Fullerton Arboretum

It's easy being green at the Green Scene Plant and Garden Show, an annual event that features more than 80 vendors, a children's garden, a "Dirty Hands, White Gloves" mini-exhibit and an array of speakers, master gardeners and plant societies offering advice and information on composting, water conservation and organic gardening. Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Members' preview at 9 a.m. Saturday. $6; free for arboretum members.

Jar hosts guest chefs: Israeli chefs Assaf Granit and Uri Navon of Machneyuda in Jerusalem will be paying chef Suzanne Tracht's restaurant Jar a visit April 13 for a one-night-only dinner collaboration. In honor of Israel's 65th Independence Day, Granit, Navon and Tracht will prepare a four-course dinner comprised of dishes such as sea fish tartare; shikshukit , cooked minced beef and lamb in a Mediterranean spice mixture with tahini and yogurt; calamari with dates, honey, pomegranate concentrate, porcini mushrooms, harissa, cherry tomatoes, confit of onion and garlic with tahigort and burnt aubergine paste; and basbousa , a wet semolina cake with tahini ice cream and fresh fruit.

Location: Northeast corner, Cal State Fullerton campus. Information: (714) 773-3579. Description: Gardens and a historical area are featured on the arboretum's 26 acres. A waterfall, stream and ponds along the western side provide a moist environment for plants as well as a sanctuary for native birds, fish and pond turtles. There is also a small library of books and periodicals on botanical, horticultural and ecological subjects.

Savor the splendor of the tomato at Fullerton's Tomato Tasting and Sizzlin' Summer Salsa Contest. The tomato in its purest form and many varietals of salsa are up for your consumption and opining, all grown by locals at home. Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton. Sat. Free with admission. fullertonarboretum.org.

David L. Walkington, professor of biology at Cal State Fullerton and director of the Fullerton Arboretum since 1985, has died after a long bout with cancer. The 62-year-old Walkington died Wednesday at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton.

To reduce waste in landfills, the Fullerton Arboretum will teach people how to build compost piles for organic waste. The first of three free classes will be held Saturday at the arboretum and is a "hands-on" guide to composting. "We'll actually go over and look at some (compost heaps) in progress and pull some stuff out of the bottom of them," said Lorra Almstedt, director of the Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum.

Three predominant impressions came to mind as I completed a recent tour of the Fullerton Arboretum, located on the campus of Cal State Fullerton: This is a very practical arboretum; it is a historically fascinating place; there is something here for everyone. You don't have to be a horticultural aficionado to enjoy and benefit from a visit. It is a most practical place to observe plants and determine how they will fit into your particular home landscape or gardening situation.

The Fullerton Arboretum has announced that the Chevron Family of Companies has donated $100,000 to the arboretum's capital and endowment campaign. Also, the family of Dr. N. Allen Riley, former president of Chevron Oil Field Research Co. and a founding father of the arboretum, committed $75,000 to the arboretum campaign. A new structure at the arboretum will be dedicated to his memory.

After nearly 10 years of planning, the Fullerton Arboretum formally opened to the public in the fall of 1979. Now, six years later, the acreage replete with plants, trees, a waterfall and lake is being readied to provide the community with an education program. This week, the arboretum is conducting its first "awareness week" with displays, tours, lectures and social events. Arboretum personnel, many of whom are volunteers, hope the awareness programs will become a permanent fixture.

The staff of the Fullerton Arboretum offers these suggestions to ensure that you're using water efficiently in your garden: Water infrequently, but deeply and thoroughly. Mulch the soil surface to cut down on water loss due to evaporation. Move container plants to sheltered areas to keep them from drying quickly in hot or windy areas. Plant drought-tolerant plants. Consider installing a drip irrigation system. Water early in the morning to reduce water loss from evaporation.

Compiled by Jason Gelt 14th Annual Earth Day Whale Fest Celebrate the annual migration of the California gray whale. Live entertainment, environmental conservation information booths, whale-watching stations, arts and crafts for children, activities, music and food are all a part of the day's events. www.earthdaywhalefest.org. Leo Carrillo State Park, 35000 West Pacific Coast Highway, L.A. Today, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. $12 parking fee. (805) 488-1827, Ext. 106.

It's easy being green at the Green Scene Plant and Garden Show, an annual event that features more than 80 vendors, a children's garden, a "Dirty Hands, White Gloves" mini-exhibit and an array of speakers, master gardeners and plant societies offering advice and information on composting, water conservation and organic gardening. Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Members' preview at 9 a.m. Saturday. $6; free for arboretum members.

TODAY Viewing stones: California Aiseki Kai presents a weeklong display of "viewing stones." Popular in Asia for centuries, viewing stones invite contemplation of their subtle, graceful forms. 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Free. Friends' Hall, Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. (626) 405-2100; www.huntington.org. THURSDAY Efficient watering: The winter series of Thursday Garden Talks With Lili Singer kicks off with consultant Bob Galbreath's lecture on efficient irrigation in urban landscapes.

Uh-oh. The world's stinkiest flower is blooming in Orange County again, primed to emit an odor that botanists, kindly perhaps, say resembles rotting flesh. The "corpse flower" of Sumatra, named Tiffy Titan by botanists at the Fullerton Arboretum, is set to blossom any day now. Experts predict it will bloom Saturday. And when Tiffy blooms, Tiffy reeks. Bad.

It isn't often that the phrase "it's starting to smell" is said with anticipation. But the first whiff of something similar to rotting flesh wafting through the Fullerton Arboretum on Tuesday signaled an event greeted with great expectation: the rare blossoming of the corpse flower. "When you see it, it's unbelievable," arboretum director Greg Dyment said of the plant that stands 58 inches tall and 12 inches in diameter. "It's spectacular; it is otherworldly.

Re: "And They Put Up a Paradise," Feb. 3: Since blunting Cal State Fullerton's attempt to take back 5-plus acres, the Fullerton Arboretum survived another land incursion during the development of the master plan. The university wanted more than 2 acres for a food-service and multiuse building on the south end of the grounds. This was modified through cooperative meetings and compromise. Our loss will be minuscule; only a narrow strip on the south end. Now the problem is internal.

The home-grown Orange County Art & Jazz Festival stands apart from most such shows. To be held Saturday and Sunday at the Fullerton Arboretum, the festival features Southern California-based musicians, many with international reputations, playing in a setting that makes sites such as the Hollywood Bowl, home of the Playboy Jazz Festival, seem cold by comparison. It's hard to imagine a more idyllic place for a musical gathering. The main stage is framed by trees and set next to a small pond.

There's a magical turnstile on the campus of Cal State Fullerton. Tucked away in a far-off corner of nowhere, it's a portal to another world. On one side waft the sounds and smells of the city. Pass through the narrow gate, however, and you are transported to another place, another state of mind, almost another time. It begins with the sound of water cascading over rock into a pond filled with ducks.