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June 2026
Monthly Meeting
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Right Tree, Right Place, Right Fire Zone: A Look at San Diego’s Trees and Their Future, With Tony Gurnoe, June 20, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
Native trees are all the rage, with municipalities such as Encinitas passing regulations that require new landscape development projects to include native species. Which trees count as native? Are they good choices for your yard? How do native trees relate to fire and California's new zone 0 regulations? We'll talk about all of these things while profiling some of San Diego's unique and often underappreciated local trees. Tony Gurnoe has conducted research related to native t
Jun 1
Articles
BOTANICAL ENCOUNTERS: The Atacama Desert Superbloom of 2011
Words and pictures by Ida K. Rigby, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. The Atacama Desert Superbloom of 2011 This month’s column illustrates the adage: “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words”. What can we say in the face of the exuberance of nature? The flora of the Atacama was glorying in a 40 year bloom. The rains had come. We often found ourselves in quite forbidding landscapes. Someone had written in on the road sign “MALO CAMINO MA “, advising against making a left and taki
Jun 1
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Right Tree, Right Place, Right Fire Zone: A Look at San Diego’s Trees and Their Future, With Tony Gurnoe, June 20, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
Native trees are all the rage, with municipalities such as Encinitas passing regulations that require new landscape development projects to include native species. Which trees count as native? Are they good choices for your yard? How do native trees relate to fire and California's new zone 0 regulations? We'll talk about all of these things while profiling some of San Diego's unique and often underappreciated local trees. Tony Gurnoe has conducted research related to native t
Jun 1
NEXT SHARING GARDEN: North Park Sharing Garden: Saturday, June 6, 2026, With Limited Space Available for a 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Tour
Registration is still open and for members only - limited spots remaining. Sat, June 6, 2026, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6660031 Sat, June 6, 2026, 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6675389 Sat, June 6, 2026, 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6675390 Join us to visit the remarkable North Park garden of Landscape Architect Chris Drayer, which was created over 26 years of painstaking work under daunting conditions. Most of the ga
Jun 1
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: June 1, 2026, 4:30/5p On Zoom, Forest Walking by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! June 2026. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of June 1, 2026 - Forest Walking by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst Note: The Zoom SDHBC meeting link is not published, instead it is emailed to discussion participants. If you would like to receive the link, please email info@sdhort.org with “book club” in the subject line. Looking Ahead: June 1, 2026 - Forest Walking by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst July 6, 2026 - Wilding by I
Jun 1
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Love Butterflies? Plant Natives!
By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. Pipevine Swallowtail by Thomas Elliott. Love Butterflies? Plant Natives! Life cycle of the Pipevine Swallowtail: Chrysalis (upper left), adult (upper right), hungry larva or caterpillar (lower left) and eggs (lower right). Upper Left: "Pipevine Swallowtail Chrysalis" by cotinis is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0. Upper right: "Pipevine Swallowtail" by DrPhotoMoto is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. Lower left: "Pipevine Swallowtai
Jun 1
TREES, PLEASE! Mighty Myrtaceae – “the myrtle family”
by Robin Y Rivet, for Let's Talk Plants! June 2026 Anna’s Hummingbird seeking nectar from a eucalyptus flower. Photo by Karney Lee, USFWS on Pixnio. Mighty Myrtaceae – “the myrtle family” The tallest flowering tree in the world is the "giant mountain ash", which belongs to the Myrtaceae family. So does the diminutive dwarf common “myrtle”, an evergreen shrub often sold at San Diego nurseries as a tidy border plant. What do they have in common? Most members are trees or shrubs
Jun 1
GROW IN ABUNDANCE: Growing Heirloom Tomatoes - Flavor Worth the Extra Care
By Sommer Cartier, for Lets Talk Plants! June 2026 Assorted Heirloom Tomatoes on Rustic Wooden Table by Window Free Photo. Growing Heirloom Tomatoes: Flavor Worth the Extra Care There’s really nothing like a ripe heirloom tomato picked straight from the garden. The colors, the odd shapes, the flavor that actually tastes like a tomato should, rich, sweet, tangy, sometimes all at once. Once you grow them yourself, it’s honestly hard to go back to store bought tomatoes. That sai
Jun 1
FROM THE MASTER GARDENERS: Cunning Plants Use Tricks to Lure Pollinators
By Sharon Reeves, UCCE Master Gardener of San Diego County, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. Photo by William Warby Cunning Plants Use Tricks to Lure Pollinators Plants are anchored in one spot, but they are cunning. They have mastered the art of enticing more mobile organisms to do their bidding. It is the goal of every living thing to procreate and to live on through their offspring. Plants are no exception. There are many pollination strategies employed by plants. Wind po
Jun 1
PLANT FORUM: At The May 2026 Meeting
By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. In July 2025 Anne Murphy brought in a delightful bouquet of nine species of flowering California native plants for the Plant Forum. Graphic made by Karen England on Canva. For over two decades a meeting highlight was the Plant Forum, where a horticultural expert spoke about plants brought in by members. These descriptions appeared in the newsletter and are available free to the public on our website at...
