"New and Established Plants Surviving Summer Heat" on Saturday, August 5 at TP from 1pm-3:30pm, Ken and Rhonda Gilliland (TP webmasters, members and Garden Tour hosts) teach this introductory course on incorporating California native plants into a home garden. Learn how not to kill those precious plants and then take a field trip to Ken and Rhonda's garden, "Quail Hollow" (minutes from TP). $20 for members and $30 for non-members. Sign up now by calling 818-768-1802 or learn more at our website: www.theodorepayne.org.

This two-part class provides the basics of designing a native plant garden. Our August offerings are full. Please join us in September.

The next "Native Plant Horticulture" is on September 9 from 10 am - 12:30 pm. Landscape Architect Amy Nettleton teaches pruning concepts, proper watering, soil analysis, location evaluation and the fundamentals of garden design (proportional scale plans, selection of native plant palette, special considerations and helpful resources). You may take this class only, but a special rate is offered and you gain much more knowledge when you follow it up with the Design Workshop on September 30.

In "Native Garden Design Workshop" on September 30 from 10 am - 12:30 pm Landscape Architect Amy Nettleton provides expert guidance designing a native plant garden. Bring your garden design plans, photos of your garden or the area requiring landscaping, along with your ideas and questions about "nativescaping." Please note that completion of "Native Plant Horticulture" on September 9th is a pre-requisite for the Design Workshop. It is limited to 8 projects in order to provide maximum personal attention.

Sign up now by calling: 818-768-1802. Please check our website for more info.

Saturday, August 12: 10 am - 12:30 pm, TP Board President John Wickham demonstrates propagation and gardening with native bulbs, including onions, wild hyacinth, mariposa tulips and lilies. Sign up now by calling: 818-768-1802 or visit our website for details.

Saturday, August 26: 9:00 am - 11:00 am, Dr. Holliday Wagner, TP Nursery Manager and plant ecologist, will discuss adaptations plants have made to survive in their Southern California environments and how those adaptations affect their survival in your garden. Fill a jar with 1/3 soil from your garden and 1/3 water and bring to class.

To reserve your spot, please call: 818-768-1802 or check our website for info.

If your garden contains at least 50% California native plants and you're interested in being considered for our 4th Annual Native Plant Garden Tour on April 28 & 29 of 2007, please contact Carmen at: 818-768-1802 or by email: programs@theodorepayne.org.

We're also seeking organizations, companies, individuals, etc. to help finance the 2007 Tour. If you'd like to contribute by becoming a major sponsor or by buying an ad in our full color program that goes to every person who purchases a ticket to the Garden Tour (over 1500 people this year), please contact Carmen at the above email address or phone number.

The photography of Ken Gilliland, TP webmaster, resident photographer and Garden Tour host with wife, Rhonda, is currently being shown in the Theodore Payne Art Gallery. All pieces are available for purchase.

TP members receive 20% off the plant of the month. August's selection is Atriplex canescens (four-winged saltbush). It is an evergreen, densely branching, fast growing shrub, ultimately reaching 4-8 feet high and wide. It is recommended for erosion control and wildlife value. Birds love the seeds and take cover in the branches. It likes full sun, sandy and alkaline soil and dry conditions once established. Creamy yellow flowers appear in the summer.

We have native Sedums in the nursery. The selection includes: Sedum obtusatum, S. oreganum, S. paradisum, S. spathulifolium 'Cape Blanco.' Come take your pick of the crop!

We'd love to hear your suggestions for native plant related classes. What to you want to learn? Let us know! Call Carmen at: 818-768-1802 or email her: programs@theodorepayne.org.

We have an opening on Fridays (9am-12pm) for a volunteer propagator. It's a rare chance to learn about native plants from the TP Nursery professionals. We're looking for someone with knowledge of growing plants from cuttings and seeds who is willing to commit to a fun and enriching experience. If this is you, please give Carmen a call: 818-768-1802. We'd love to have you!

Our outreach will continue in the fall and we need enthusiastic and committed folks to help us at the Montrose Farmer's Market on Sunday mornings and at other events around LA! Please call Carmen if you'd like to get involved. Thanks!

For your reading pleasure, we're including notable native plant news and related issues. The more we read about the environmental issues covered in the press, the more it becomes clear that utilizing native plants that conserve water and form plant and wildlife habitat is in everyone's best interest.

LA Daily News Article about Theodore Payne, “Creating a Fragrant Retreat:” http://www.dailynews.com/entertainment/ci_ 3973297

One of many problems with non-native plants (in this case, grasses) is the fire danger they pose, especially in conjunction with pollution and sky high temps: http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_4063908

Millions of gallons of water going to lawns could suck California dry: http ://www.marinij.com/marin/ci_4045778

This last article ("Land of Water Plenty Could Go Dry") is related to the one above. The issue of water availability is getting a lot of press in the month of July because of a new study. Excerpt: "A recent study from the Public Policy Institute of California shows that the growth of single-family homes in the Central Valley could put the squeeze on future water supplies. Since 2000, 86 percent of new housing built in the valley has been single-family homes, and those homes have lawns typically dotted with tropical plants and grasses that require at least three times more water than their native cousins, according to the report." Read the article at the link below.

Mark your calendars for our annual celebration of the fall planting season. TP's Fall Festival is set for October 13-15. We will have a large selection of native plants and seeds, as well as native plant related gifts. Special vendors will join us. Don't miss our tree pruning demonstration, talk on killing your lawn and creating a bird habitat, a fascinating and informative talk about water and more! Details and schedule coming soon!

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