Friday, May 31, 2013
Romneya coulteri
I was at Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden and took some shots of Romneya coulteri - that is one sculptural plant. High aesthetic value.
I think my photography skills are starting to improve. Practice makes...better, if not perfect. Thanks to all of you who gave me advice.
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
...and here's another link...
I didn't have this one in the presentation, but wanted to add it - good resource for wildflowers:
Santa Monica Mountains Wildflowers
Over one THOUSAND plants listed with over 7000 links! Rich data source. The above photo is curtesy of their site.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Links! Links! Links!
Last week, I presented at the Natives For Novices segment of the chapter meeting. It was all about online resources.
Due to not-so-nice hardware failure issues, I couldn't post the links till now. My computer is back up and running - so far, today - so I am going to take this opportunity to post the info I'd promised last week.
It's all about the pretty pictures...
...and the gardens
Plant Information and Cultivation
What to plant where
Blogs and stuff
Thanks to
- CNPSSD Gardening Committee
- Las Pilitas for photos
- Sue Marchetti
- Bringing Back the Natives
Friday, May 17, 2013
Pretty picture
I love the beauty and visual appeal of natives. And, I love using plants that aren't found all over the place. One of my favorites is Cupressus forbesii or Hesperocyparis forbesii - the clean resinous scent, the sculptural form.
It is easy to grow and I have about a dozen or so growing on my own property. I've included it in garden designs from Los Angeles to Chula Vista...here is a cute picture at my home:
It is easy to grow and I have about a dozen or so growing on my own property. I've included it in garden designs from Los Angeles to Chula Vista...here is a cute picture at my home:
Thursday, May 16, 2013
In praise of Manzanita's for the garden
Having enjoyed a Spring of extensive manzanita bloom - now heavy with berries - in my North Park yard, I'm suggesting them as dependable, 'multi-tasking' plants as a significant part of a garden composition, rather than a few singular specimens.
First, I acknowledge this is written from mostly a design (rather than regional) orientation, in a small yard in Coastal Sage Scrub North Park, with numerous Arctostaphylii combined with CSS natives, oak, and some Island natives as well, and no regular irrigation (overhead hand watered every 4-6 weeks if long dry period).
What's attractive is the wide variety of plant forms from ground-hugging 2" high Carmel Sur, low John Dourley, tidy mid size Franciscana and Sunset, wiry Del Mar, larger Lester Rountree, up to large (slowly!) Dr. Hurd's. Aside from size, there is a variety of leaf texture and color (grey to bright green), as well as both white and pink flowers.
For the smaller urban/suburban yard, choosing mostly hybrids or horticulturally oriented varieties of native has proven to work well to maintain size and form.
Saturday, May 11, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Grove...
And, they carry Greg and Lucy's California Native Landscape book - so if you are at the North Park Festival of the Arts this coming weekend, stop by and buy the book (if you don't already have it).
Thursday, May 9, 2013
San Diego Botanic Garden Foundation tonight - speaking engagement
Flicki Dormer, the CNPS representative to the San Diego Botanical Garden Foundation - the group that provide facilities where all of our local horticultural groups can meet.
CNPS is a member and we have used the facility for shows to display our accomplishments, sell plants in the fall and run monthly meetings. We have a library, in conjunction with this group, that is a full-on research botanical library and all of these accommodations are open to the public.
Tonight, as a way of spreading the native plant message, I'll be speaking at the Garden Foundation's bi-monthly meeting. 7 PM, Room 104, if you are interested, stop by.
CNPS is a member and we have used the facility for shows to display our accomplishments, sell plants in the fall and run monthly meetings. We have a library, in conjunction with this group, that is a full-on research botanical library and all of these accommodations are open to the public.
Tonight, as a way of spreading the native plant message, I'll be speaking at the Garden Foundation's bi-monthly meeting. 7 PM, Room 104, if you are interested, stop by.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Watch TV Thursday, May 9th
Nan Sterman's next segment on her program, A Growing Passion, will be about natives.
"California Native Grown" (Native Plants In The Landscape) airs Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 8:30 p.m. & Saturday, May 11 at 4 p.m. - They are in our canyons and hillsides, estuaries, mesas and mountains. They are native plants and San Diego has an astounding diversity of them, from desert to coast.
