Los Angeles and Southern California residents will discover the beauty of native plants at 46 home gardens during the sixth annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour on Saturday and Sunday, April 4 and 5, 2008 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gardens throughout the Los Angeles Basin will be featured. This year, the tour includes gardens from Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Torrance, Pasadena, Altadena, Woodland Hills, Sherman Oaks, South Pasadena, Eagle Rock, Highland Park, Atwater Village, Granada Hills, La Canada Flintridge and more.
Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.theodorepayne.org or calling (818) 768-1802. Garden information, including plant lists and photos of gardens, can be found at the Theodore Payne website.
One of the unique elements of the tour is the interaction between the garden owner (who is usually the designer and the gardener), landscape designer (if involved) and knowledgeable docents – and, in some cases, with garden tour attendees, a number of whom already garden with natives. Attendees can learn a lot from visiting just a few gardens and all for the price of a $20 ticket.
The gardens reflect a range of styles and ages. Some gardens on the tour follow a traditional or formal design, while others allow their natives to reach their wild potential. Many of the landscapes are mature and reflect years of experience in gardening with natives, while a few are developing gardens two or three years old.
Northern California Native Plant Events
1. Bring Back the Natives Tour for the East Bay area. Sunday, May 3, 2009 http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/
2. Going Native Garden Tour 2009
A free tour of native gardens in Santa Clara Valley & Peninsula, San Francisco Bay Area
Sun, April 19, 2009, 10:00am to 4:00pm
http://www.goingnativegardentour.org/