OC CNPS 2023 GARDEN TOUR

 On April 1st, the Orange County chapter of the California Native Plant Society had it's annual garden tour.  In the previous few years due to covid they did not have an in person tour.  Finally, they got back to it.  There were 16 gardens on tour but I only visited 6.  2 in Irvine, 2 in Lake Forest and 2 in Costa Mesa.  

Each garden was uniquely curated to suit the taste of the owner.  Some were designed by a landscape designer and installed by a landscape contractor, and some where done as a DIY.  Each garden took into account how much sun/shade the plants were going to get.  Some even had existing plants that had to be worked around.  In this video I give you a tour of the 6 that I went to.  

FEBRUARY EVENTS

If you are interested in learning more about landscapes and plants, then these events are ripe for you.  Please note that I am just sharing these events for you to enjoy and attend.  I am not directly involved in any of these events other than sharing them.  These events are also local to southern California. 

Tree of Life Nursery Events:
Feb. 9th - Attracting birds to your native garden.
Feb. 16th - Container gardening.
Feb.  23rd - Starting a native school garden.

Orange County chapter of the California native plant society:
Feb. 21st - Conservation solutions on our California island.

If you know of any other landscape events going on this month and would like it to be added here then email me and I will add it. 

WHAT IS CNPS & WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN

CNPS stands for California native plant society.  They have chapters all over California and even in Orange County.  So why should you join and attend their monthly events?  Because if you are interested in California native plants, then their events are a great way to learn about California natives and connect with like minded people that are just as interested in California natives as you might be. 

There are also tons of events and garden tours held by CNPS that you can attend to get ideas on what you can do with your garden.  You may even make some friends. 

2018 SPRING GARDEN SHOW BOOTHS

At the 2018 South Coast Plaza spring garden show, there was not only really cool garden displays (click here to see photos), but also lots of cool vendors selling their products.  From plants to garden accessories, there was something for everyone.  Even the mall stores were getting in on the action showcasing their garden related products and offering really nice discounts.  I happened to be volunteering at the California native plant society Orange County chapter booth helping sell native plants.  The nice part about this vendors was that there was a lot of them with lots to see and buy, but there was also the downside of the same. 

I got to talk to lots of people that were just buzzing with joy at the all the plant selections there were.  I also got to do a bit of networking with people interested in California native plants.  Overall I was very pleased that the show goes on. 

At this show there was also lots of lectures about sustainable gardening, cooking and water efficiency in the garden.  Also at the show was some kids events. which was great as it drew in the parents with the nice looking wallets. 

This event happens at the end of every April and is a must attend for anyone that wants ideas on sustainable landscape design and to buy some cool plants and whatnot. 

OC CNPS GARDEN TOUR AND GIVEAWAY

This Saturday is the Orange County California native plant society garden tour and I have two gardens on the tour.  One in old town Tustin and the other in Mission Viejo.  Both of these gardens as well as the others on the tour are going to showcase a mixture of California native plants, rain catchment systems and various other functional/decorative features.  

Visiting these gardens will be a great way for anyone to get ideas of what is possible in a California landscape.  Especially for those that are looking to redo or spruce up their landscape.  Even better for those that may have a blank slate and need some inspiration.

On that note I will be offering a giveaway to the first 100 people that attend any of the two garden designed by me that are on the tour.  Here is what you get...  At the Mission Viejo garden you will get a packet of California native poppy seeds from S&S Seeds.  At the Tustin garden you will get a packet of California native poppy seeds from S&S Seeds, a sample bag of Kellogg garden soul and a sample bag of GroPower products.  The only thing you need to do to get these goodies is to physically attend those gardens.  They will only be given out to the first 100 people.

CLCA LANDSCAPE INDUSTRY SHOW 2017

Every year the California landscape contractors association holds it's annual landscape industry show, where various landscape companies get to showcase their products for designers and contractors to see what is out there.  From irrigation products, lighting and garden art this show is a must attend even if you not in the landscape industry.  This video is a highlight from the show.



My intent is to show in some of the products featured in this video in greater detail.  Stay tuned!

