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

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

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

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

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

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

By Sommer Cartier, for Lets Talk Plants! June 2026 Assorted Heirloom Tomatoes on Rustic Wooden Table by Window Free Photo. Growing Heirloom Tomatoes: Flavor Worth the Extra Care There’s really nothing like a ripe heirloom tomato picked straight from the garden. The colors, the odd shapes, the flavor that actually tastes like a tomato should, rich, sweet, tangy, sometimes all at once. Once you grow them yourself, it’s honestly hard to go back to store bought tomatoes. That sai

By Sharon Reeves, UCCE Master Gardener of San Diego County, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. Photo by William Warby Cunning Plants Use Tricks to Lure Pollinators Plants are anchored in one spot, but they are cunning. They have mastered the art of enticing more mobile organisms to do their bidding. It is the goal of every living thing to procreate and to live on through their offspring. Plants are no exception. There are many pollination strategies employed by plants. Wind po

By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 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...

By Susan Krzywicki, for a previous edition of Let's Talk Plants! Wix stock photo. Soil Health: A Radical Approach Our gardening world is oftentimes a mystery, especially the hidden depths of our soils. Getting to know how “dirt” works is a good place to start with plant health. Of course, as a native plant advocate, I believe in this stack: native soils with native plants with native bees, birds and butterflies; with fresh clean air and water surrounding them. But, how do you

Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! June 2026. Sharing Secrets graphic made by Karen England using Canva. Question of the month – Do you have a plant or tree or other growing item, which you are babying and nurturing to get it to come to full life? If so, what is it you are doing? Kathy Ascher responded… I have a rare Wollemi Pine that was gifted to me. I planted it in a specific spot where it will not be blasted with heat, planted it in a raised box for drainage, a

By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! June 2026. June is busting out all over! Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. June Is Busting Out All Over! With the advent of climate change, we need to “roll with the punches” so to speak. This year the ‘First Love’ Gardenia had its first blossom of the season on May 1, and the magnolia tree, which used to bloom at the end of June and all through July, was also blooming on the first of May. We had an extremely hot March. The hottest Ma

Words and pictures by Jim Bishop, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2026. With the lack of rain for the last month or so, there have been almost no rainbows, so I had to create my own. I finally found a purpose for all the broken and worn-out shovels I’ve accumulated over the years. They were all leaning against a retaining wall in my garden, which I affectionately called the Shovel Graveyard. However, it was located on a seldom-used path, so few people noticed or saw it. History of

Registration is still open and for members only - there are two sessions with limited spots at each - Sat, May 02, 2026, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6660002 This session is full. Sat, May 02, 2026, 12:15 PM - 2:00 PM https://www.sdhort.org/event-6660031 Ida Rigby and John Sturla's Poway garden is returning to its roots. The original vision was to have as natural a garden as possible with a distinct sense of place and to have it blend with its setting, a

A visit to Ray and Bonnie Brooks' Escondido garden is always a treat. Their garden was a horticultural hit on the 2025 garden tour and this an opportunity to visit it in early summer. Ray, a former SDHS treasurer, is also known for his woodworking talents. Their property, spanning over an acre, features a diverse collection of plants from around the globe. The garden includes a large greenhouse/conservatory filled with numerous plants and a propagation area. Don't miss the Cy

REGISTER: https://www.sdhort.org/event-6610585 Hop aboard our private motorcoach for a full-day excursion to the Huntington Botanical Gardens at the height of Spring in San Marino. Immerse yourself in the 207-acre estate that features over a dozen specialized botanical gardens. The gardens themselves are a breathtaking exhibition of biodiversity, with over 130 acres of themed spaces that transport guests to different corners of the world. Highlights include the iconic Desert

By Tim Clancy, for Let’s Talk Plants! May 2026. Oakcrest Park entrance, February 2009. Image snipped from Google Maps by the Chartreuse Appreciation Society. Adios amiga. West of the entrance to Oakcrest Park. April 2026. Photo credit: Chartreuse Appreciation Society. The Case of the Collapsing Canopy California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, California is home to the Urban Forest Ecosystem Institute (UFEI). UFEI exists to research and share knowledge abou

