Blue Thumb Neighbors (BTN) is offering a special workshop to provide Witter Ranch (Natomas) residents with a hands-on opportunity to apply sustainable landscape practices to a neighbor’s yard.

Working with the host, the BTN team will develop an action plan for transforming one ornamental planting area with beautiful, low-water use plants and upgrading sprinkler heads in one turf area. BTN instructors, participants and volunteers will then dig in and implement those plans during the Garden Party.

The Garden Party will include both instruction and hands-on application on the following topics:

• Soil and Soil Amendments: Discuss soil health, use of compost and how the site was prepared
• Hydrozones, Plants and Planting: Identify the garden's hydrozones, review the landscape design plan and plant list, learn how to properly space plants based upon mature size and install plants and trees
• Efficient Garden Watering (planting bed): Match selected plants to the irrigation method, review scheduling, maintenance and proper emitter placement
• Efficient Garden Watering (turf): Practice how to replace older sprinklers with efficient rotary nozzles
• Mulch Magic: Learn about the proper application of mulch, including the correct depth and distance from plants, and then apply mulch to the garden

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What: Blue Thumb Garden Party

Where: Home of Anita Mora, 2942 Chateau Montelena Way

When: Saturday, November 5, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Who: Witter Ranch residents and Blue Thumb Neighbors participants

What to bring: Chairs, gardening clothes that can get dirty, Blue Thumb garden gloves, hats and sunscreen, shovel and hand trowel

Please RSVP by contacting: Christine Kohn, Blue Thumb Neighbors Program Coordinator, by phone: 916-944-1631 or via e-mail: ckohn@INCommunications.biz.