Get inspired this Spring!
- Landscaping Turf Removal Rebates still available for both residential and commercial landscapes (program ends in June)!
- Spring Native Plant Garden Tours in Southern California
- Replace Your Lawn Workshops in April at Tree of Life Nursery (TOLN)
- “Designer” Speaker Series at TOLN in May
- Native Plant week is April 12-20 Statewide!
WATER REBATES
SoCal Water Smart.com offers rebates available for most Southern California residents and qualifying commercial landscapes for removing turf and replacing it with drought-tolerant alternatives (like California native plants!). Rebate available is $1 or more per square foot of turf removed. Available throughout Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties. See map to see member agencies.
Apply and get your approval with the water district BEFORE you begin your project! Though you may be very motivated to kill that lawn and remove it, make sure you get your landscape checked out first to qualify for a rebate. No approval of your project prior to removing the lawn = no rebate money. Start your application first and ensure you get some help with your water-saving landscape conversion!
http://www.socalwatersmart.com/index.php/qualifyingproducts/turfremoval
GARDEN TOURS
There are MANY opportunities to see native plant landscapes that are drought tolerant while looking beautiful and vibrant with garden visitors such as hummingbirds, butterflies and songbirds. The gardens featured will be of all shapes, sizes and themes. These creative and beautiful gardens and are located throughout California. There’s bound to be a native plant garden tour near you!
Here’s a quick round-up of the Native Plant Garden Tours available this Spring in Southern California. Not local? Google “Native Plant Tour” in your area, we are guessing there will be tours all over the state! Given the renewed interest in saving water – its an ideal time to check out how other people have successfully used drought-tolerant native plants in their landscapes.
Garden Native: Blooming Consciousness Tour – San Diego County
Saturday and Sunday March 29-30, 2014
Self-guided tour of 15 native plant gardens in San Diego County. This is the second annual garden tour in San Diego hosted in partnership with California Native Plant Society (CNPS) San Diego Chapter. More information and tickets here: http://gardennative.org/tour.html
Theodore Payne Garden Tour –
Los Angeles County
Saturday and Sunday
April 5-6, 2014
Self-guided tour of over 40 gardens featuring native plants. See the widest variety of landscaping ideas you’ll see by touring these gardens! This is the 11th year of the garden tour and the gardens are located throughout Los Angeles County. Purchase tickets here: http://www.nativeplantgardentour.org/
California Native Plant Society – Orange County Garden Tour
Weekend of May 3-4, 2014 – Details TBA
Self-guided and FREE garden tour of private native gardens throughout Orange County. Information for this tour hasn’t yet been published to the website, but will be soon. Though free, this garden tour requires registration which will be available via the website. See last year’s description and information here: https://occnps.org/gardening-with-natives/events/244-occnps-native-plant-garden-tour-2013.html. Email: news@occnps.org.
REPLACE YOUR LAWN + DESIGNER SERIES, April and May
Our Replace Your Lawn Series will be back for three weeks in April. This three part worksop series will occur on Saturdays in April: 12, 19 and 26. Starting with Killing the Lawn on the 12, and followed with Winning Plant Combinations on April 19th and Ending with our Designer in Residence, Susan Trindle of A Native Garden Inc, who will speak about Design Elements on April 26.
Speaking of design, our Designers in Residence Program continues to offer affordable design consultations by appointment every Saturday at Tree of Life Nursery. This May, each designer will be sharing some of their design and planting expertise in our “Designer” Speaker series. Each of these designers have the experience and knowledge to help you with your landscape and they specialize in converting lawns and other water-guzzlers into attractive and modern living landscapes with California native plants. More details TBA, so stay tuned!
NATIVE PLANT WEEK IS APRIL 12-20
See events statewide here: https://www.cnps.org/cnps/conservation/nativeplantweek/