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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
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: Truffle Hound By Rowan Jacobsen, January 12, 2026, 4:30/5p On Zoom
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2026. Join us on Zoom for discussion of Truffle Hound by Rowan Jacobsen at 4:30/5p Pacific Time on Zoom on January 12, 2026. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground (or pay absurd amounts for a ringer). They plant entire forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay $3,000 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in th
Jan 1
NEXT SHARING GARDENS: Saturday, February 14, 2026, Stroll A Fabulous 2-Acre Open Garden In Olivenhain
Registration Opens Jan 31, 2026. Members bring your Valentine to a fabulous garden! On Saturday, February 14, 2026, a sumptuous garden will be open to members of the San Diego Horticultural Society (SDHS). Stroll this 2-acre garden in Olivenhain and see the paradise created over the last 30 years. The garden is a mixture of plants ranging from drought tolerant to tropical. Some special features are the lath house, tool shed, koi ponds, and numerous pieces of art. As a bonus
Jan 1
MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: The Chelsea Australian Garden
By Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2026. Last September, Scott Borden, Kathy Asher, and I participated in a garden tour in Western Australia. You can read more in my previous blog MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Western Australia. After the tour, Scott traveled to Sydney, while Kathy and I headed to Melbourne to explore gardens there. During the Western Australia tour, we inquired about any notable Australian gardens near Melbourne. The common recommendation was the Chelsea A
Jan 1
MEETING REPORT: Botany For Gardeners With Chuck McClung - The Plant Guy! November 2025
The meeting report is forever changed now that the recordings of the meetings that are uploaded to our YouTube channel can be embedded into our newsletter. This is one change in a world full of iffy changes that is great. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/rGMxDzA_IUU The handout: Did you know? This was the second time in recent history that Chuck has spoken to the San Diego Horticultural Society. Did you miss the first time? Never fear, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/SdqGmjWf1
Jan 1
TREES, PLEASE! It’s Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature
By Tim Clancy, for Let's Talk Plants! January 2026. Expansive Empty Parking Lot with a Single Tree Under Clear Blue Sky - Urban Planning Concept Stock Illustration - Illustration of commercial, landscape: 329009840 Royalty free - AI generated. It’s Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature Down at the City of Encinitas (COE) headquarters (HQ) the bureaucrats have been busy creating policies and legislation about trees. They are currently debating the finer points of … A) a Native Plant
Jan 1
GROW IN ABUNDANCE: Grow Your Way Through Winter Colds
By Sommer Cartier, for Let’s Talk Plants! January 2026. WiX stock photo. Grow Your Way Through Winter Colds - How your garden can double as a feel better toolkit Winter has a way of sneaking up on us. One day it’s soup season, the next you’re reaching for tissues. The good news is your garden can do more than look pretty this time of year. With the right plants, it can support your immune system, soothe cold symptoms, and help you feel your best, all while giving you an excus
Jan 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
SHARING SECRETS: Tips For Getting A Constructed Greenhouse
Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let’s Talk Plants! January 2026. Sharing Secrets cover graphic made in Canva by Karen England. Question for this month is from Tynan Wyatt… Does anyone have tips for a constructed greenhouse? What size did you go with? Materials? What has been the upkeep? What would you do differently? And now for answers… Gerald D. Stewart of 92084 recommends… … some points to ponder: 1. Full sun, you can add shade if it's too much. 2. Make it as large as you have
Jan 1
HERITAGE HAUNTS: Introduction To Gasterias
By Annie Morgan, originally published in the December 2015 Let’s Talk Plants! No. 255 newsletter. Republished January 2026. From the archives: Introduction to Gasterias Though slow growing, Gasterias are a small, charming species and one of the easiest succulents to grow, thus they are an ideal starting plant for the novice. They are related to Aloes and are in the Asphodelaceae family and are named for their stomach-shaped f lowers (“gaster” is Latin for “stomac
Jan 1
GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Happy New Year In The Garden
By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! January 2026. WOW! Can you believe that it is already 2026? The new year is a time of renewal spiritually, physically, and can be a new beginning. Many people enjoy writing New Year’s resolutions. I happen to be one of those who enjoys writing down my thoughts from the last year and what I want to accomplish in the new year. But I notice as I get older that it’s more my spiritual thoughts moving forward, but the old adage of exercis
Jan 1
NEXT MEETING: Celebrating The 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. Reminder, there is no meeting in December. 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.) Click here to register to attend. About Nancy - After a long and rewarding career in legal education, Nancy Carol Carter retired as a Professor of Law and Director o
Dec 1, 2025
NEXT SHARING GARDENS: December 20, 2025 - Conclude The Year And Celebrate The Winter Solstice In Mission Hills
Conclude the year and celebrate the winter solstice with a self-guided tour of Jim Bishop and Scott Borden's hillside garden in Mission Hills. Many of the large aloes and drought-tolerant plants are currently in full bloom. Their 1930s Spanish-revival style house and garden in Mission Hills offer views of Mission Valley. Scott and Jim have been cultivating the steep hillside for 24 years. In 2003, they transformed an old, cold swimming pool into a walled garden featuring a st
Dec 1, 2025
NEXT SD HORT BOOK CLUB: Truffle Hound By Rowan Jacobsen, January 5, 2026, 4:30/5p On Zoom
By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! December 2025. Join us on Zoom for discussion of Truffle Hound by Rowan Jacobsen at 4:30/5p pacific time on Zoom on January 5, 2026. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground (or pay absurd amounts for a ringer). They plant entire forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay $3,000 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in th
Dec 1, 2025
BOTANICAL ENCOUNTERS: The Atacama Blooms - Copiapoa Cactuses
Words and pictures by Ida K. Rigby, for Let’s Talk Plants! December 2025. The Atacama Blooms - Copiapoa Cactuses Let’s continue our quest for the marvels of El Desierto Florido, the Atacama super bloom of September 2011. Along this foggy Pacific coast, ... ... as is often the case in areas that outsiders might consider gloomy, everything is colorfully painted. Fishing ... ... and mining are the two main industries. We of course enjoyed delicious fresh fish. Nature’s fishermen
Dec 1, 2025
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
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
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