The California Native Plant Society, Orange County (OCCNPS) chapter has created a new campaign called A Buckwheat in Every Garden, to help homeowners improve wildlife and habitat value in their home landscapes. Beginning in October, OCCNPS is giving Orange County homeowners one free, four-inch California buckwheat to plant in their garden while supplies last.
Marine Blue butterfly visits a California Buckwheat. Photo by Kris Ethington.
Tree of Life Nursery has cultivated 1,500 four-inch California buckwheat ‘Dana Point’ plants for A Buckwheat in Every Garden. OCCNPS will distribute all of the buckwheat plants to residents living in Orange County, California. Homeowners are invited to attend several free events in November to pick up a California buckwheat plant.
Lizard shelters in buckwheat. Photo by Kris Ethington.
Friday, November 15, the city of Dana Point is hosting A Buckwheat in Every Garden at the Dana Point Community Center, 34052 Del Obispo St., Dana Point, 92629, from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. OCCNPS volunteers will distribute 200 buckwheat plants at this event. Join us and ask our native plant experts any question you might have about growing California natives.
The Buckwheat campaign began in October, and since then, OCCNPS has distributed more than 700 ‘Dana Point’ buckwheats to gardeners who have installed them in their Orange County landscapes. Go to the A Buckwheat in Every Garden iNaturalist page to see the buckwheat points of light across Orange County.
Sarah and Jennifer helped distribute 96 California buckwheat plants to new homes at Acorn Day.
OCCNPS is a 501(c)(3) California non-profit organization. A Buckwheat in Every Garden is funded by our small treasury, and is operated with all volunteer labor. Thank you to everyone who has helped make this program a success.
thank you thank you thank you from an anonymous citizen who’s heart aches every time he sees a dead bee on the ground. thank you.
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I’ve read that it’s NOT recommended planting buckwheat within 5 miles of the ocean because that was not part of its original habitat. Is that true?
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Hi! Thank you for asking this question. California buckwheat grows in nature along the coast. The ‘Dana Point’ California buckwheat that the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) is giving away, is a selection of buckwheat growing near the coast at the Dana Point Headlands. It is safe and helpful to plant buckwheat within 5 miles of the coast. If you go to http://www.Calscape.org and type Eriogonum fasciculatum into the search engine, you will see a solid coastline mapped with California buckwheat.
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BV. I think you might confusing milkweed (Asclepias) with CA buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum). It’s milkweed that some experts suggest not planting along the coast.
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This is so wonderful! Wish there was a campaign giving some away in Los Angeles!!
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Sarai, I agree! I live in Long Beach and know many residents/homeowners that would participate in this campaign.
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Hi Michelle, I wish we could extend this program to Long Beach and Riverside too! But we are a small group with limited time and financial resources, so we have to keep the buckwheat campaign for Orange County homeowners only. Ask your LA CNPS chapter to think about starting a campaign like A Buckwheat in Every Garden.
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