OC CNPS FALL PLANT SALE

This Saturday the 27th of October the Orange County chapter of the California native plant society is having a fall plant sale at Tree of Life Nursery.  This is a great way to not only learn about native plants but also buy quality plants for your garden.  There will also be volunteers on hand to assist you and answer any questions that you may have.

There will also be speakers at this event.  The speaking topics are as follows:

9:30 Dan Songster:  Plants and tips for slopes
10:30 Rama Nayeri:  Design for wildlife
11:30 Laura Camp:  Ortega highway inspiration
1:00 Rob Moore:  Design with Manzanitas
2:00 Patty Roess:  Plants for beach, bluff and coastal strand

For more information on the plant sale go here.  If you cannot attend the plant sale but would still like to get plant options for your garden then feel free to contact me and I would happily give you a one hour complimentary consultation (OC residents only).

CA NATIVE GARDEN TOUR IN THE OC

The Orange County chapter of the California native plant society is having a native plant garden tour on may 5th, 20120.  From as far north and Fullerton to as far south as San Juan Capistrano this is your chance to look at 19 different gardens and get all kinds of FREE ideas for your own garden.

Info from the CNPS website: "Registration is required to get the actual addresses, which will be e-mailed during the week before the tour. Fill out the form below to register via the web.  Don’t miss this unique opportunity to visit gardens that are not open for public viewing, gardens that in addition to their unique design also attract native birds and butterflies. These gardens are living proof that California native plants can be integrated successfully into the home landscape. An additional treat will be an elementary school garden that has been a labor of love for the whole school community."

CLICK HERE if you would like to read the descriptions on the garden and see what cities they are in.
CLICK HERE if you would like to register for this FREE event.

I personally have two gardens on this tour (#10 & #14) and would like to make an offer to those who come to either of the gardens.  The first 50 people that come to either garden will get a free pack of CA native wildflower seeds. 

MY SPRING GARDEN SHOW PRESENTATION TEASER

As I have already stated in the past I was selected to speak at the 2012 Spring Garden Show. You can see the list of all the speakers here. You can read my previous post about my topic here. I have to admit that creating a presentation is fun and exciting especially if you love what you do and if the theme (healing gardens) is intriguing. As I am writing the presentation I thought that I would share a little snippet for you.

I love the concept of having a healing garden. Especially where you use the 5 senses as a form of healing. My topic will focus on using those 5 senses and how each can be incorporated to transform any landscape into a healing garden. Your senses can play a big role in healing. Learning how to incorporate them into the garden is beneficial to you and your loved ones.

Stay tuned for additional updates on this topic. Image courtesy of cartoonstock.com.

DESIGNER IN RESIDENCE AGAIN

As you may know or not Tree of Life Nursery is doing their designer in residence program again and I am excited to be participating. It's only $25 per person to participate and what you get is a half hour of plant etc. ideas for your garden. How cool is that! All kinds of ideas right at your finger tips. Yours for the taking.

Is half an hour enough? Yes it's more than enough. I have participated multiple times and usually we have a minute or two to spare. I or any other designer that you may sign up with will take you around the nursery and show you what plants are available that would work best for your garden.

If I sign up should I bring anything? Yes! Bring photos of your garden to show the areas that you wish to redo. Do you have a site plan? If so then bring it. You should also take note of the areas in your garden in relation to sun/shade and soil condition. I am currently offering a complimentary landscape design checklist kit that you can bring with you (right hand side of the homepage).

If you are interested in signing up for a half hour consultation then you can do so with me on February 18th or March 31st. Those that sign up will get a free packet of native plant seeds. If you would rather have a consultation at your house then you welcome to sign up for one by contacting me directly.

APRIL 2011 LANDSCAPE EVENTS

This month is awesome as there are many cool events for you to enjoy. You will learn something about design and plants and a whole slew of other things.

First Annual California Native Plant Week at Tree of Life Nursery
April 16th - 23rd
San Juan Capistrano, CA
Landscape designers will be there to give you advice, tips and tricks.
A MUST ATTEND!

22nd Annual Spring Garden Show
April 28th - May 1st
Costa Mesa, CA
Many interesting gardens to check out as well has many vendors and great speakers.

