Day: April 9, 2019

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DIY Clinic: Landscaping with Native Plants on May 18, 2019

Offered by the Alta Peak Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS)

Saturday, May 18, 2019 from 9-2 pm

with California native plant specialists,
Melanie Keeley, CA Native Plant Horticulturist & Sequoia/Kings Canyon NP Botanist
Cathy Capone, Alta Peak Chapter Horticulture Chair and Garden Ambassador

Held at College of the Sequoias in Visalia, location details given with registration

Design your native plant landscape with the help of local experts at this spring workshop on landscaping with drought tolerant native plants. Participants will be treated to an informative, colorful presentation that will highlight the benefits of using native plants in the residential landscape, including principals of landscape design, and how to best combine native plants for compatibility and extended blooming in your landscape.

Following the presentation, participants will be provided drafting supplies and will additionally be given printed handouts and resources to refer to. Students will then be guided by Cathy and Melanie who will help in the selection and arrangement of the best native plants for your situation, giving you a low water, low care garden design of your own.

Native plants can be used to create any style in your garden – from cottage style to formal. You choose the design that suits your house, esthetic, and garden requirements. Design the garden to complement your home and your taste, using California climate-adapted native plants which require a lot less water and maintenance. Switching to native plants saves on water, fertilizer, pesticides, time and effort.

Spring is a perfect time to design a garden. You will have time, ahead of the fall prime planting time for native plants, to prepare your landscape for the change to a low-care, low-water use, pollinator friendly garden.

Pre-registration is required. Class size is limited.

CNPS Members — $55, $45 (early-bird special, enrollment by May 1)
Non-members — $75, ($65 early-bird special, enrollment by May 1)

Contact Melanie Keeley at 559-799-7438 to register.

Native garden photo from Cathy Capone

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California Native Plant Week — April 13-21

Did you know that California has more native plant species than any other state in the nation? California’s incredible plant life makes it not only one of the most beautiful places on Earth but also among the most important contributors to the world’s biodiversity. That’s why, in 2010, the California State Legislature designated the third week of April to be California Native Plant Week. 2019’s celebration is April 13-21.

Now, we celebrate this important week each year with a wide variety of events up and down the state, including guided hikes, lectures, native plant sales, garden tours, and more!

When you save plants, you save everything else. That’s the message behind this year’s CA Native Plant Week campaign. Native plants provide vital habitat, food, and ecosystem services for pollinators, wildlife, and humans alike. And every plant matters, especially in California, one of the world’s global biodiversity hotspots. Help us spread the word online with hashtags: #NativePlantWeek #CNPS #bioDIVERSITY. Visit the CNPS campaign landing page and see listings for our many local chapter events around the state.

Tejon in bloom, photo by Nick Jensen, CNPS Southern California Conservation Analyst.

Tejon Ranch in Southern California is under threat by the Centennial development – a proposal to place a city of 55,000 people here despite high wind, fire, and earthquake risk, and the irreplaceable loss of some of our last pre-European grassland habitat.