Tag: california native plants
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White Sage is Weird
White sage is an aromatic plant in the mint family that grows in Southern California and Northern Baja California and nowhere else in the world. In addition to its rarity, not just any bee or insect can pollinate this plant. The white sage flower needs a heavy bee like a California bumblebee or a Carpenter […]
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Sage Celebration Begins November 9
The California Native Plant Society Orange County chapter (OCCNPS) has a multi-event evening planned on Wednesday, November 9 at the Norman Murray Community Center in Mission Viejo. Everyone is invited to join us. 6:30 p.m. Doors Open 6:45 p.m. A Sage in Every Garden Giveaway Begins At 6:45, OCCNPS will begin giving away 96 four-inch […]
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White Saging
I’ve met several people recently who believe that burning white sage smudge sticks will remove evil spirits from their house. Yesterday, someone told me that she burned white sage for cleansing her house, but it didn’t work. I suggested that she might consider planting a white sage and caring for it as a more healing […]
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Why White Sage?
White sage, also known as Sacred Sage, is a sacred plant to Indigenous Peoples, used ceremonially for prayer. White sage is special because it grows only in Southern California and in Northern Baja California. It grows nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, current television shows and movies have popularized sage smudging as a quick and […]
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A Sage in Every Garden Coming Soon
The Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society (OCCNPS) is partnering with Roger’s Gardens this fall to distribute 2,000 four-inch White Sage (Salvia apiana) plants to Orange County homeowners. The campaign begins November 2022 and extends through February 2023. A Sage in Every Garden is modeled after the 2019 buckwheat giveaway campaign. OCCNPS […]
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Working with HOA’s to Install Native Plants
If you are a native plant enthusiast, you can influence the installation of native plants on Homeowner Association (HOA) common area property. Homeowner Association boards are made up of neighbors who likely have little to no native gardening experience. Consequently, board members rely on their HOA landscape contractor for planting suggestions. When boards rely on […]
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Elegant Shrubs for the Garden
Today’s post features California native shrubs that are “front-yard natives” because they look good year-round, are easy to care for, HOA’s love them, and they are evergreen. Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos species) are great in front-garden landscapes because they are leafy evergreen plants with bell-shaped blossoms that support native bumblebees and other wildlife. ‘Sunset’ manzanitas are medium-sized […]
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Water for Wildlife
Rainfall has been scarce in Southern California in 2022. After a rainy December, we’ve had warm weather and windy conditions for most of January and February.
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Creating an Avian Garden
In September, we began work on the east side of Vera’s Sanctuary in Trabuco Canyon, where we created an Avian Garden, a 10,000-square-foot project that is interconnected with two large front lawns.
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Monarchs Arrive for Summer
Have you noticed monarch butterflies flying around your California yard this summer? Western monarch butterflies are an iconic butterflies that delight us with bright orange plumage, black stripes, and white polka dots. They are so large, they cast a shadow when they fly overhead. After hearing about the historically low overwintering monarch butterfly count last […]
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Butterflies in the Air
Summer is here and the birds and butterflies are abundant among the native trees and shrubs in the garden. As I was writing this post, I noticed a pale swallowtail butterfly settling on a California coffee berry (Frangula californica). I took a break from the blog, stepped outside and captured this photo of an adult […]
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Powered by Insects
Did you know that most birds gather insects every day to nourish themselves and feed their offspring? Many people believe birds can survive eating seed from bird feeders, but most birds need insects to provide digestible protein for energy, migration, and breeding. A baby bird’s tender digestive system needs soft, fat-filled proteins from insects and […]
A Sage and A Buckwheat in Every Garden 