Going Green In Orange County Meetup
Please click on the link above to see their event calendar

OC Green Drinks
Thursday April 28th
Irvine, CA

Events at Rogers Gardens
Please click on the link above to see their event calendar

MARCH 2011 EVENTS

I can't believe that March has come already. Oh my how the year seams to have flown by so fast. I will say however that this year has been productive and I am certainly seen an increase in business. So I will conclude that the rest of 2011 will be nothing but awesome!

Below are some events happening this month worth checking out...

Tree Of Life Nursery

Sat. March 5th @ 10am
Native plants for wildlife: birds, butterflies, bats and bees
(video post to follow - stay tuned)

Sat. March 12th @ 10am
OC Hikes author Karin Klein

Sat. March 19th @ 9am
Kill Your Lawn
This is a great lecture for those that want to save money and increase your property value by killing the lawn.

Sat. March 26th @ 9am
Design Elements - so you killed the lawn and then what?


Rogers Gardens

Sat. March 5th @ 9am
California Friendly Gardening

Sat. March 12th and Sun. March 13th ALL DAY
Edible Plant Weekend - FREE vegetable give away

Sun. March 13th @ 10am
Edible Landscape Demo - How to plant with Rex Yarwood

Sat. March 19th @ 9am
Grow Veggies Year Round, the Organic Way with Pat Welsh

Sun. March 20th @ 10am
In the Garden Workshop With Rex Yarwood - Spring Color Bowls

Sat. March 26th @ 9am
Cook Simply With Zov - Recipes From Earth to Plate - Demo and Book Signing

Sat. March 26th @ 9am
Spring Wreath Workshop


Other Events Related to Landscape and "Going Green"

Wed. March 2nd @ 6pm
Home Skills for the Green Citizen

Sat. March 5th @ 10am
Biodiversity and Why We Care

Wed. March 9th @ 10am
Propagation of Native Plants

Wed. March 9th @ 1pm
Composting Workshop

Wed. March 9th @ 3pm
Permaculture: Edible Landscape

Sat. March 12th @ 9am
Designing and Installing Sustainable Native Plant Landscapes

Sat. March 12th @ 11am
Eugene Cook and the Edible Garden

Mon. March 14th @ 10am
Rainwater Harvesting

Sun. March 27th @ 10am
Build Your Own Worm Composting Box

Please bear in mind that I did not plan any of these events and they are all subject to change by the creator. I am merely posting it for those that might be interested. Most of these events are happening in Orange County.

The first photo is of a Dark Star Ceanothus planted in my clients Fountain Valley front yard. The second photo is of an Encelia californica taken at the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Garden.

FEBRUARY 2011 LANDSCAPE EVENTS IN ORANGE COUNTY

Tis the season to get out and garden. The season to do what ever it is that you love that brings you joy and happiness. For me it's attending events that are educational. I find that in my business there is always room to grow and learn. Maybe some of these events will be educational for you or maybe just a fun thing to do this month with your valentine.

Tree Of Life Nursery Events

Sat. Feb. 12th at 10am
DIY Valentine Workshop - native plants in containers

Sat. Feb. 19th at 9am
Ocean friendly gardening, hosted by the Surfrider Foundation

Sat. Feb. 26th at 10am
DIY natives in containers


Rogers Gardens Events

Sat. Feb. 12th at 10am
Orchids with Dr. Koopowits

Sat. Feb. 19th at 9am
A Citrus tasting - taste it before you plant it

Sun. Feb. 20th at 10am
In the garden workshop with Rex Yarwood - edible potted creations

Sat. Feb. 26th at 9am
Grand ideas for your wedding day


Going Green In Orange County Meetup

Thurs. Feb. 10th at 6:30pm
Rainwater harvesting presentation with expert Brad Lancaster

Thurs. Feb. 10th at 6:30
OC Renewables Feb. speaker Kevin Ross of SunPower


Costa Mesa Green Task Force

Wednesday Feb. 16th at 6pm
The Fundamentals of the 4 R's - Resufe, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Wednesday Feb. 23rd at 6pm
Conscious Consumerism - The real cost of what we consume

As you can see there are a lot of things going on related to landscape and gardening for your enjoyment pleasure or just a fun day with your valentine. Enjoy and may the force be with you.

