THE COASTAL GARDENER:

Next weekend, two events will celebrate the three-year anniversary of the Orange County Great Park.

Although still years away from significant use, the Great Park will be a noteworthy resource for those interested in horticulture and local gardening. Just last week, I was reminded of how important these two square miles of future trees, shrubs, flowers and grass will be.

I was fortunate to attend a round-table meeting with Ken Smith, the Great Park master designer, as well as Mia Lehrer, landscape architect, Steven Handel, lead ecologist, and others. We discussed various uses of this park and the opportunities that lay before us.

The Great Park Corporation, the city of Irvine, the Design Studio, the Great Park Conservancy and other leaders are working now to assimilate and decide upon the final inclusions and layout for this massive project. For the gardening public, highlights currently include a world-class botanical garden, significant palm plantings, community allotment gardens, an organic produce farm, a flowering tree bosque, a Thai Chi garden, a butterfly garden, citrus and avocado orchards, and a fern grotto.

Being a 21st-century endeavor, plantings throughout the Great Park will be overwhelmingly California-friendly. A blend of native and non-invasive plants will be chosen for their suitability to our mild Mediterranean climate and will introduce visitors to new plants, the beauty of nature, and the sustainability goals of the Great Park.

The large flowering tree bosque will be built along the western edge of the Great Park and will be one of the first gardens developed. The area will be heavily planted and just inside the magnificent Trabuco Road entrance. This, the main entrance, will feature large opposing fountains and a massive arch, silhouetting Saddleback Mountain in the distance. Within the bosque, flowering trees will provide a canopy, while the understory of shrubs, flowers and open areas will offer opportunities for wildlife viewing, casual strolling, quiet reflection, picnics and education about the benefits of using sustainable trees in the home garden.

The Great Park will be a garden of tremendous diversity. The restored native habitats will be complimented by many plantings. Citrus and avocado orchards and wildflower meadows will be scattered throughout the park, celebrating the region’s agricultural and natural heritage. Within the park’s huge spaces will be numerous themed landscapes and pocket gardens, each representing unique plant communities.

Of the events scheduled for next weekend at the Great Park, the first is at 6:30 p.m. July 11. The third annual Jewel of Orange County event is produced by the nonprofit support group the Great Park Conservancy. The evening will include hosted cocktails in one of the original base hangers, a silent auction of stunning jewelry and an alfresco gourmet dinner featuring local and organic foods. After an update on the progress of the Great Park, live music and dancing will conclude the evening. For tickets, visit www.orangecounty greatpark.org or call (949) 653-1775.

From 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. July 12, the Festival of Flight at the Great Park will celebrate the third anniversary of the park and also mark the beginning of summer activities. This free public open house will include kite demonstrations, radio-controlled airplane flybys, vintage aircraft flyovers, Frisbee demonstrations, birds of prey, food and live music, and more. Free Great Park Balloon flights will also resume. For more information visit www.ocgp.org.

See you there.

ASK RON

Question: I have a compost bin in my backyard, and it seems to have a colony of pincher bugs that have made it their home. Is this a problem, and if so, what can I do to eliminate them?

Kristin

Answer: Pincher bugs, also called earwigs, are more of a nuisance than a pest. They primarily feed on dead organic material, exactly what is in your compost bin. If you can live with them, I probably wouldn’t do anything. However, if your compost is really doing well, it should be “cooking” at about 110 to 140° F. This is too hot for earwigs or any other insect. To get the compost cooking, be sure that the pile is at least three feet by three feet, has the right blend of material and is being kept evenly moist, but not soggy wet.

ASK RON your toughest gardening questions, and the expert nursery staff at Roger’s Gardens will come up with an answer. Please include your name, phone number and city, and limit queries to 30 words or fewer. E-mail [email protected], or write to Plant Talk at Roger’s Gardens, 2301 San Joaquin Hills Road, Corona del Mar, CA 92625.

RON VANDERHOFF is the nursery manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar.