Help to Design Water-Wise Landscaping
Looking to install beautiful, low-maintenance landscaping that won’t burst your water budget? By using water-efficient gardening techniques, you can create a beautiful garden while cutting landscape water use from 20 to 80 percent. Whether you’re planting a new landscape or renovating an established one, the City of Morgan Hill can help you with your water-wise landscaping design.
We have set up a computer station at City Hall that is loaded with the Santa Clara Valley Water District’s new software, “Water-Wise Gardening for Santa Clara County.” You can use this software to get water-wise design ideas for your landscaping project. Visit outstanding gardens, view landscape photos that are grouped into 18 categories such as Front Yards, Back Yards and California Native Gardens, get detailed descriptions for more than 1,000 plants and create a printable plant list that you can take with you to your local nursery. A world of ideas is just a few mouse clicks away!
Come to City Hall at 17555 Peak Avenue and take advantage of this free resource. We are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. For more information, call 779-7247 or e-mail en*****@***********ca.gov .
Give the Gift of ReadingÂ
Help a child improve reading skills and develop a love of books by donating new, unwrapped books to the Gift of Reading program. The holiday book drive provides free books to thousands of at-risk and underprivileged children in Silicon Valley. It is sponsored by the San Jose Mercury News.
BookSmart, a designated drop-off site, offers a 10 percent discount on any books purchased for the program. Books for all ages (infants to teens), including fiction, nonfiction and books in Spanish are needed. But don’t delay—the book drive ends Friday, Dec. 2. BookSmart is located at 17415 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill, 778-6467.
Magic Ship Sails Again for the Holidays
For the last 30 years Santa Claus has enjoyed making holiday memories for the young and young at heart in Morgan Hill. Santa starts his initial Morgan Hill visit by sailing his ship in the Holiday Parade and then for two weeks after can be spotted sailing his Magic Ship of Christmas around town with Boy Scouts from Troop 799 as he visits local shopping centers, convalescent homes, schools and block parties.
Anyone who has spent a holiday season in Morgan Hill has seen the Magic Ship slowly making its way around town with lights ablaze and Santa at the helm. This year Santa will begin his magical journey to Morgan Hill at the Holiday Parade on Dec. 3. Then from Dec. 7 through Dec. 21 he will be available for the children of Morgan Hill to visit him at one of his public outings. Santa and the Magic Ship can also be scheduled for block parties and corporate events.
The Magic Ship of Christmas is run as a community service project by the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 799. If you are interested in scheduling the Magic Ship of Christmas, contact Gretchen at (408) 892-9015.
