Dear Friend of the Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour,

The days are shorter, we’ve had some rain, and temperatures are cooler—this is a great time to plant native plants! Shop for them on Saturday, November 18, at the upcoming Native Plant Extravaganza, and a percentage of your purchase will go to support the Tour. 

See below for participating nurseries, lists of the best plants to include in your garden and information on gardening for wildlife (including a Bay Area native street tree list), information on the Native Plant Resource Teams and the newly-created list-serve that we hope you’ll join, and invitations to three native plant events happening this week-end!

Upcoming Native Plant Extravaganza, Sat. Nov. 18, 10:00-4:00
The fall Native Plant Extravaganza takes places on Saturday, November 18, from 10:00-4:00; shop for natives in-person at East Bay Wilds, the Watershed Nursery, Oaktown, or Annie’s Annuals, and a percentage of your purchases will go to support the Tour.  Or… shop online…Order online from Green Thumb Works on either Saturday or Sunday Nov. 18 & 19, and a percentage of your purchase will also go to support the Tour.

Not sure what plants to choose? These are the best!
When choosing new plants, be sure and include our own, local keystone species in your garden—these are the best plants for wildlife. Below are shortcut lists of the best plants to buy for sunny and shady areas, and links to videos that describe these plants.

Best plants for sunny areas:  Oak, holly leaf cherry, California lilac, lupine, manzanita, sage, sunflower, native strawberry, buckwheat, aster, coyote brush, and penstemon.  For additional information, here is another talk on great plants for sunny areas.

Best plants for shady areas: currant, huckleberry, wild rose, thimbleberry, ocean spray, woodland strawberry, goldenrod, aster, honeysuckle.  For additional information, here is another talk on great plants for shady areas.

Would you like to learn more about gardening for wildlife? 
Here is a Bay Area native street tree list.  Check out the Keystone Species page or the Doug Tallamy section on the Tour’s website to learn what native plants you might want to include in your garden. 

Join the Native Plant Resource Teams!  (Join us here!)
About 90 people attended the inaugural meeting of the Native Plant Resource Teams on Saturday, Nov. 4.   Team members brought native plants and seeds to give away, as well as delicious food. When not touring Ilene Levinson’s beautiful native plant garden or noshing on freshly baked bread, attendees joined one of half a dozen breakout sessions, where they engaged in lively discussions on Creating Pollinator Pathways, Public Native Plant Gardens, Native Plant and Seed Exchange, Gardening for Wildlife, Propagation, and Home Gardens. Below is a comment from a happy participant: 

“Your kickoff event yesterday was over-the-top fantastic. Thank you for making it happen. I sincerely hope that we can make the native plant resource teams a resounding success.” Patricia K.

Photos from this event can be viewed on the Tour’s Facebook page. 

Our hope is that through the Teams, and the Teams’ list-serve, native plant fans meet people with similar interests and goals, and that they will, locally and independently, help each other with native plant projects (both on-line and in-person).  We hope members will make friends, help a neighbor, build community, and give each other a hand with starting and working on local native projects —on the gamut ranging from a lawn conversion at someone’s home to the creation of a neighborhood pollinator pathway, to working cooperatively on public native plant garden projects. If you are just beginning to garden with native plants perhaps a Team member can answer some questions you might have.  If you are familiar with natives, you can be on the lookout for people who could use advice. Joining the Teams will add you to the list-serve, where folks can introduce themselves and their interests—you can participate online, by asking questions, or providing guidance, or in-person, as best suits your needs and schedule. 

One Team you might wish to join would be geographic—so you can meet other native plant enthusiasts who live in your city. 

Other Teams that might be of interest to you would be subject-specific; at the moment we have about 15 teams in mind, including gardening with natives in general, creating pollinator pathways, native plant and seed sharing, school gardens, HOA conversions, gardening for birds or native bees, native street trees, maintenance, city policies, and more.

Let’s be the change we want to see! Join the Native Plant Resource Teams here.

Three native plant events taking place this week-end!

Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, 10:30-12:00
“Gardening with Nature - Creating a Bee, Butterfly & Bird Restaurant" by Jennifer Dirking
Manor Branch Library: 1241 Manor Blvd., San Leandro

My friend and colleague Jennifer Dirking, who will be giving a talk on how to attract bees, butterflies, and birds to your garden, is the creator of the amazing keystone species signs you saw on last year’s Tour.  Jennifer is an excellent speaker, and she will be giving what I know is a great presentation on gardening for wildlife with California native plants. I hope you can make it to this talk!

Join Homegrown Habitats San Leandro and native plant gardening expert Jennifer Dirking to learn how to grow California native plants in your garden or on your balcony to attract and support bees, bird and butterflies. Fall and winter are great seasons to plant natives in your garden, and if you’re new to gardening with natives, this event will get you started. The program will begin with Jennifer’s inspiring talk and slide show including time for Q&A, then you can tour the library’s native plant container demonstration garden, and the event will end with a California wildflower seed give-away. There will be plenty opportunities to talk with members of Homegrown Habitats San Leandro, and with Jennifer, one-on-one. This free event will take place rain or shine. Facebook event post here. 

Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023, 1:00-3:00
Fall Native Plant Seed Swap and Potting Event
Starr King UU Church, 22577 Bayview Avenue, Hayward

Sandra Nevala-Lee is the owner of the native plant nursery Green Thumb Works, a native plant garden designer, and she is also involved with 100K Trees for Humanity. Sandra has been working with 100K Trees to help start up backyard tree nurseries, in which regular folk—like you!—grow out tree seedlings to give to schools, community projects, friends, or neighbors.

At this event you’re invited to bring native acorns, buckeye, holly leaf cherry, or native black walnut seeds you may have collected, pot them up, and leave them for adoption. No seeds?  No problem!  You can also learn how to pot up native tree seeds (seeds will be on hand and demonstrations given), pot them up with other native plant fans, leave the seeds you potted behind, and help this movement grow.  Talk with Sandra if you are intrigued by the idea of hosting a backyard nursery of native plant seedlings yourself, or let Sandra know if you’d like information about joining a local native tree planting team.

Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 10:00-12:00, Tour Kelly Marshall’s garden
617 W Myrick Ct. Clayton

Would you like to see a native plant garden in fall? If so, here’s your opportunity. On Sunday you’re invited to Tour Kelly Marshall’s garden in Clayton from 10:00-12:00.  Kelly is a talented native plant garden designer; you can read about and see photos of the gardens she has designed here.  

• Kelly Marshall and Mike Weidner’s garden will be open from 10:00-12:00; rain cancels.
• Bring your own chair if you would enjoy lingering and talking with others.

That’s it for the moment. If you’d like to support our work, you can make a donation here.  (Thank you in advance for helping us keep going!)

Until later, happy gardening.

Warmly,
Kathy 

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour Coordinator
(510) 236-9558
kathy@kathykramerconsulting.net
www.bringingbackthenatives.net
Visit the Garden Tour on Facebook
YouTube

I hope you enjoy this article as much as I have:
The Chickadees Guide to Gardening: In Your Garden, Choose Plants That Help the Environment