• Embrace Dudleya Dormancy

    By Sue Jackson, Member of the Native Garden CommitteePlants from the genus Dudleya are unlike many garden succulents in that they insist on a dormant period. The plant can be a show stopper during the cooler months, but when the heat comes, they are ready for a rest. Overwatering and trying to force them to stay vibrant invites root rot.

  • Landscape Theory – The Big Three Questions

    By Susan Krzywicki, landscape designer of “Native Gardens…Green Living” and Native Garden Committee memberOver the years, as I have learned about native plants, helped others use native plants in their garden, and taught classes, I have slowly built up a philosophy on how to approach a home garden. When I first started gardening (non-native), I was always beset by the desire to “put something pink in that corner”—my theories reached only to aesthetic considerations.

  • CNPS In a Nutshell

    By Frank Landis, Conservation Committee Chair & Rare Plants Co-chairOver the years, I’ve heard a fair amount of confusion about just how CNPS as an organization is structured. In some cases, this has led to some angst. What follows is a brief overview of the way our organization works. CNPS as a whole is a binational, non-profit organization, very much an NGO (Non-Governmental Organization). Our membership covers California and Baja California Norte. CNPS is a non-profit organization run by a volunteer Board of Directors, who employ an executive director and a staff to perform various functions.

  • Drought Effects on Pinus monophylla (Single Leaf Pinyon Pine) in the Pinyon Mountains, San Diego County

    By Tom OberbauerIn a relatively obscure area of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is a mountain range called the Pinyon Mountains. It is far from any habitations and except for one dirt 4-wheel drive road, it is pristine. It has not been affected by human impacts other than the typical non-native species that inhabit all Southern California deserts and it has not had records of fires, fire suppression, or vegetation management of any kind. It is difficult to get to this area.

  • Know Your Rare Plants: Cliff Spurge (Euphorbia misera)

    By Fred Roberts, Rare Plant BotanistCliff spurge, a member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), is a 1.0 to 1.5 meter (3-4.5 feet) tall shrub that has rubbery, soft stems, and a tangled rounded or somewhat sprawling form. The branches are naked in the dry season but have leaves with a rounded to oval outline in the spring, that are folded upward and mostly less than 1.5 cm long.

  • Update on the Locally Rare Rank

    By Fred Roberts, Rare Plant BotanistCNPS is getting serious about the Locally Rare Plant (LRP) rank. If you haven’t seen it, CNPS now has a web page devoted to Locally Rare Plants (check it out by going to cnps.org, go to “our work” and then “rare plant science” and then “locally rare plants”). The web page includes a general discussion about the subject focusing on three topics: What are locally rare species, Peripheral populations as refugia, and Legal protection. Additionally, the web page includes a link to several papers, provides example Local Rare Plant lists for four counties (Alameda, Contra Costa (as “Rare, unusual, and significant Plants – you can only access their description page at this point, to see the actual list requires registration), Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties), and a white paper.

  • Plant Highlight from “Bloom! California”

    By Tish Berge, CNPS Garden AmbassadorNative plants have had a special place in my heart and my garden for years. If you are reading this, I’m guessing the same is true for you. Just like you, I’ve used our plant sales and driven extra miles to those specialty nurseries that carry native plants. The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) is working to make native plants more accessible to you and me, as well as to the mainstream gardener who may not know much about native plants.