Robin Y. Rivet

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

5 days ago

Download Coupon

View this month's Sales and Events

Articles

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

5 days ago

TREES, PLEASE! Graft Smart - Don’t Grift

By Robin Y. Rivet, for Let’s Talk Plants! April 2026. Cherry Tree Grafting Calyponte , CC BY-SA 4.0 < https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 >, via Wikimedia Commons. Graft Smart - Don’t Grift Grafting is not mysterious. Like other forms of plant propagation, success requires knowledge of biology

Apr 1

TREES, PLEASE! Are Your Trees Climate Ready?

By Robin Y. Rivet, for Let’s Talk Plants! February 2026. Photo credit: LadyCamera, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons. 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

Feb 1

TREES, PLEASE! Urban Tree Observations: Conks, Stains, Saps And Bugs

By Robin Y. Rivet, for Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. Turkey Tails - Trametes versicolor - fruiting body on rotting tree log. Bernard Spragg – Flickr Pro: https://www.flickr.com/photos/volvob12b/41856600312 . Urban Tree Observations: Conks, Stains, Saps and Bugs In October, I wrote about abiotic tree mishaps – especially those inflicted on urban trees by well-meaning humans. Many were preventable, so please re-read that essay if you’re a DIYer, as many of those failures

Dec 1, 2025

TREES, PLEASE! Is That Tree Really Sick?

By Robin Y. Rivet, for Let's Talk Plants! October 2025. Jacaranda tree loses its foliage before blooming in May. Nearby trees have already leafed out. "SelecTree. UFEI. " Jacaranda mimosifolia Tree Record." 1995-2025. Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. Is That Tree Really Sick? “I think my tree is dying”. Sadly, this is a common lament for far too many residents. Decline of urban trees often arises from largely preventable abiotic causes. Environmentally stressed tr

Oct 1, 2025