First photo: Dudleya taken at my clients Costa Mesa garden
Second photo: Same Costa Mesa clients driveway chunks of concrete reused to make a bench in the backyard

JANUARY 2011 LANDSCAPE EVENTS IN ORANGE COUNTY

Do you live in Orange County, CA and are wondering about what landscape events are happening in your area. Well then this is the post for you. Below are landscape events that are happening during the month of January 2011 in Orange County.

Tree of Life Nursery

Saturday January 8th at 10am
Kill Your Lawn - how to etc.

Saturday January 15th at 10am
Creating and Caring for your California Native Garden

Saturday January 22 at 10am
Foundation California Native Plants
(video blog post forthcoming stay tuned)

Saturday January 29th at 10am
Flowering California Native Perennials
(video blog post forthcoming stay tuned)


Rogers Gardens

Saturday January 8th at 9am
My Edible Garden in February

Saturday January 15th at 9am & 11am
Rose Pruning Workshop

Saturday January 16th at 10am
In the garden workshop: winter color bowls

Saturday January 29th at 9am
Indoor gardening terrarium workshop

If you offer some sort of landscape event in Orange County then kindly email me (into at creationslandscapedesigns dot com) and I will add it on here.

As far as I am aware all of these lectures are FREE. Please double check with the nursery website for additional information.

OTHER GARDENING PEOPLE TO CHECKOUT

On Twitter...

If you are an avid twitter user and totally into gardening then this is right up your alley. What is it you may ask. Well! It's a list of people in the landscape/gardening industry that you should consider following on twitter. This is all assuming that you are interested in getting the latest and greatest advice and tips about gardening.

http://twitter.com/earthfriendlyla/gardening

Tweet Tweet!


Other Gardening Blogs To Read...

I love blogging! Sharing thoughts and ideas. Ranting and raving about things that you should take note of. Luckily I am not the only one. Below is a list of a few other gardening/landscape blogs you should consider reading.

• Anarchy In The Garden
• BG Garden Blog
• Christian Barnard Blog
• Debra Prinzing Garden Writer
• Garden Girl TV
• Garden Porn
• Garden World Report
• Gardening With Nature
• Genos Garden
• Green Gardenista
• Inerleafings
• Life On The Balcony
• Native Gardener
• Salvaged Yard
• The Casual Gardener
• The Hummingbird Garden
• Whispering Crane Institute
• Yolanda Vanveen On Youtube

If you write a gardening/landscape blog and would like to link trade with me then email me info @ creations landscape designs .com etc.

Happy Gardening!

#GARDENCHAT

Every Monday at 9pm E.T. a mass load of gardening / landscape peeps gather via twitter to chat. It is a fun and exciting way to spend what otherwise might be a boring Monday night. If you have a twitter account then you are welcome to join in the fun.

How to Participate in #gardenchat

If you have a Twitter account all you have to do is enter #gardenchat in the search box located on the home page of your account. You will begin to see what the garden world on twitter is sharing. You will have to refresh often to see what others are adding by the second to the conversation.

Lisa Gustavson (@getinthegarden) explains more about #gardenchat

Mondays, 9 p.m. (ET) – 10:00 p.m.

What do you get when you add one garden topic, one guest host who specializes in that topic, an avid and friendly group of gardeners and Twitter? The answer is #gardenchat, a forum for sharing all things growing as well as a host of other topics that relate to the gardening community. It’s fun, inspiring, informational and fast paced. VERY fast paced…the ideas, answers and questions all flying at Twitter warp-speed which can lead to a bit of confusion and unanswered questions. We can’t have that!

Welcome to the new format for #gardenchat. The format is similar to other chats on Twitter, with questions submitted beforehand and discussed in order that they are answered. Here’s how it will work:

• Starting Monday and continuing throughout the week, the new #gardenchat topic and guest host will be announced. There will also be a link to a form where you can submit a question you have about the upcoming topic. Your questions can be entered at any time during the week up until Thursday at 11 p.m. (ET) to allow the guest host time to prepare their answers.

