Cooking with Native Acorns: Saturday June 16, 2007, 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m

Discover the historical and cultural uses of acorns and their importance to the native peoples. Lecture will be followed by preparation of acorn goodies to be enjoyed at the end of class.

Instructor: Orchid Black, Landscape Designer.

Fee: $35 for Theodore Payne members, $45 for nonmembers. Please register in advance in the bookstore or by phone: 818-768-1802. Seating is limited.

Inspired by your requests, beautiful photography by Northern California Landscape Designer, Pete Veilleux (see his photo of Lewisia longipetala to the right) of East Bay Wilds (www.eastbaywild s.com), and our own interest in branching out into more container gardening with natives, we have decided to bring in some unique pots to sell in the nursery.

Container gardening is a fun and creative way to scratch that gardening itch even during the hottest months of the year. With the right plants in a shady or partly sunny spot, you can have great success!

Check the TP sales yard or call ahead of your visit this June to see if the pots have arrived yet!

Because of an early start to fire season and this being a major drought year, we decided to bring you a timely and urgent class: The Truth About Native Plants, Chaparral and Fire: A New Way to Look at Nature in California on Saturday, July 14, 2007 from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Of all the distinct, natural communities in California, chaparral is the only one found throughout the state and is the only one that can be said to represent the state's most characteristic wilderness. Yet, it and the native plants that comprise it are demonized and unreasonably feared because of misunderstandings relating to wildfire. Join renowned naturalist and writer Richard W. Halsey (Fire, Chaparral, and Survival in Southern California) here at Theodore Payne as he shares with us the chaparral's unique natural history, how to best protect your home from wildfire risk, and why California native plants represent such a vital link to nature for all Californians. Fee: $35 members, $45 nonmembers. Seating is limited. Sign up in the bookstore or by phone: 818-768-1802. Richard's book is available on his Web site.

Another California Native Plant Horticulture class with Theodore Payne Nursery Manager Louise Gonzalez is scheduled for Saturday, July 21, 2007 from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Tailored for anyone new to natives or just in need of a review of the basics, this class offers a wealth of information on the wonderful world of gardening with California flora. You'll discover what a "native plant" is, why natives are valuable, plant communities, plant requirements, establishment, planting details, pruning, irrigation, maintenance and where to see and buy native plants. Call 818-768-1802 to register.

Our popular 3-part design series, California Native Plant Garden Design, is returning on Saturday, August 4th. Space is limited to 10 projects, so call 818-768-1802 to register soon. See more details at the "Events & Classes" section of our Web site. Summer is the ideal time to plan your native garden.

The nursery is offering a 50% discount on selected plants. Supplies vary from week to week so visit soon and often to take advantage of the savings!

On July 1, TP opens a fresh art exhibit of plein air landscape paintings by accomplished local artists (such as Kendra Page, who painted the image from Yosemite to the right, "Sierra Meadow"). The Gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Members receive a 20% discount on our plant of the month, which in June is Carex lemmonii (Lemmon's sedge), an evergreen upright, clumping sedge (to about 2 to 3 feet high) that naturally grows in marshes and bogs. It can take full sun and likes moist loamy or clay soil. Use Lemmon's sedge in container gardens or water features. Some birds are attracted to it as a nesting site.

To view our nursery inventory, visit our Web site. Select "Plants in the Nursery" from the menu on the left and then choose "Nursery Weekly Inventory."

Just a quick reminder that many of the plants on the market billed as fast growers and/or "drought-tolerant" are highly invasive exotics. For clarification and/or more information on this issue, please see the California Invasive Plant Council's Web site, which lists most of the invasive plants causing big problems all over the state. As Cal-IPC puts it: "The problem plants listed here can escape from gardens in the Southern California region and invade wildlands (see photos under each plant listed). Because of their aggressive growth, these plants degrade native habitat, and some increase flood and fire risk. Each section lists other desirable landscaping plants that serve as good alternatives to the invasive plants."

Here's some info on pampas grass or jubata grass (Cortaderia selloana or Cortaderia jubata) from Cal-IPC: "Wind can carry the tiny seeds of these plants up to 20 miles. The massive size of each pampas grass plant with its accumulated litter reduces wildlife habitat, limits recreational opportunities in conservation areas, and creates a fire hazard."

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