In November 2016 I attended a "How to Water and Plant Native Plants" seminar at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden. Andrew Chambers, who works with RSABG's Nursery and Conservation programs, shared what he's learned from experience and discussions with other native plant experts. He also demonstrated …
Lessons Learned on our Waterwise Landscaping (and upcoming native plant sales)
Note: RSABG in Claremont CA has a free talk on Dec 17, 10-11am on "How to Water and Plant Native Plants" After a baking hot summer in SoCA and no precipitation, we've revisited our previous planting and watering schedule. We're still happy we went with mostly California native plants, but …
Low-water Plants for Summer Heat
As for many in California, the numerous days of 100+ degree heat has been tough on our vegetable garden, roses, fruit trees and well, pretty much everything (including ourselves....) But we continue to have some plants – mostly California natives or their hybrids – that look good despite little …
Attracting Pollinators and Butterflies to our Yards
Who doesn’t want more butterflies in their yards? You need nectar plants of course. But if you want to watch all the butterfly stages -- which means your plant’s leaves will get eaten by the growing caterpillars -- you need to include specific host plants, such as milkweed for monarchs, or thistle …
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Drought-busting: Why to Plant Natives?
The drought here in California -- we've received less than 8 inches of rain here in Redlands -- is encouraging much discussion on how to reduce water usage. I've written a lot about our use of California natives in our landscaping so I want to reference some of my popular articles on why they're a …
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Native Plants Do Help Habitat for Wildlife
A friend forwarded an article "Are We Really Helping" by plant ecologist Susan Tweit that questions how much the planting of native plants aids wildlife. The answer is yes, it does. As I've mentioned in previous posts, while keeping some mature (50 + years) California natives such as Sugar Bush …
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