• Your questions will be given to the guest host who will choose which to answer based on the time allotted. The new format will also allow for a brief live question/answer period as well.
• #Gardenchat will now be broken up into three sections:

1. 9 p.m. (ET)- 9:10 will be reserved for greetings and introductions.
2. 9:10 – 9:45 is reserved for the answers to submitted questions. Each question will have a brief discussion immediately following the answer. (Discussion times will vary according to the number of questions being answered by the guest host.)
3. 9:45 – 10:00 is reserved for live questions, answers and open discussion.

A big thanks to Brenda Haas (@bg_garden) for creating the #gardenchat facebook page.

Stay tuned for a list of gardening experts on twitter. In the meanwhile join us on #gardenchat and you can also follow me @earthfriendlyla.

SOMETHING TO DO THIS SATURDAY

Fall is a great time to plant plants and an even better time to buy them on sale. Yes you heard me right. This Saturday the California native plant society Orange County chapter will be having a plant sale at Tree of Life Nursery. I amongst other volunteers will be there to help you find that perfect plant for that spot in your garden. There is also a lecture at 10am with Barbara Eisenstein who is a native plant expert. She will talking about picking the right plants for your garden.

This will be a great way for you to get some free design ideas and some great plants for you garden.

OCTOBER LANDSCAPE EVENTS

Typically fall is the best time to plant especially if you are using California native plants. Knowing what to plant and how is also key to having a great garden. Tree of Life Nursery and Rogers garden offer some classes to suit your gardening needs. Below is a list of classes they offer.

Tree of Life Nursery

First Fall Saturday and Nursery Tour - 10% discount on all plants
Saturday October 2 at 9am

Lecture and book signing with Alrie Middlebrook
Author of Designing California Native Garden
Saturday October 9, at 10am

Lecture and book signing with Bob Perry
Author of Landscape Plants for California Gardens
Saturday October 16th at 10am
I highly recommend this lecture it will be worth it!

Picking plants for a carefree garden with Barbara Eisenstein
Saturday October 23, at 10am

Butterfly Gardening with Bob Allen
Saturday October 30, at 10am

Rogers Garden

Brown Gold; Compost for your garden
Saturday October 2 at 9am

Fall cooking with Cristin Fusano
Saturday October 9, at 9am

Pumpkin carving seminar with Gene Granata
Saturday October 16th at 9am

JUNE AND JULY EVENTS

If you are into gardening or just like going to gardening events, or if you are a professional landscape designer then these events are ripe for you. Tree of Life Nursery has lots of fun lectures on native gardening, while Rogers Gardens and Armstrong Gardens have some California friendly classes. Just click on any link to take to the calendar of that place. Most of these events are free!

Featured Event...
Landscape Architecture instructor and famed author Bob Perry will be at the California native plant society (O.C. Chapter) this Thursday and at Tree of Life Nursery Saturday presenting about his new book "Landscape Plants For California Gardens" and signing books as well. I personally have taken a classes by Bob Perry at Cal Poly Pomona and highly recommend his lectures.

Armstrong Gardens
Rogers Gardens
Tree Of Life Nursery

Have fun and happy gardening! :-)

CONTAINER GARDENING & RAINWATER HARVESTING

There are two events going on at Tree Of Life Nursery in January that I would like to share with you.

January 16th, Harvesting Rainwater 10-11am - "Come learn basic principles about how to harvest rainwater on your property. In dry climates like ours, rainwater is scarce and precious, so when it falls on your property, keep it in your garden! Rainwater harvesting strategies can save you water as well as prevent run-off, which is one of the highest contributors to pollution in our water-ways."

January 23rd, How to Create A Beautiful Native Plant Container10-11am - "Tree of Life Nursery's Patty Roess will speak about how to create attractive containers using native plants, as well as appropriate maintenance techniques for long-term success. Create your own right here! Space, extra soil and some extra decorations will be provided for you to assemble your own native plant container. Small plants and our beautiful clay pots will be available for sale."

Both of these lectures are great. Whether you live in a small space with no land to garden in like me or whether you have a enough space to collect rainwater it is often useful to expand your knowledge and explore. Happy gardening!