park, 5283 Snell Ave., San Jose | Free. More information.
UC Master Gardeners will be holding a succulent open house and plant sale in the demonstration garden at Martial Cottle Park. Visitors can treat themselves to a selection of succulents and other plants starting at just $5.
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First-time homebuyers webinar
Noon, Tuesday, Feb.13 | Webinar hosted by Stanford Federal Credit Union| Free. Registration
Registration required.
Learn about defining your home ownership objectives and how to achieve them; how to find and buy a home with the most favorable terms; understand the homebuying process and your financing options. Speakers include a Realtor and a mortgage consultant. The presentation will be followed by a Q&A session.