Using Grasses in the Garden
Beautiful mixed with perennials and shrubs, anchoring a hot dry site, or cascading down a slope, there is a grass species that will thrive in any sun or shade exposure.
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Plant Sales and Workshops
The Marin Chapter of CNPS is very lucky to have established a partnership with Home Ground Habitats, founded by former Marin Chapter President, Charlotte Torgovitsky. This is a nonprofit, volunteer-run growing ground in Novato, staffed by an enthusiastic team of plant lovers. Home Ground Habitats grows an extensive list of species from seed and/or cuttings, providing us with expertly-grown, beautiful specimens—often of hard-to-find species—to sell to our eager customers. We are delighted to have this wonderful resource for Marin’s native plant gardeners. While Home Ground Habitats is not open to the public, we encourage you to check out the Home Ground Habitats website at www.homegroundhabitats.org where you will find extensive resources for propagating and growing your own plants as well as lots of tips for creating a flourishing habitat garden.
Sage and Buckwheat: Pollinator Powerhouses
Consider planting the tough-as-nails dynamic duo—buckwheat and sage (Eriogonum and Salvia).
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Butterfly Host Plants
What could be more delightful than butterflies flitting around your garden? Our Fall Plant Sale will offer a number of plants that support a diverse array of butterflies in our area.
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Gardening with Groundcovers
We have all heard the phrase Nature abhors a vacuum, which describes the idea that something will always take the place of something else that has been removed. Any gardener that has tried to keep bare soil under their shrubbery or between their stepping stones knows that constant weeding is required. Once you remove them, something else, usually more weeds, moves in. If your shrubs are getting... read more
Get Annuals
Need Spring Color? Get Annuals! Spring is a week away and we have had very robust rains this winter interspersed with warm sunny days—great growing weather for our dormant plants. The wild lilacs (Ceanothus) and manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) have produced their winter floral show already, providing food for the solitary bees that emerge in February. But the real show comes when the spring bulbs... read more
Don’t Fight the Site
Native plants in the wild naturally sort themselves by microclimate. Wherever the ground is shady and wet, you’ll see plants that prefer those conditions; if it is hot and dry, grasses or drought-tolerant shrubs will predominate. Sandy soil is ideal only for those species that are adapted to it. This is the trick to having a thriving garden. Instead of deciding what you like, decide what will... read more