Tag: gardening
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Winsome White Sage
White Sage (Salvia apiana) blooms in the spring with showy flower stalks that are covered with lavender/white flowers. This gorgeous accent plant can grow four-feet wide with six-foot tall flower stalks. White sage has an aromatic fragrance that clings to your clothing when you lightly brush past the plant. If you live in Southern California, […]
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Sage Sings Tonight
Tonight the doors open at 6:30 p.m. as the Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society launches A Sage in Every Garden. OCCNPS will also screen Saging the World at the Norman Murray Community Center this evening, Wednesday, November 9 at 7:30 p.m. Four members of the Acjachemen Nation will join us and […]
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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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White Sage is Wild
When I first began gardening with California native plants thirty years ago, I was often unsuccessful. I planted my new native plants in flat planters next to my grass lawn. I overwatered and wondered why the plants weren’t surviving. Even poppy seeds didn’t grow. But one of the plants that survived my beginning native plant […]
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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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More Fab Front-Yard Natives
Let’s explore a few more “front-yard” California natives that are HOA-approved, evergreen, and are pleasing to the eye no matter what the season. The California lilac (Ceanothus sp.) is a must-have native plant for every front landscape. This gorgeous shrub blooms in the spring with soft, fragrant flowers. When not in bloom, the shrub has […]
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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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Spring to Life
We have had less rainfall than normal in Southern California, so what is a plant to do? Bloom anyway.
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Flowers in Bloom as Summer Wanes
Spring in southern California is the biggest and showiest blooming season for native plants. Poppies, verbenas, and penstemons are strutting their stuff after a cool, rainy winter. But by late summer, the plants are pulling back, waiting out the long dry season and protecting themselves from the 90 degree days. How do our pollinators, birds, […]
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What is Milkweed?
Milkweed is a flowering plant named after a milky latex substance that is exuded when the plant tissues are damaged. Milkweed’s scientific name (genus) is Asclepias, named after Asclepius, the Greek god of medicine. Milkweed is the host plant for monarchs because the caterpillars rely solely on milkweed for food. The latex in milkweed plants […]
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A Chemical-Free Garden for Monarchs
Is it possible to have a beautiful garden without using pesticides and herbicides? In my experience, it has been easy to have a healthy garden that doesn’t require chemical pest control. Reducing our reliance on chemicals protects butterflies, and invites wildlife to step in and manage the unwanted insect population. Birds feed their offspring mostly […]
A Sage and A Buckwheat in Every Garden 