By Barbara Raub, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2026. THE PERFECT VIEW - Artist: Lorri Lynch, 2026. The San Diego Horticultural Society loves to feature plein air artists in the gardens on our spring tour each year. It is so inspiring to experience a garden through the eyes of an artist as they interpret the garden in a painting which captures that moment in time. Each year, I love to match up artists with the gardens, paying close attention to the personal style of the garden, d

https://youtu.be/CaXpzk4PYsU?si=uiJMUnAERqD4FZ4o Walker Wilson is the founder of Walker's Wildlands nursery in Fallbrook. After studying environmental science and history in college, he found himself struggling to find meaningful work where he could make a genuine difference. The available jobs in habitat restoration were often physically grueling, poorly paid, and offered little autonomy—leaving him disillusioned with spraying roundup and pulling weeds. Rather than give up o

By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let’s Talk Plants! May 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...

Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! May 2026. Sharing Secrets graphic made by Karen England using Canva. Question of the month – So, what vegetables and herbs are you going to plant or have you already for harvesting in your garden? Or do you also desire fruit from trees or both? What is your favorite? Answer one or all questions or make up your own! Gerald D. Stewart of 92084, responds… …I still need to plant the five tomato starts, which is all I am going to plant

Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! April 2026. The book review is from the April 2015 edition of the newsletter, and the YouTube meeting video is from July 2024. BOOK REVIEW - Microgreens: A Guide to Growing Nutrient-Packed Greens by Eric Franks and Jasmine Richardson. Reviewed by Caroline McCullagh. Somehow, we’ve managed in this column to go from the highest to the lowest. We looked at redwoods in The Wild Trees by Richard Preston. Now we’re looking at some of th

By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! May 2026. Francesca Filanc and her mother Pat Welsh. Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. My garden is on a Mother's Day tour this month and I was asked to write about my mother, Pat Welsh, for the tour pamphlet. Unfortunately, this was too long for the pamphlet, so this is my article this month, a tribute to my mother, a love letter to her for being such a wonderful mother, and I feel I owe my talents and my passions to my wonderful mot

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

Ida Rigby and John Sturla's Poway garden is returning to its roots. The original vision was to have as natural a garden as possible with a distinct sense of place and to have it blend with its setting, a borrowed landscape of a disturbed, but native, hillside. In the fall of l992, Tree of Life Nursery brought down a truckload of California natives. The Englemann Oaks, Toyons, mountain mahogany and buckwheats are from that original shipment. Then, of course, as Australian and

By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! April 2026. “Where Native Plants Thrive, We Thrive.” Graphics by Artefact Design. CNPS San Diego 2026 Native Garden Tour, Saturday and Sunday, April 11 & 12, 9am - 4pm Got Tickets? Yes? Wonderful! See you there! No? If you’re waiting for a written invitation, here it is: The inspirational California Native Plant Soc

Viguiera laciniata - San Diego Bush Sunflower, a San Diego endemic species that happens to be excellent for garden conditions. Evergreen, tough and made for full sun conditions, it will still stay green with just once a month or less watering. Trim off dead flowers for another round of blooms. A great choice for almost any San Diego garden, and to showcase local species. Walker Wilson is the founder of Walker's Wildlands nursery in Fallbrook. Walker Wilson - Conservation thr

By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! April 2026. Why is Karen smiling? She has realized that the SD Hort Book Club, even though having already read 54 books to date, may never run out of great horticulturally imbued books to read. Photo credit: Karen England. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of April 6, 2026 - When the Earth Was Green by Riley Black. Yes, the February general meeting presenter! (Note: We have invited Riley to join our discussion!) , 2026. Note: The Zoom

