Native Here

June marks the end of planting season for trees, shrubs, iris and most perennials. Your support of the chapter through nursery sales isn’t just through buying plants. Summer is an excellent time to plan for fall planting, and a great tool for doing that is the CD, East Bay Native Plants, available from the nursery for $25. The plant photos and information for over 300 local taxa make it a great companion to the Annotated Checklist of the East Bay Flora, available for $10. We also have a small selection of other books about native plants, as well as some native grass placemats and native plant greeting cards.

Summer is also a great time to label plants, especially those beds with plants going dormant. Durable, sturdy metal plant labels and markers are available from the nursery. 

This time of year isn’t the best for planting many natives because the soil is harder to dig and the plants will have to endure long days of dry, often hot, conditions. However, you might want to purchase plants during the summer to hold and care for in containers until fall planting season comes. Among the few natives that can be planted now without trouble are some annuals. We have an abundance of Clarkia rubicunda (ruby chalice clarkia) from the Martinez area.
If you live in the vicinity of Livermore, come check our expanded selection of plants from there.

Volunteer opportunities for summer abound: 
• Hand watering of a section takes between one and three hours per week. Regular waterers go on vacation, so both recurring and occasional helpers are needed.

• New seedlings are emerging from last year’s seed collection. They need to be separated and put into pots.

• Growing plants need to be moved into larger containers to withstand summer’s heat.

• Infrastructure and storage projects arise as needs are recognized. If you enjoyed block play as a kid, you’ll love this work.

• Weeds always require attention.

• Dormant plants need to be removed from the watering pattern.
 
Seed collection continues on Tuesday mornings throughout the summer. Meet at the bottom nursery gate at 9 am on Tuesday mornings. To receive alerts on destinations, e-mail nativehere@ebcnps.org and ask to be put on the seedseekers distribution list.
 
Charli wants to thank all the members of CNPS who joined the NHN volunteers on Friday, April 30 to celebrate her birthday. Thanks for the thoughtful birthday gift. Thanks for the lovely Dianne Lake necklace marking retirement as chapter president last term, John and Charli also thank everyone for the anniversary gift. “We enjoy our time at Native Here, so spending family occasions there is not a hardship, but it is heartening to have the recognition of other chapter volunteers when we do that.”

Photos by Janice Bray and Tina Wistrom of the occasion and the weekend of Bringing Back the Natives are posted on the Native Here Nursery Facebook page. If you are on Facebook, check it out!
 
Thanks to Delia Taylor, we now have nicely printed signs that can be stuck in the ground indicating the nursery is open. They went up for the Bringing Back the Natives Tour, and many new customers “found” the nursery as a result. New visitors have come in following Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour, having learned about the nursery (and chapter) through their garden visits. 

The nursery had a healthy amount of business during the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour. It was open both days. Our new sign, shown below, guided customers in.

Volunteers included: Patrice Anderson, Janice Bray, Carol Castro, Ellen Gierson, Ling He, Linda and Bill Hunt, Tom and Jane Kelly, Shirley McPheeters, Barbara Potter, Rusty Saxton, Steve Toby, Tina Wistrom, Michael Yang

Charli Danielsen and Margot Cunningham




Plant Fair 2010 Planning Meeting

Help make Plant Fair 2010 a huge success! A great group of people are continuing on the Plant Fair Committee. We could use more. If you are interested in

• working with vendors (artists and craftspeople);
• setting up an auction or other special event;
• visiting local businesses for donations for auction, membership
incentives, or refreshments for our volunteers;
• or would like to be “understudy” for some of the existing
assignments.

Please join us at Native Here Nursery at 1 pm on Saturday, June 5 to formulate our work plan/countdown. The Plant Fair will be at Native Here Nursery on Saturday, October 16 and Sunday, October 17.

Charli Danielsen