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January 2026
Monthly Meeting
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
6 days ago
Articles
IN SEASON: Camellias - Queens Of The Winter Gardens
By Jason Chen, for Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. Photo credit: Excerpted from Let's Talk Plants! March 2018. " Camellia japonica , COMMON CAMELLIA (Theaceae), East Asia. Sharon Lee's dazzling display of large and small pink, white, red, and variegated Camellia blooms [at a meeting]. They were fragrant and simply beautiful to share. Some arrived in individual plastic containers, and each was displayed in its own tiny water dish. 'Nuccio’s Pink Lace', 'Frank Houser', 'Nu
Dec 1, 2025
FROM THE MASTER GARDENERS: Evergreens Can Be Part Of A Sustainable Holiday Celebration
By Skye Resendes, UC Master Gardener of San Diego County. First published by the Union Tribune on December 10, 2022. Reprinted with permission, in Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. Wix stock photo. Evergreens Can Be Part of a Sustainable Holiday Celebration Here’s how to incorporate fragrant trees and boughs, long a symbol of life and hope, and still be a green consumer. Traditionally decorated Christmas Nobel fir Christmas tree. Photo Credit: larsmarkusson. The history of de
Dec 1, 2025
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
MEET TORREY NEEL: Dedicated Native Plant Advocate And Native Plant Nursery Owner
By Joan Herskowitz, originally published December 2024, in Encinitas Magazine. Reprinted with permission in Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. Photo credit: Janine Free. Neel’s Nursery: Making California's native plants available to San Diego County. Surrounding a gazebo tucked away on a wooded lot in the Gold Coast Plaza on Coast Hwy 101, across the street from the Pannikin coffee shop, you will find an Encinitas treasure. You have arrived at Neel’s Nursery, the County’s only
Dec 1, 2025
PLANT FORUM: At The November 2025 Meeting
By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. For over two decades a meeting highlight was the Plant Forum, where a horticultural expert spoke about plants brought in by members. These descriptions were printed in the newsletter and were also compiled, and are available free on our website at https://sdhort.org/PlantForum . This is an alphabetical listing of over 7500 plants, including over 1600 detailed descriptions. Check it out when thinking about plants to a
Dec 1, 2025
SHARING SECRETS: Garden Art
Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! December 2025. Question for Sharing Secrets for this month… Can you share vignettes or items from your garden, in words and if possible, pictures, that are made with a sculptural element. Or maybe you can just share pottery or items you use to amuse yourself. In other words, your version of Garden Art! (Some have said this is a great question! Well, we have Ida Rigby to thank for this. If you have a question or thought, share it w
Dec 1, 2025
GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: The French Lifestyle
Words and pictures by Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. As a Francophile I eat outside in the garden for almost every meal and live an artistic French lifestyle . Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. The French Lifestyle Thanksgiving is just around the corner and before you know it, when you read this article, it will be December. We have had a lot of much needed rain in California this November. As I was driving down the country lane on the approach to my
Dec 1, 2025
NEXT MEETING: A Strawberry Is Not A Fruit With The Plant Guy! Chuck McClung Explains Botanical Complexities And More... Nov. 15, 2025, Oasis, RB
In-person at San Diego Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, CA. 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 for $30.00 and attend this meeting for free.) Next meeting: November 15, 2025 At Oasis RB, 1:30p-3p Chuck the Plant Guy! Chuck McClung is a lifelong plant enthusiast, gardening mentor, landscaping consultant, and author. Popu
Nov 1, 2025
SD HORT BOOK CLUB: The Serviceberry By Robin Wall Kimmerer, November 3, 2025, 4:30/5p On Zoom
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! November 2025. Join us on Zoom for discussion of The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer, on Monday November 3, 2025, at 4:30/5p pacific time on Zoom. 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. An Instant New York Times Bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling au
Nov 1, 2025
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Western Australia
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! November 2025. For years after a road trip that Scott and I took in Western Australia back in 2016, I'd wanted to return. I was totally blown away by the plants, scenery, animals and open spaces. (You can read my posts from that trip here: https://mylifewithplants.blogspot.com/search?q=Southwest+australia/ .) This time since the planning and driving was somewhat difficult, we decided to take a tour focused on wildflowers. We especially
Nov 1, 2025
TREES, PLEASE! Travel Advisory – PODOCARPUS SPECIES
By Tim Clancy, for Let’s Talk Plants! November 2025. Located on 101 in Solana Beach. Representative of which species? Photo credit: Chartreuse Appreciation Society. Travel Advisory – PODOCARPUS SPECIES Destination: Coastal Region of Encinitas, California Advisory Level: Level 3 – Exercise Increased Caution Summary: Podocarpus specimens are advised to exercise increased caution when choosing the coastal area of San Diego County as permanent growing locations due to inhospita
Nov 1, 2025
GROW IN ABUNDANCE: Growing Radishes In San Diego - Crisp, Colorful, And Flavorful
By Sommer Cartier, for Let’s Talk Plants! November 2025. Image by Michaela Wenzler from Pixabay. Growing Radishes in San Diego - Crisp, Colorful, and Flavorful San Diego’s blend of sunshine and mild seasons means you can enjoy homegrown radishes nearly year-round. Crisp, colorful, and full of flavor, they’re one of the most satisfying and low-maintenance vegetables to grow when you keep their love of cool soil and consistent moisture in mind. When to Plant Radishes thri
Nov 1, 2025
COME INTO THE KITCHEN, GARDENER: Fresh And Easy Steamed Buttered Radishes
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! November 2025. Wix stock photo. . . . Of one thing I feel sure, a working knowledge of both gardening and cooking would tend to give a young person in the inevitably difficult world of tomorrow an added confidence about living, a talisman in times of stress, and a reassuring sense of independence and power." - Constance Spry, Come into the Garden, Cook, 1942 When I grow radishes, whether I have harvested a couple or dozens, my favorite
Nov 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
MEETING REPORT: October 2025, “Mr. Trees” Tyler Trimble Presents Fall Pruning And Care Of Fruit Trees
"Mr. Trees" Tyler Trimble. What an outstanding presentation! Thank you, Tyler, for sharing your wealth of knowledge with the San Diego Horticultural Society. Meeting recording can be found here: https://youtu.be/EYtTxqiQE4M Tyler Trimble has certainly earned the nickname of “Mr. Trees.” As a third-generation farmer, a fruit tree specialist, and longtime nurseryman, he has personally planted over 10,000 fruit trees in Southern California soils over the past 20+ years. Before
Nov 1, 2025
PLANT FORUM: At The October 2025 Meeting
By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let’s Talk Plants! November 2025. For over two decades a meeting highlight was the Plant Forum, where a horticultural expert spoke about plants brought in by members. These descriptions were printed in the newsletter and were also compiled, and are available free on our website at https://sdhort.org/PlantForum . This is an alphabetical listing of over 7500 plants, including over 1600 detailed descriptions. Check it out when thinking about plants to ad
Nov 1, 2025
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