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February 2026
Monthly Meeting
NEXT HYBRID MEETING: Riley Black, When The Earth Was Green, February 21, Oasis, RB And Zoom
Riley Black is the bestselling and award-winning author of When the Earth Was Green , The Last Days of the Dinosaurs , and more. A regular contributor to National Geographic , Smithsonian , and Slate , as well as a repeat guest on NOVA and Science Friday , Riley has spent more than fifteen years bringing the public the latest about the deep past. When not enthusing over fossils in articles and books, Riley regularly volunteers with museum field teams to uncover new
Feb 1
Articles
NEXT HYBRID MEETING: Riley Black, When The Earth Was Green, February 21, Oasis, RB And Zoom
Riley Black is the bestselling and award-winning author of When the Earth Was Green , The Last Days of the Dinosaurs , and more. A regular contributor to National Geographic , Smithsonian , and Slate , as well as a repeat guest on NOVA and Science Friday , Riley has spent more than fifteen years bringing the public the latest about the deep past. When not enthusing over fossils in articles and books, Riley regularly volunteers with museum field teams to uncover new
Feb 1
NEXT SHARING GARDENS: Saturday, February 14, 2026, Stroll A Fabulous 2-Acre Open Garden In Olivenhain
Registration Opens Jan 31, 2026. Members bring your Valentine to a fabulous garden! On Saturday, February 14, 2026, a sumptuous garden will be open to members of the San Diego Horticultural Society (SDHS). Stroll this 2-acre garden in Olivenhain and see the paradise created over the last 30 years. The garden is a mixture of plants ranging from drought tolerant to tropical. Some special features are the lath house, tool shed, koi ponds, and numerous pieces of art. As a bonus
Feb 1
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: In Kiltumper by Niall Williams With Christine Breen, February 2, 2026, 4:30/5p On Zoom
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! February 2026. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of In Kiltumper - A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams with Christine Breen (Pacific Time) at 4:30p for social half hour and 5p for book discussion on January 12, 2026. Kiltumper in Co. Clare is where Niall Williams and Christine Breen have been living and writing for 40 years. This is a warm-hearted and uplifting memoir of their life in rural Ireland. "Its byways are as meande
Feb 1
BOTANICAL ENCOUNTERS: The Atacama Superbloom, Chile 2011
Words and pictures by Ida K. Rigby, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. The Atacama Superbloom, Chile 2011 Let’s return to the fog shrouded Atacama Desert coast in Chile… …and immerse ourselves in the abundance of tough desert flora that were exuberantly flowering in the aftermath of a rare phenomenon in the Atacama, rain. As we know, the plants survive on whatever moisture the perpetual fog offers. Each plant has strategies for waiting until the next time there is rain whe
Feb 1
TREES, PLEASE! Are Your Trees Climate Ready?
By Robin Y. Rivet, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. Standing Groundhog - LadyCamera, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 Are Your Trees Climate Ready? Valentine’s Day is looming, but February 2nd is Groundhog Day . Although we have ample sunshine for groundhogs to see their shadow, where are all the woodchucks? Duh. There aren’t any marmots in San Diego ( unless you count the one that hitch-hiked from NorCal in 2009 ). So how do “we” know that win
Feb 1
FROM THE MASTER GARDENERS: Staghorn Ferns
By Mike Harrelson, UCCE Master Gardener of San Diego County. First published in the San Diego Union Tribune March 2023. Republished with permission in Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. Photo source: Staghorn Fern Background Images, HD Pictures and Wallpaper For Free Download | Pngtree . Staghorn Ferns For sheer pop, indoors or out, staghorn ferns ( Platycerium spp.) can’t be beat. Once considered difficult to grow in San Diego County, staghorn ferns are now commonly found in
Feb 1
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Pollinator Food And Host Plants For Butterflies And More!
