The Science Behind Nature - in Layperson Speak
We had a garden club meeting in my town (Redlands CA) and were lucky to have as our speaker Bart O’Brien from the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (RSABG) in Claremont. He presented a wonderful talk about California native plants. More importantly, he shared his favorites for our area. These …
Continue Reading about Favorite So. California Native Plants
It's the time of year of high water bills - and perhaps time to think about replacing plants that need too much water, or maybe even taking out some of your thirsty grass. I recently came back from the Midwest where drought conditions have prompted many folks to let their lawns go dormant. When I …
Continue Reading about High Water Bills? Maybe it’s Lawn Removal Time
I just did a walk up to Caroline Park and luckily had my camera to capture the flowering natives, birds and bunnies. Caroline Park is a native plant park set aside in Redlands CA by Olivia Phelps (of the Phelps-Dodge family) in 1929 to honor her sister Caroline. While the many flowering plants in …
Continue Reading about Great Hikes: Caroline Park’s Lush Natives (Redlands CA)
In a follow-up to my post (Favorite Plants for Attracting Birds/Butterflies (Midwest/East) here are some favorites from two of our homes, both landscaped with natives and other wildlife-attracting plants. (See Our Conversion to Low Water Landscaping). I also asked two friends in Arizona, for their …
Continue Reading about Favorite Plants for Attracting Birds/Butterflies (California/Southwest)
Note: this area was hit hard by the November 2018 Woolsey Fire. I've been afraid to go back, but plan to soon to document its recovery. My husband Tom and I were amazed with the mature stands of chaparral on a hike we took last week - the Mishe Mokwa trail in the Santa Monica Mountain National …
Even small patches of natives bring pleasant surprises. (See below for Midwest resources and click here for a previous article about favorite Midwest native plants). One of my best walks here in Redlands CA takes me by some mature sections of chaparral and sage scrub that some owners left on their …
Continue Reading about Going Native: Even Small Amounts Bring Benefits
