Habitat Gardening

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June 17th, 2023 Plant Sale

June 17th, 2023 Plant Sale

There is still time to plant for blooms this year! Our May plant sale was such a success that we have planned another one! Our next PLANT SALE will be: Saturday, June 17th, 2023, from 10:00am – 1:00 pm. Many of the plants and seedlings that weren’t quite ready in May,...
Creating a Personal Ecosphere

Creating a Personal Ecosphere

While out walking the trails and open spaces in various parts of Marin County, I’m often astonished at how certain native plants can grow and adapt very nicely to a variety of exposures, habitats, and communities. Coffeeberries, for example, grows in shady California...
California’s Native Cornucopia: Plentiful Food for the Birds!

California’s Native Cornucopia: Plentiful Food for the Birds!

It’s a bit artificial to create a listing like this which is defined by the months of the year; as we all know, nature does not follow the human calendar. Day lengths are set and reliable, but local weather is not, and neither are the conditions within micro...
It’s for the Birds!

It’s for the Birds!

I love watching the birds at my feeders, which are strategically placed away from potential danger and in such a way that I get a great view from my favorite place to sit and read. I’ll notice all the activity in a peripheral sort of way, but when something unusual...
Poison Oak and Its Relatives

Poison Oak and Its Relatives

A native plant that we all know (or certainly should!) is Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobium) because it is so widespread in the Bay Area. Many people get a very uncomfortable rash if they touch any part of the plant, so knowing how to identify it and avoid...
Two Redbuds

Two Redbuds

Early in March, the Redbud is ready to burst into bloom; the beautiful zig-zagging tracery of its branches soon to be disguised in a cloud of pink flowers. I’ve planted several redbuds in different areas on our property, but the most spectacular is a well-developed...
Thinking About Weeds and Wildflowers

Thinking About Weeds and Wildflowers

Micro-Habitats; Knowing Your Land My husband and I live on a south facing hillside situated above the Novato Creek floodplains; it’s a beautiful, warm, and sunny spot with a great vantage point. Our hill, called Cherry Hill on some maps, is a part of one of the ridges...
Some California Native Perennials and Shrubs to Grow from Seed

Some California Native Perennials and Shrubs to Grow from Seed

Linum lewisii A beautiful Western perennial, perfect for the border or in a meadow blended with bunchgrasses, poppies, clarkia and flowering bulbs. Summer blooming, flowers open over a long time; full sun, low water, 12-18” tall, needs good drainage, deer ignore it....
Some California Native Wildflowers to Grow from Seed

Some California Native Wildflowers to Grow from Seed

All of these native annual wildflowers are great for pollinators and other beneficial insects! Clarkia unguiculata / Mountain Garland The blooms of this native clarkia range from white, pale pink, salmon, and bright pink to magenta—all on the same plant. Flowers in...
Making Space for Weeds

Making Space for Weeds

The Flickers have now left my oak woodlands and moved to higher elevations in the Coast Ranges; I’ll look forward to seeing them again when we’re camping in the forests this summer. Meanwhile, the Tree Swallows are here already and I’m waiting to hear the first calls...
Gardening in Harmony with Nature

Gardening in Harmony with Nature

The Natural World has been my touchstone; a certain intimacy with the land and other creatures that always rings honest and true. When I think about why I like to garden it always comes back to my desire to be a participant with nature. I came to California as a...
Natives for a Meadow Garden

Natives for a Meadow Garden

Some of my favorite annual wildflowers are the gilias, and the whole genus is pretty much deer-proof. I like globe gilia (Gilia capitata) with its round heads of small blue flowers; these grow wild on Mt. Burdell. I haven’t seen bird’s-eye gilia (Gilia tricolor) in...
Creating a Meadow Garden

Creating a Meadow Garden

The days are still warm and we’re all hoping, once again, that this will be an El Niño year with ample rainfall and a good snow pack in the Sierras. The days are noticeably shorter, and the evenings are much cooler. The shorter day length is a cue to many native...
On Gossamer Wings: The Lycaenidae Butterflies

On Gossamer Wings: The Lycaenidae Butterflies

The Lycaenidae family of butterflies—blues, hairstreaks, coppers, and metalmarks, are usually small and very delicate looking, many of them brilliantly colored and some with very interesting life cycles. The apparent fragility of these tiny creatures earned the family...
Painted Lady Larval Host Plants

Painted Lady Larval Host Plants

Other Larval Host Plants Painted lady larva will also feed on weedy thistles in the Cirsium and Silybum genera, as well as the dreaded Yellow Star Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), and related cultivated plants like Artichoke and Cardoon. The larvae also feed on other...
Fecundity

Fecundity

I’ve always had a fascination with fecundity; a desire to make more of something, especially when an  abundance of possibilities is so obvious.  Plants offer so many opportunities to be fruitful. Now, with plenty of space at our new nursery, and access to...