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| Photo courtesy KPBS website |
Monday, May 6, 2013
For Rent...a good native plant person opportunity
Carrie Schneider forwarded this -
LOOKING FOR NEW ROOMMATE:
My artist friend and roommate recently moved out and I'm looking for a new roommate. I'm renting out the top floor of my 2 story house with very large master bedroom (15 x 19 feet), sitting loft area and bathroom with tub, shower and toilet plus sharing the kitchen. I have a huge yard at the bottom of a long driveway which is 1 1/2 acres full of native plants, fruit and nut trees, cactus and agave gardens, herbs and tropical trees. The house is 10 minutes from downtown off highway 94 just west of Lemon Grove. I-15 and 805 and 125 are all very close. I am an herbalist by profession and I"m pretty mellow. I'm looking for someone who is fairly quiet, and mature, although age doesn't matter. Either a male or female roommate would be fine. Someone who likes camping and is earthy would really like this place. If you are interested in nature, plants, wildlife, herbs, or biology you would really enjoy living here. It is an unusual house and setting.
There is plenty of room to plant a vegetable garden if you are interested or herbs, etc... The house is a rustic setting kinda like a cabin and we have a lot of wildlife - birds, rabbits, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, coyotes, ground squirrels... It is almost like a little nature sanctuary down here in this peaceful canyon. I have an elderly dog I used to hike with and an orange male tabby cat. One mellow dog who likes cats would be welcome but no cats. Part of the yard is fenced for the pets. I'm asking $700 plus $75 utilities, but if someone wants to help me around the yard 8 hours a month with mulching, weeding, watering and trimming plants & trees, it would only be $600 a month plus $75 utilities. I have cox cable basic t.v. and internet but would be willing to split an upgrade with a roommate. I'm doing a lot of work on the house currently and it will be available July 1st. Thanks for letting people know who might be interested. Have them call me - Susan Branch 619-517-2954 or
email me at suebbranch@cox.net
LOOKING FOR NEW ROOMMATE:
My artist friend and roommate recently moved out and I'm looking for a new roommate. I'm renting out the top floor of my 2 story house with very large master bedroom (15 x 19 feet), sitting loft area and bathroom with tub, shower and toilet plus sharing the kitchen. I have a huge yard at the bottom of a long driveway which is 1 1/2 acres full of native plants, fruit and nut trees, cactus and agave gardens, herbs and tropical trees. The house is 10 minutes from downtown off highway 94 just west of Lemon Grove. I-15 and 805 and 125 are all very close. I am an herbalist by profession and I"m pretty mellow. I'm looking for someone who is fairly quiet, and mature, although age doesn't matter. Either a male or female roommate would be fine. Someone who likes camping and is earthy would really like this place. If you are interested in nature, plants, wildlife, herbs, or biology you would really enjoy living here. It is an unusual house and setting.
There is plenty of room to plant a vegetable garden if you are interested or herbs, etc... The house is a rustic setting kinda like a cabin and we have a lot of wildlife - birds, rabbits, hawks, owls, woodpeckers, coyotes, ground squirrels... It is almost like a little nature sanctuary down here in this peaceful canyon. I have an elderly dog I used to hike with and an orange male tabby cat. One mellow dog who likes cats would be welcome but no cats. Part of the yard is fenced for the pets. I'm asking $700 plus $75 utilities, but if someone wants to help me around the yard 8 hours a month with mulching, weeding, watering and trimming plants & trees, it would only be $600 a month plus $75 utilities. I have cox cable basic t.v. and internet but would be willing to split an upgrade with a roommate. I'm doing a lot of work on the house currently and it will be available July 1st. Thanks for letting people know who might be interested. Have them call me - Susan Branch 619-517-2954 or
email me at suebbranch@cox.net
Friday, May 3, 2013
Hot and dry
The Union Tribune is telling us about the dry, hot weather - Camarillo is still experiencing wildfires this morning.
This image courtesy of the Ventura County Star:
A little extra moisture in your own garden and a keen eye looking out across the hills for any sign of smoke. Keep it safe.
This image courtesy of the Ventura County Star:
