Native Plant Field Trips & Events September, 2026

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September 12, 2026 Oaks, Baylands, and Views at Hamilton’s Reservoir Hill

Stacey lead a group up Reservoir Hill, and down around the Bay trail. There were TONS of Valley Oak acorns along the trail, some quite large. We pondered over a hybrid oak, most likely a coast live oak and black oak hybrid. Poison oak and madrone berries were abundant, and the views of the relatively ‘new’ marsh and the levee breach were lovely. We checked out the native plant landscaping at the Landing office complex, which is a good example for other commercial sites. A very nice way to start the weekend!

September 18, 2026 Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden

This was our second opportunity for a tour of this demonstration garden in Bolinas. Twila shared her experience learning place-based native plant gardening from the late Judith Larner Lowry, founder of Larner Seeds. Judith encouraged Twila to take a walk! Walking in the wilds would inform her of the local flora and interactions of weather, soil, plants, and creatures. Judith said that as Twila walked in the garden, the garden would tell her what needed to be done – harvesting, weeding, pruning, replanting.

Our walk through the “rooms” of the garden mostly exhibited the muted colors of what Judith called the “fifth season.” “California’s unique ‘fifth season,’ the time when the true aridity of our region most expresses itself and no immediate hope of rain exists, is supposed to be quiet, restrained, and without much bloom, as befits a Mediterranean climate.” However, hayfield tarweed – Madia elegans, one of Judith’s favorite plants, was a showy splash in front of the house.

The seed drying shed was a wonder of differently colored and sized seeds curing and bags more of seeds waiting to be cleaned. This is the busy season, with seed collecting, cleaning, and packaging needed to fill the large stack of fall orders.

We spotted a yellow garden spider, ready to post in the Biodiversity in Urban Gardens Initiative (BUG). You can join in on the CNPS BUG fun with iNaturalist sightings in your yard or nearby public garden.

If you could not make this tour, their regular hours are Tuesday and Thursday 10 am – 4 pm and Saturday noon – 4 pm or at larnerseeds.com.

September 23, 2026 Introduction to Pruning with an Emphasis on California Native Plants

On Wednesday, September 23, nine members of the Marin CNPS Native Plant Gardening Group met at Linda Oqvist’s mostly native garden in San Rafael for an Introduction to Pruning with an Emphasis on California Native Plants. Linda is a long-time member of Marin Master Gardeners’ Pruning Guild which conducts hands-on pruning sessions in several public gardens and schools in Marin.

We took a walk around the garden where Linda pointed out ways to prune various plants, starting with….what is this plant? and why do you want to prune it? We learned the three basic cuts: thinning; heading; and releadering and discussed some botanical science such as what does it mean that a plant is dormant and is that the best time to prune? (Most broadleaf evergreen CA native plants prefer to be pruned this time of year).

Last year Laura Lovett wrote an excellent article on Pruning Tips for Natives that Linda and Kristin have updated. There are also several articles and videos on the Marin Master Gardeners’ website. Here is one on Pruning Basics.

Pruning can be quite a complicated endeavor. If you find yourself lacking in confidence, practice on a plant which is not so important to you and/or on one that is forgiving. How about a privet?! Consider what is the plant’s purpose in your garden and what do you want to accomplish? Then go for it. As Laura said, “With some practice, your pruning skills will grow along with your plants.”