Summer snooze coming to an end

There's been an excess of hot weather here that has now mercifully come to a close.  My garden has suffered, since I've been focused elsewhere.  I'm regretting the slowdown, but for some years now I've felt that like a many California native plants I only come awake in the fall.  The blog has suffered too - I found two nearly month old comments that I felt shamed for not noticing before.  I thought I was using Google's smart comment filtering and that most would be approved automatically.  Apparently not.

The end of summer is always presaged by a regular event: Fall plant sales! An onslaught of advertisements arrive in my inbox for California native plant sales.  First in this year was High Country Gardens, which told me that I needed to buy my seed ASAP for fall planting.  Then one from The Payne Foundation - I didn't read it closely, but it might have been their regular monthly emailing.  Annies Annuals hit my inbox too - again a monthly mailing I think.  I like looking at their garden beauty shots.  Tree of Life nursery, Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden, and my local native plant group all have sales coming up.  I recommend all of them, but I won't be able to go to more than a few, so I'll pick and choose carefully.

From Connie Vadheim Roth came the most informative of the emails - a list of local sales dates, carefully compiled with links.  She has posted the same information at Mother Nature's Backyard blog, but it's not immediately obvious where to click.  Click here for the Fall Plant Sale list on MNBB. I've replicated the list below, mostly so that I can look at it.

Fall Native Plant Sales – 2012

Sat. September 29^th

South Bay Chapter, CA Native Plant Society Plant Sale - Madrona Marsh Nature Center,  3201 Plaza Del Amo, Torrance, 9 am to 4 pm.  This is one of the best plant sales for purchasing plants suitable for our area.  ‘We usually sell out of special things fast, so people should come early (and expect an early crowd).’

Sat. October 6^th  &  Sun. October 7^th

Grow Native Nursery  West L.A. Autumn Garden Party.  Oct 6 and 7, 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.  Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden invites you to celebrate gardens, gardening and gardeners at Grow Native Nursery in the Veterans' Garden. Native plant experts will present lectures at the two-day event at RSABG's Los Angeles retail nursery location.The second-annual event will include a huge selection of California native plants including hard-to-find species, native plant horticulture lectures, live musical entertainment, home and garden art vendors and gardening demonstrations. For more see http://www.rsabg.org/hidden-events/23-gnn-westwood/814-autumn-garden-party

Fullerton Arboretum (California Native and Fall Plant Sale) -   Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton, CA. Hours: 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. “We have numerous indigenous varieties that will be offered for sale, and they have been carefully propagated and grown in our state-of-the-art Fullerton Arboretum nursery by volunteers and staff. Many uncommon and hard-to-find plants will be for sale and several can be found growing on the Fullerton Arboretum grounds.” Admission/Fees:  free.  Further Information: Friends of the Fullerton Arboretum, 1900 Associated Road, Fullerton, CA 92831; or Fullerton Arboretum:  farboretum@fullerton.edu , Phone: 714-278-3407 http://fullertonarboretum.org/ps_CaliforniaNative.php

Fri. October 12^th  & Sat. October 13^th

Theodore Payne Foundation - Members Preview Sale. While the nursery is open to the public, only TPF members will get the sale prices. Members 15 % off plants, 10% off seed. Come join as a member and get these early discounts. For details see  http://www.theodorepayne.org/events/fallfestival.html

San Diego County CNPS Native Plant Sale. Saturday October 13th, 2012, 11 am - 3 pm. Casa del Prado Courtyard, Balboa Park.  See http://www.cnpssd.org/plantsaleinfo2012.html

Fri. October 19^th  & Sat.. October 20^th

Theodore Payne Foundation Fall Festival Sale. Plants on sale for all. Additional vendors and live music, too! Members 15 % off; Non-members 10% off plants, 10% off seed. See http://www.theodorepayne.org/events/fallfestival.html

Sat. October 20^rd & Sun. October 23^rd

30th Annual Friends of U.C. Riverside Botanic Gardens Fall Plant Sale - 900 University Ave. Riverside, CA 92521. Saturday, October 22nd, 2011, 12 noon to 4 pm ; Sunday, October 23rd, 2011, 9 am to 3 pm  native and non-native plants.  A wide variety of plants will be available. Plants that attract hummingbirds or butterflies. Drought tolerant and California Native plants, as well as plants that are fragrant or suitable for cut flowers or foliage. You are sure to find the perfect plant.  http://gardens.ucr.edu/events/fallsale.html

Sat. October 27, Sun. October 28

El Dorado Nature Center  (Annual Friends Native Plant Sale) -  Saturday, October 27,  Members of Friends Preview  (Memberships available at the door): 9:00 a.m. -  9:30 a.m. ; General public:  9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.   .  El Dorado Nature Center, 7550 E. Spring St., Long Beach. Friends of El Dorado Nature Center will be hosting a California plant sale just in time for fall planting season.    A wide variety of drought-tolerant natives will be available:  California buckwheat, Coast sunflower, ceanothus species, sages and much more.  Come early for best selection.  Credit Card, Cash, or Check accepted • Vehicle entry fee of $7 will be credited towards a native plant purchase of $75 or more.  For more information on becoming a member of Friends of the El Dorado Nature Center, call (562) 570-1745 or visit  www.longbeach.gov/naturecenter

Tree of life Nursery (Orange Co.  Chapter, CA Native Plant Society Plant Sale)  - 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675.  9:00-4:00.  See http://www.occnps.org for more details.

Sepulveda Garden Center (LA/Santa Monica Mtns Chapter - CA Native Plant Soc. Plant Sale) - Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino.. 10:00 am to 4:00 pm - With over 1000 plants of over 50 California native species, there is a plant that can fill your garden's needs -- from hot and dry to moist and shady. Many native plants can survive quite well with natural rainfall once they get established. Sale items include seeds, irises, mints, sages, berries, hummingbird and butterfly plants, shrubs, perennials, and trees. Theodore Payne Foundation seed mixes will be available as well as a selection of native annual wildflower species. Also available for sale are books, field guides, posters, and CNPS t-shirts. Visit displays and exhibits by local environmental agencies and non-profits. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase.  See http://lasmmcnps.org/plantsale.html

Sat. November  3^rd

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden (2012 Fall Plant Sale - Nov. 3). Sat., November 3.   Members Preview: 8 am–11 am General Public: 11 am–4 pm.  Free Admission. For further information, call 909-625-8767.   The RSABG Fall Sale is scheduled at the perfect time for planting your native garden. Thousands of unusual and hard-to-find native and California-friendly plants will be available, many grown in our own nursery.  The preliminary plant list will be posted two weeks before the sale.  It will be updated frequently as we find out exactly what is available, so be sure to check our website often. 

Sat. November 10^th

Madrona Marsh Nature Center  (Fall Garden Gala & Plant Sale) – 9:00 to noon.    Small sale of natives in 4” and 1-gal. pots and wildflower seeds.  Plants are raised at Madrona or by students/volunteers at CSU Dominguez Hills.  Tony Baker will also have plants and seeds for sale. Sale will feature native trees and shrubs, grasses from the South Bay, but also include some other CA natives.    We will also have garden tours, native teas, other garden-related activities.  

Eaton Canyon Nature Center (Native Plants for Foothill Gardens – San Gabriel Mtns. Chapter, CA Native Plant Society) - Saturday, November 10, 2012, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Eaton Canyon Nature Center.  A good variety of reasonably priced California native plants and wildflower seeds appropriate for gardens in the Los Angeles basin will be available, including plants for attracting birds and butterflies to your home garden. Knowledgeable Chapter members will be on hand to answer questions.   http://www.cnps-sgm.org/plant_sources.php