top of page
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
4 days ago
Articles
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
4 days ago
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Natives Can Be Very Easy And Attractive Also!
By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! May 2026. Wix stock photo. Natives Can Be Very Easy and Attractive Also! Western Columbine is easy to grow, has beautiful flowers (left) and the seed pods feed native species (right). Left photo by Neal Kramer. Right photo by Jean Pawek. As an enticement to grow more native plants, I have chosen four beauties that are easy to grow. Some people avoid natives because they may think that they can be difficult, but just like any other gr
Apr 30
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
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Clay Isn’t Just For Pots. It Works For Plants Too!
By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! January 2026. Views of San Diego Abundanceweed in flower. Photos by Keir Morse. Keir Morse SD Marsh Elder. Clay Isn’t Just for Pots. It Works for Plants Too! In San Diego we are blessed with a wide range of soils, and plant communities. Clay soil is one of them. “Clay soils are both indicative of many rare species and a challenge for many common plants. The soil absorbs and holds water expands, cracks, tears roots, and in the summer – c
Jan 1
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Had Enough Wet? How About Desert Plants For Dry Areas?
By Susan Lewitt, for Let's Talk Plants! December 2025. Calscape Sicklepod rockcress © 2009 Gary A. Monroe. Okay, this is a teaser! This marvel is tiny and hard to find in nurseries, but I just couldn’t resist showing it off! This and others like it could be lost without our supporting biodiversity through the use of native plants. Left photo: "Sicklepod rockcress" by Henrik Kibak is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Middle photo: "Sicklepod rockcress" by Tom Wainwright is licensed u
Dec 1, 2025
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Got Water Loving Plants?
By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! November 2025. Western Marsh Rosemary is a fast-growing perennial herb that likes full sun and moisture. It is seen here next to a member of the Aster family. “ Limonium californicum (Sea Lavender, western marsh rosemary)” by Derell Licht is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0. Got Water Loving Plants? Do you have an area that takes lots of water and possibly stays wet? There are some native plant species that can tolerate these conditions bec
Nov 1, 2025
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: How About Investing In Hedge Fun, And Shady Screening Contenders For Privacy!
GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: How About Investing In Hedge Fun, And Shady Screening Contenders For Privacy!
Aug 1, 2025
bottom of page