The Ventura Botanical Gardens invites you to its second annual Sow in the New Year on Saturday, January 5th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to sprinkle the hillsides with seeds of California native wildflowers. These little seeds hold the promise of a bounty of glorious flowers in the spring. This is an especially kid-friendly event. There’s something very special about the expression on their faces as they know they’re helping Nature along. (Or maybe they just like tossing things around…) Either way, they have a grand time!

Please join us at the start of the Demonstration Trail at the upper parking lot behind City Hall at 501 Poli Street. Bring your friends and your family. Your dogs are welcome, too! When you finish sowing you can all hike the trail. A healthy start to the New Year.

The seeds are $5 and can be purchased at the event or online at VenturaBotanicalGardens.com. If you order online we’ll have your seeds ready for you as soon as you get there. We’re also having talks about the California native wildflowers and will be offering guided tours of the trail itself.

It’s not too late to see your own name on the Trail. The Foot by Foot campaign raised the funds for this first installation at the Gardens. You can still take part by sponsoring a foot of trail for $50. Donors are listed on the Gardens website, in the newsletter and, at a later date, will be on the trail itself. Donations can be made at VenturaBotanicalGardens.com. It’s all about putting our best feet forward for all of Ventura County.

The Ventura Botanical Gardens is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating a botanical garden for the twenty-first century. It will create new recreational opportunities including hiking, community gathering spaces, training, research, and educational programs. To find out more, please go to our website and visit us on Facebook. And think about becoming a member. We have over 1250 members, scores of volunteers and we’re growing!

See you in 2013!