Orange County Native Garden Tour – May 8, 2010

You and your friends and colleagues will not want to miss the Orange County Native Garden Tour, sponsored by the Orange County Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.  Eleven outstanding gardens will be open to the public for one day only, on May 8, 2010, from 10 am to 4 pm, and this event is FREE to all enthusiasts.

Registration is required.  Click on this link for full descriptions of the gardens and for registration details.

Please spread the word!  We are counting down less than four weeks until this fantastic event!

Membership in the California Native Plant Society starts at only $45 per year for an individual membership, or $25 for students or those with limited income.  Click here to learn more.

UNSUBSCRIBE INFO: You are receiving this email because you signed up at an event, or through membership. To unsubscribe, please reply to this email, and type “Unsubscribe” in the subject line or body of your message.  For further information contact: California Native Plant Society – Orange County Chapter, P.O. Box 54891, Irvine, CA 92619-4891

CNPS Orange County News – April 2010

In this eNews:

1. General Meeting, WILDFLOWERS, Thursday, April 15, 2010
2. Outreach!  Green Scene April 17-18, SC Plaza April 22-25
3. Garden Tour, May 8, 2010
4. Chapter Celebration – Auction and Raffle, June 17, 2010

1.  General Meeting –

Celebrate tax day the right way and join us this Thursday night, April 15, 2010 at the Duck Club, Riparian View Way, Irvine  (see http://occnps.org/ for directions):

• 6:45 PM doors open, hospitality
• 7:00 PM Plant ID Table – Wildflowers!  Bring your spring flower samples or pictures for ID help or to share at the table.  (As you all know, please do not remove wildflowers from protected wild areas without permission.)
• 7:30 PM Main Program: Wildflower Hotspots of Orange County, Bob Allen

Mountain blue curls, Trichostema parishii, Photo: Bob Allen

Our county may be known for Disneyland, shopping malls and freeways, but thankfully we also have some of the loveliest wildflower spots in southern California! With these rains what a year this should be! Let’s get away from it all and take a tour of some of Orange County’s wildflower hotspots (some popular and some more “secret”) to see what is in bloom. And who better to lead us on this virtual field trip than Bob Allen who has spent countless hours documenting and photographing our local flora! Whatever you’re level of interest and knowledge, with Bob we always learn something new. Throw in that special dash of Bob Allen humor and it will be an enjoyable night for all.

Bob Allen is a nature photographer, author, instructor, and consulting biologist. Raised in San Juan Capistrano, he studied insects from a very early age. In high school, he was introduced to plants, became hooked, and bought his first copy of Philip Munz’s Flora of Southern California at age 15. He is currently preparing his eagerly awaited second book, A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains.

2.  Outreach Events –

We will be out in the community at the Green Scene, Fullerton Arboretum, April 17 and 18, and at the Southern California Spring Garden Show at South Coast Plaza on April 22-25. At both events we will be selling plants and books and working to make more of the public aware of the benefits of California native plant gardening and how to accomplish it.

We are looking for volunteers to help man our booths at both events. Please contact Laura Camp by replying to this email if you can devote a couple of hours. It’s fun and easy, and new volunteers are welcome. As an added bonus, the Green Scene admission fee will be covered for all volunteers.

The South Coast Plaza event has a sustainability theme this year, and several speakers will be focused on that theme, including Gene Ratcliffe representing our chapter and Tree of Life Nursery. Gene’s talk is on Friday morning, but make sure to check out the full schedule and to visit us at our booth.

3.  Garden Tour –

Out chapter-sponsored native plant Garden Tour is coming up fast, on Saturday, May 8th. We hope you are planning to attend with a friend or two. This tour will feature almost a dozen outstanding gardens, and is free to all participants. Similar tours throughout the state can cost $20 or more. Look for an email with complete details and registration information within the next few days.

Volunteers are always needed! This year we’d like to have a few docents to assist in each garden, for a couple of hours in the morning or afternoon. Please reply to this email and let us know if you can help.

4.  Chapter Celebration –

Sarah Jayne and Elizabeth Songster help prepare the June 2009 auction table

Silent Auction and Raffle items are needed for our June 17th Chapter Celebration. Do you have a nice native plant in a pot? Or just the pot itself? A gift certificate or vacation rental? A book or gift  or artwork related in any way to nature, native plants or gardening? Do you have ideas, or a few hours to assist with calling potential donors, or to help with planning or setting up the evening of the event? Please contact our Silent Auction Chair, Kathy Glendinning at ktglnd@netscape.net or just “reply” to this email.

This event is one of our two major fundraisers for the year, and all proceeds will be devoted to the Chapter’s grant programs, to fund school gardens or worthy research projects. With your support we can make this fun event a big winner for native plants and education. You can truly make a difference!

UNSUBSCRIBE INFO: You are receiving this email because you signed up at an event, or through membership. To unsubscribe, please reply to this email, and type “Unsubscribe” in the subject line or body of your message.  For further information contact: California Native Plant Society – Orange County Chapter, P.O. Box 54891, Irvine, CA 92619-4891