native plants

The Wildflowers of Seabright & the Garden Learning Center

California poppies and other wildflowers thrive on a patch of land that once was a lawn. Credit: Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History.

Felicia Van Stolk of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History explains how a California native-plant garden benefits wildlife in the neighborhood and beyond.

Plant of The Week: Western Azalea

Western Azalea: beautiful AND good-smelling. Photo by Miguel Vieira.

Plant Western Azalea now for a gorgeously scented and showy springtime addition to any landscape. Birds and bees will be happy about this California native.

Decoding the Bee Networks of Santa Cruz County

A yellow-faced bumblebee on a seaside daisy. Photo by JKehoe_Photos on Flickr.

The complex plant-bee networks that sustain the local environment could be radically disrupted by climate change, according to new research at UC–Santa Cruz.

Plant of the Week: Douglas Iris

This purple Douglas Iris bloomed in the spring at Big Sur. Photo by Hilltromper.

Want to be looking at this fancy native in April? Get busy now planting lovely Iris douglasiana.

Plants at Home

Elkhorn Native Plant Nursery is open to the public every Friday.

By Neil Khosla

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