INSIDE: N Classified Marketplace, page 44 N Puzzles, page 45
Home Front
ROSE PRUNING ... Carole Kraft will offer a class on “Rose Pruning and Care� on Saturday, Jan. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Common Ground Educational Center, 559 College Ave., Palo Alto. The class, which includes discussion of soil and mulches, will visit a nearby garden for a demonstration and hands-on pruning opportunities. Participants should bring a snack; pruning shears are optional. Cost is $38. Information: Call 650-493-6072 or visit www.commongroundinpaloalto.org or http://rosepruning. eventbrite.com/.
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Vivian Wong
Downlights and uplights were used in a Santa Fe landscape in Midtown, above, giving the maple tree status while avoiding a “Las Vegas effect.� Blue evergreens, left, at the Tarltons’ townhouse are accented with two small underlights and one light from above.
MORE ON PRUNING ... Ted Kipping, a nationally known horticulturist and arborist, will discuss pruning techniques, including bonsai and espalier, at the next meeting of the Garden Club of Los Altos on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 1:30 p.m. The group meets at Christ Episcopal Church, 1040 Border Road, Los Altos. Guests pay $5. Information: Call 650-964-7614.
by Susan Golovin
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BARE ROOT TREES ... U.C. Master Gardeners will offer a free workshop on “Planting Bare Root Fruit Trees� on Tuesday, Jan. 26 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Los Altos Library, 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. The gardeners will talk about selecting the best trees for this area, planting, pruning and possibly espalier techniques. Information: Visit http:// mastergardeners.org/events, or homeorchard.ucdavis.edu.
Vivian Wong
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Shedding some light on the situation
HOW’S YOUR BOTANY? ... As part of its “Year in the Gardenâ€? series, two classes will be offered on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at Filoli, 86 CaĂąada Road, Woodside. “Botany for Horticulturists,â€? from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., includes information on plant anatomy, as well as plant life cycles, reproduction and physiology. “The Winter Garden,â€? from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., will cover pruning, protection against frost, pests and diseases, bareroot planting and cleanup. The fee for each class is $40 for nonmembers, $35 for members. Information: Call 650-364-8300 or visit www.filoli.org.
COZY SOUPS ... Lou Pappas and Jack Graf will teach a class on “Mediterranean Soups and French Bread� on Sunday, Jan. 31 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at the Gamble Garden Carriage House, 1431 Waverley St., Palo Alto. Pappas
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HOME & REAL ESTATE PA L O A LT O W E E K LY
ig and Marilyn Tarlton’s townhouse turned out to be a true landscape challenge. Because it was built on the site of a former parking lot, they needed to remove two feet of bedrock and haul in dirt, just so something would grow. And once something did start to grow, they wanted to be able to see it well — even at night. Working with horticulturist Frank Niccoli, of Village Gardener in San Carlos, they figured out just where they needed lighting to highlight their new plants. Today, the polocarpus gracilior, a blue evergreen, can be appreciated at night, and a lacy-leafed pittosporum is lit to cast shadows on the porch wall. However, the outdoor dining table gets only indirect lighting because the Tarltons like to use candles. When approaching a lighting plan, Niccoli advises his clients to spend time looking at their space, determining the safety issues as well as any special parts of the property — trees, plants, rocks, sculpture — they wish to accent. Areas that are not lit are excluded from the living space, he said. Before he permanently installs anything he puts in a sample. “Even though there are lots of wires, people can get an idea of what it’s going to look like.� Niccoli also recommends a three-year warranty as well as using weather-resistant materials. Bronze fixtures are the gold standard. “You want to see a space that’s evenly lit,� Niccoli said. “There shouldn’t be ‘hot spots’ surrounded by dark areas. And, if there are dim lights at the end of a rung it’s a sign that the lighting was not installed correctly.
Uplights? Downlights? Many choices for highlighting outdoor spaces
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