Jun 1
HERITAGE HAUNTS: Going Wild with Natives - Soil Health: A Radical Approach
By Susan Krzywicki, for a previous edition of Let's Talk Plants! Wix stock photo. Soil Health: A Radical Approach Our gardening world is oftentimes a mystery, especially the hidden depths of our soils. Getting to know how “dirt” works is a good place to start with plant health. Of course, as a native plant advocate, I believe in this stack: native soils with native plants with native bees, birds and butterflies; with fresh clean air and water surrounding them. But, how do you
Jun 1
SHARING SECRETS: So, What Vegetables And Herbs Are You Going To Plant?
Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! June 2026. Sharing Secrets graphic made by Karen England using Canva. Question of the month – Do you have a plant or tree or other growing item, which you are babying and nurturing to get it to come to full life? If so, what is it you are doing? Kathy Ascher responded… I have a rare Wollemi Pine that was gifted to me. I planted it in a specific spot where it will not be blasted with heat, planted it in a raised box for drainage, a
Jun 1
GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: June Is Busting Out All Over!
By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. June is busting out all over! Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. June Is Busting Out All Over! With the advent of climate change, we need to “roll with the punches” so to speak. This year the ‘First Love’ Gardenia had its first blossom of the season on May 1, and the magnolia tree, which used to bloom at the end of June and all through July, was also blooming on the first of May. We had an extremely hot March. The hottest Ma
Jun 1
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: I Can Dig A Rainbow
Words and pictures by Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2026. With the lack of rain for the last month or so, there have been almost no rainbows, so I had to create my own. I finally found a purpose for all the broken and worn-out shovels I’ve accumulated over the years. They were all leaning against a retaining wall in my garden, which I affectionately called the Shovel Graveyard. However, it was located on a seldom-used path, so few people noticed or saw it. History of
May 1
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: If You Build it, They Might Come, With Molly Rightmyer, May 16, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
Molly Rightmyer is a bee taxonomist who has become increasingly interested in native plants while attempting to increase the bee diversity of her home garden, an experience she wishes to share with other gardeners who hold similar aspirations. She got her start as a freelance scientific illustrator here in southern California. She then worked with fossil turtles as an apprentice illustrator at the American Museum of Natural History, NY, eventually landing a job as scientific
May 1
NEXT SHARING GARDEN: Poway, May 2, A Few Spots Left In The Second Tour From 12:15p - 2:00p ... First Tour Is Full ...
Registration is still open and for members only - there are two sessions with limited spots at each - Sat, May 02, 2026, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6660002 This session is full. Sat, May 02, 2026, 12:15 PM - 2:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6660031 Ida Rigby and John Sturla's Poway garden is returning to its roots. The original vision was to have as natural a garden as possible with a distinct sense of place and to have it blend with its setting, a
May 1
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: May 4, 2026, 4:30/5p On Zoom Uprooted By Page Dickey
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2026. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of May 4, 2026 - Uprooted by Paige Dickey Note: The Zoom SDHBC meeting link is not published, instead it is emailed to discussion participants. If you would like to receive the link, please email info@sdhort.org with “book club” in the subject line. Looking Ahead: May 4, 2026 - Uprooted by Paige Dickey June 1, 2026 - Forest Walking by Peter Wohlleben and Jane Billinghurst July 6, 2026 - Litera
May 1
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