Back yard bounty. Photo credit: Dawn Stanke. On April 18, 2026, as this open garden is nearby the SDHS monthly meeting place at Oasis in Rancho Bernardo, you will have time to get the April 18 general meeting which will begin at 1:30 pm. Sharing Gardens are free to members and are for members-only due to limited registration spaces. Registration is required and will open two weeks prior event. Dawn Standke has been a Master Gardener since 2005 and has put her considerable hor

Sue Mansour's garden in Rancho Bernardo. Photo credit: Susi Torre-Bueno. Saturday, April 25, 2026, Open Garden in Rancho Bernardo Sue Mansour’s decades of gardening expertise and enthusiasm are apparent the moment you see her front garden, a curbside succulent tapestry set against a low stucco wall. Located on a quiet street near our monthly meeting place in Rancho Bernardo, this richly planted strip hints at what is to come - a complex series of garden rooms filled with exot

REGISTER: https://www.sdhort.org/event-6610585 Hop aboard our private motorcoach for a full-day excursion to the Huntington Botanical Gardens at the height of Spring in San Marino. Immerse yourself in the 207-acre estate that features over a dozen specialized botanical garden. The gardens themselves are a breathtaking exhibition of biodiversity, with over 130 acres of themed spaces that transport guests to different corners of the world. Highlights include the iconic Desert

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

By Sommer Cartier, for Let’s Talk Plants! April 2026. Nightshades (Solanaceae), photo credit: Sommer Cartier. Growing Nightshades (Solanaceae) - What To Know For A Healthy, Productive Garden If your summer garden revolves around fresh salsa, pasta sauce, or anything grilled and colorful, chances are you’re already growing from the nightshade family, whether you realize it or not. Tomatoes ripening on the vine, glossy peppers in every shade of green to red, eggplant soaking up

Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let’s Talk Plants! April 2026. Current question: Are you using a new tool, implement, piece of hardware or structure to assist you to accommodate your garden? What is it and what does it do to assist you? Susi Torre-Bueno of 92084 created something… …It's not a new device, but I have used those cone-shaped wire tomato cages in a new way. I was gifted some large heavy bromeliad plants and put a tomato cage around each one to help it stay upright unti

A new website offers freely accessible, authoritative information about Katherine Olivia Sessions (1857-1940), a San Diego horticulturist and businesswoman known as “The Mother of Balboa Park.” Biographical information, a detailed timeline of Sessions’ life and annotated lists of published articles are included, along with an inventory of Sessions photographs and guides to archival sources, oral histories and memorials. More content will be added to the site. The website is p

Name tags ready for pick up at the next meeting... Photo credit: Karen England. Have you ordered a name tag? If your name is listed below (alphabetically by last name if there is one...), then your name tag is done and can be picked up at the next meeting: Mike Binder Katheryn Blankenship Betsy Buckner Claudia Chan-Shaffer Christel Chase Darin Chiu Shirley Chiu Carol Costarakis Carina Courtright Ciela Courtright Elyse Crone Shannon Cummins Gene Darby Michelle Darby Debbie Mi

By Golly, (really by Karen England), originally published in Let's Talk Plants! April 1, 2020. Reprinted April 1, 2026. WiX stock photo. APRIL FOOL'S DAY BOTANY: Echinocereus dahliaeflorus What would April be without a Prank? The Museum of Hoaxes has a page dedicated to April Fool's Day Botany. The page, dubbed "Plant life that exists only on April 1st," has 22 "species," i.e. pranks, that date from 1900 through 2019 and are some of the best April Fool's Day jokes ever p

By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! April 2026. Photo credit: Francesca Filanc. Alive With Purple in the Garden “April showers bring May flowers” is an old adage, but nowadays things are different. With the advent of climate change that many people predicted would happen including the King of England years ago, when he was a young Prince, advocating against fossil fuels, and for growing vegetables organically, which he has done in his own gardens, and working to make

https://youtu.be/IxRedVyh2IU?si=Zd3LVQd8nvk6iRd3 GOOD TO KNOW: On April 6th, 2026, the SD Hort Book Club is discussing this book! Head over to the SD Hort Book Club article in this edition of the Let's Talk Plants! newsletter to learn more...