By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. What a great color coordination! "Desert Marigold Moth (in a Desert Marigold flower)" by Lon&Queta, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Pollinator Food and Host Plants for Butterflies and More! Native plants in our gardens create a sanctuary for nature that supports the local biodiversity by supporting native pollinators. Some pollinators are generalists and go to many different species of flowers, while others, known as spec
Feb 1
MEETING REPORT: Horticulturist Of The Year 2026, Nancy Carol Carter, Celebration
SD Hort president Karen England presented Nancy with her award basket that included a framed certificate, a lifetime membership to the San Diego Horticultural Society, Felco pruners and a carrying sheath, a 2026 journal and a maple wood-turned bowl by Ray Brooks. Photo credit: Rachel Cobb. Horticulturist of the Year for 2026 Nancy Carol Carter. There was carrot cake from VG's Bakery in Cardiff. Photo credit: Rachel Cobb. About Nancy - After a long and rewardi
Feb 1
SHARING GARDENS REPORT: January 2026 Vista Open Garden Of Julian And Leslie Duval
By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let's Talk Plants! February 2026. Photo credit: Member Sherry Simmons, used with permission. Julian Duval (the SDHS Horticulturist of the Year in 2014) was the first President/CEO of Quail Botanical Gardens (now San Diego Botanic Garden) from 1995 until 2018, during which he grew this outstanding botanical treasure from an all-volunteer hidden gem to the bustling modern venue it is today. During his tenure at SDBG he and his wife Leslie purchased a 2/
Feb 1
SHARING SECRETS: What’s In Bloom?
Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. What’s In Bloom? This month’s question… What is blooming in your garden or in the gardens of those around you that make you happy it’s in season? And take and send a photo, if you can too! Kay McGrath tells us … ... It is the season for aloes to bloom! This year they are fantastic. Christel Chase of 92103 relates… ... So great that you propelled me outside, AWAY from my computer! I found
Feb 1
GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Birds Of A Feather
By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. Encouraging and Enjoying Songbirds in the Garden Movie still from Field of Dreams, dvdbeaver.com “If you build it, they will come.” Do you remember the movie Field of Dreams? The lead actor Kevin Costner built a baseball diamond in the middle of a cornfield, and if I remember the film correctly, it was to encourage baseball players to play baseball and then people came to watch. When I moved to this property 10 ½ yea
Feb 1
NEXT MEETING: Celebrating Horticulturist Of The Year 2026, Nancy Carol Carter, On January 17, From 1:30p - 3:30p At Oasis Rancho Bernardo (Upstairs In The Grand Assembly Hall)
Nancy Carol Carter. Celebrating the Horticulturist of the Year for 2026 Nancy Carol Carter. Join us on January 17, from 1:30p - 3:30p, at Oasis Rancho Bernardo (Note: this meeting will be held upstairs in the Grand Assembly Hall and not in our regular room downstairs.) Online registration required - SD Hort Member (and their guest) registration is FREE and in-person non-member registration is $15.00 (Consider joining or renewing with the San Diego Horticultural Society fo
Jan 1
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: Truffle Hound By Rowan Jacobsen, January 12, 2026, 4:30/5p On Zoom
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2026. Join us on Zoom for discussion of Truffle Hound by Rowan Jacobsen at 4:30/5p Pacific Time on Zoom on January 12, 2026. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground (or pay absurd amounts for a ringer). They plant entire forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay $3,000 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in th
Jan 1
NEXT SHARING GARDENS: Saturday, February 14, 2026, Stroll A Fabulous 2-Acre Open Garden In Olivenhain
Registration Opens Jan 31, 2026. Members bring your Valentine to a fabulous garden! On Saturday, February 14, 2026, a sumptuous garden will be open to members of the San Diego Horticultural Society (SDHS). Stroll this 2-acre garden in Olivenhain and see the paradise created over the last 30 years. The garden is a mixture of plants ranging from drought tolerant to tropical. Some special features are the lath house, tool shed, koi ponds, and numerous pieces of art. As a bonus
Jan 1
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The Chelsea Australian Garden
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2026. Last September, Scott Borden, Kathy Asher, and I participated in a garden tour in Western Australia. You can read more in my previous blog MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Western Australia. After the tour, Scott traveled to Sydney, while Kathy and I headed to Melbourne to explore gardens there. During the Western Australia tour, we inquired about any notable Australian gardens near Melbourne. The common recommendation was the Chelsea A
Jan 1
MEETING REPORT: Botany For Gardeners With Chuck McClung - The Plant Guy! November 2025
The meeting report is forever changed now that the recordings of the meetings that are uploaded to our YouTube channel can be embedded into our newsletter. This is one change in a world full of iffy changes that is great. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/rGMxDzA_IUU The handout: Did you know? This was the second time in recent history that Chuck has spoken to the San Diego Horticultural Society. Did you miss the first time? Never fear, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/SdqGmjWf1
Jan 1
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