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July 2026
Monthly Meeting
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Growing Plant People - Horticulture Programs and Facilities at Southwestern College, With Holly McMullen, August 15, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
Holly McMullen Holly McMullen is a tenured professor of plant science at Southwestern College and a field biologist with nearly a decade of experience working at the intersection of ecological research, habitat restoration, and higher education. Her expertise centers on the interactions between plants and animals, particularly within Southern California's diverse ecosystems, and she has conducted botanical and wildlife field surveys, managed large-scale restoration projects,
Jul 23
Articles
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Growing Plant People - Horticulture Programs and Facilities at Southwestern College, With Holly McMullen, August 15, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
Holly McMullen Holly McMullen is a tenured professor of plant science at Southwestern College and a field biologist with nearly a decade of experience working at the intersection of ecological research, habitat restoration, and higher education. Her expertise centers on the interactions between plants and animals, particularly within Southern California's diverse ecosystems, and she has conducted botanical and wildlife field surveys, managed large-scale restoration projects,
Jul 23
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: I Geraldton Waxflowers
The first half of our Western Australia trip was from Perth south to Albany. The second half was from Perth up to Geraldton. When we visited Western Australia in 2017, we didn’t have enough time to venture north of Perth. We’d wanted to see the famous Geraldton Waxflowers, Chamelaucium uncinatum and maybe even find the […]
Jul 2
NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Saving Rare Plants - Advanced Horticulture on the California Islands, With Kevin Alison, July 18, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p
Kevin Alison The islands of California are biological hotspots for uniquely rare and endangered species. But, what do you do if traditional methods of propagation fail or are unreliable? This presentation will cover advanced horticultural techniques to overcome challenges and prevent extinction. Kevin Alison serves as the Native Plant Manager for Catalina Island, where he leverages his expertise in conservation, restoration, and horticulture to prevent extinction. Kevin s
Jul 1
NEXT SHARING GARDEN: Mission Hills Sharing Garden: Saturday, August 8, 2026, With Space Available for a 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Tour
Photos courtesy of Randy Laurie. Registration will open soon for members only - 200 spots available. Saturday, August 8, 2026, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM What a treat! It’s rare to find a 2-acre garden in Mission Hills, and the owners of this beautiful property have been very generous in opening their garden to us. We had a sharing garden here in July 2013, when the garden was just 4 years old, and seeing it now you can understand how the original vision has matured and filled in. La
Jul 1
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: July 6, 2026 - Wilding by Isabella Tree At 4:30/5p On Zoom
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! July 2026. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of July 6, 2026 - Wilding by Isabella Tree 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: July 6, 2026 - Wilding by Isabella Tree Aug 3, 2026 - Literary Gardens by Sandra Lawrence Have you heard how much fun the SD Hort
Jul 1
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: What you might find with your Great Valley Gumweed and Milkweed plants
By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! July 2026. Bordered Patch butterfly. Photos by Christopher Christie, used with permission. What you might find with your Great Valley Gumweed and Milkweed plants Native plants support more than pollinators such as Monarch butterflies and their caterpillars. Here is another part of this web of life: On Tuesday May 5, I rolled out my recycling container, as usual. A few minutes later, when I came back to add to it, I was astonished to f
Jul 1
TREES, PLEASE! America's First Urban Forest Xylarium - A Legacy Project for Encinitas and a National First in Urban Forestry
By Tim Clancy, for Let’s Talk Plants! July 2026. Oakcrest Park entrance, February 2009. Image snipped from Google Maps by the Chartreuse Appreciation Society. America's First Urban Forest Xylarium Proposal Summary Encinitas has the opportunity to create what is likely be the first Urban Forest Xylarium in the United States—a permanent collection of wood specimens, tree cross-sections, photographs, and historical records documenting the trees that have shaped our community
Jul 1
PLANT FORUM: At The June 2026 Meeting
Edited by Tony Gurnoe, for Let’s Talk Plants! July 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...
Jul 1
HERITAGE HAUNTS: Tomatoes by Alice Lowe
Presented by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! July 2026. This article first appeared in June 2008, edition No. 165 of Let's Talk Plants! Wix stock photo of caprese salad. Tomatoes Here they come - large and small, round and oval, red and yellow and orange and green - ripe, freshly-picked tomatoes, grown with lots of sun and heat (my favorites come from a generous friend in Lakeside), and, whenever possible, eaten within minutes of picking. Those of us who can’t grow our ow
Jul 1
SHARING SECRETS: What is growing in your garden, or what do you plant in your garden, to attract natural bees?
Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! July 2026. Sharing Secrets graphic made by Karen England using Canva. Question of the month – What is growing in your garden, or what do you plant in your garden, to attract natural bees? We learned much from the May Speaker, Dr. Molly Rightmeyer, about the need for natural habitat. Let’s see if we can use this important information. Honeybee on California Buckwheat. Photo provided by Cathy Tylka. Insects foraging nectar fro
Jul 1
GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Enchanting Beach Access Brimming with Color!
By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! July 2026. Enchanting Beach Access Brimming with Color! Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. Enchanting Beach Access Brimming with Color! Recently, I had the pleasure to take a trip up to the Bay Area to be with my daughter, Erica and her kids for a long weekend. We rented an Airbnb. We have rented this beautiful home before. The home is just a stone’s throw from having your feet in the sand. Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. As one approa
Jul 1
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
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