Fall is Time to Plant CA Native Plants

deer grass from SB Botanic Garden

Two weekends ago, we took a ride up to the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden for their fall native plant sale. 

Native plants can stand up to drought, but now is the time to plant those plants. If the rains really do come, it will give your native plants a jump on survival. For us, it is also about maintaining the stability of our hillside. 

I've been planting, planting, planting.

Calliandra from seeds

Even some of the seedlings I started this spring are going into the ground.

The Botanic garden also had a  cross-over art event, a fiber arts installation organized by Yarn Blaster Babes. 

Check out our Earth Minute videos of the installation How Do Trees Dream? and a school project that displayed How Tall is a Redwood Tree?

This creative installation reminds us all to play. Explore trees, plants, and flowers. Don't just look, interact. A new viewpoint may open up some other aspect of your life. The solution to that work challenge might be found while playing in the garden. Gardens don't have to be big; make a mini-garden.

The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden plant sale continues through the end of the month. What more can I say? GO. 

Rain Brings Renewal

bush anemone

Finally an inch of rain.

Time for putting native plants in the ground. It may seem odd to plant as we ease into winter, but our California native plants do best when they have the winter to establish themselves.

For our Mediterranean Climate Zone, dormancy comes during the summer. Winter and early spring are the seasons of growth.

I've planted a second bush anemone as well as white sage, San Miguel Island yarrow, and some white buckwheat. The yarrow and the island subspecies of buckwheat we planted last year have reseeded themselves and small plants have come up on their own. That is the joy of native plants. Even with the drought they are doing well.