Saturday, April 13, 2024. 10:30am – 11:00am Step into a world where nature’s canvas comes alive with vibrant colors and fragrant blooms. Our nursery gardens are not just a sight to behold; they’re an immersive experience waiting to be discovered. Wander through winding pathways lined with a kaleidoscope of native plants, each one telling a story of resilience and beauty. From the soothing trickle of water features to the symphony of birdsong overhead, every corner of our gardens beckons you to pause, breathe, and reconnect with the natural world. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener seeking insp ..read more

Words and photos by Mike Evans Four generations, maybe even five for the most prolific. That’s the family effect of losing San Onofre, one of California’s most iconic surfing beaches. The ocean we celebrated every day in every way has moved closer to the bluff, taking out the dirt road where the old men played bocce. The lineup of classic cars, trucks, panel vans, travel vans, campers, woodies, even converted passenger buses, longboards, folding tables, dogs of every sort, kids of every age, (both dogs and kids running absolutely wild), ladies playing bridge, old men talking story, picnics la ..read more

special guest: Tony Tubbs Saturday, February 24, 2024. 9:00am – 4:00pm PLANT SALE: 10% off all plants to CNPS members. Not a member? Sign up at the nursery on Saturday, and take advantage of the 10% off + a gift for signing up! 9:45am Welcome and introduction 10:00am Tony Tubbs, Educator, photographer, habitat restorationist – Presentation “INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION” Tony Tubbs will bring us highlights of his 10-year project inspiring and educating students, while restoring functional habitat at Tesoro High School in Capistrano Unified School district. Their program for environmental educa ..read more

A rainy Anza Borrego afternoon. © Emily Sluiman 2024 Our climate zone is called Mediterranean, but maybe we should start referring to our weather as uniquely “Californian.” We get our rain in winter and spring. But in between what we call “rain events,” we can have some of the most beautiful days imaginable. It is not uncommon to appreciate a perfect 78 degree beach day, only to be immediately followed by cold blustery winds, heavy rain, and snow levels below 3000 feet. Three or four days like that and when it clears, we’re back to the beach! No where on earth is quite like this. This is why w ..read more

“Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets. But humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine for example, one need be neither god nor poet. One need only own a good shovel.” Aldo Leopold Sunset in the San Gorgonio wilderness. Photo by Emily Sluiman. Current events, history, review, and notes Happy New Year! Calendar year, that is. In the natural garden we start our year around September 15 celebrating post-summer and ready for fall. Right now we’re in winter which can generally mean we’re in a season of rest and reflection. Watering Seasonal ..read more

Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia showing off for the season. 2023 Emily Sluiman December is a quiet month, at least in the world of nature. The natural garden is a quiet place as well, and a perfect refuge for us in a month when many are running about for social events, shopping, driving to a vacation spot or to an airport, generally making traffic worse, increasing our stress, and possibly planting in us the notion, “Everyone’s rushing so we must all be late, including me.”  Many nature lovers and native plant gardeners become experts in the field of phenology, defined: “the study of cyclic ..read more

Baccharis pilularis in the setting sun. Photo by: Emily Sluiman Fall is in the air and the breeze, in the soil and on the calendar. And just in time, as always, comes the perfect precursor for winter, when our natural gardens grow ever quiet. Nights are much cooler, days are shorter and some plants are starting their annual dormancy while others are pushing out new growth… even flowers. Many, of course, have gone to seed. Winter rains are just around the corner. Current events, history, review, and notes Anticipation. We’re still asking the southern California question we pose every year – How ..read more

Plant natives, experience nature. It’s that simple. Saturday, November 11, 2023 9:00am – 3:00pm Come for all or just a part. Help us celebrate the best planting time for natives! Bring your own food, lunch, snacks, water etc. 10:00am Re-Wild Defined in Natural Gardens w/ Mike Evans 10:45am A Green Fire Aldo Leopold documentary screening in the barn 12:00 – 1:30pm Lunchtime Reading Circle Bring a book or a few titles to share with the group. Do you have a complete shelf of nature literature? John Muir, Terry Tempest Williams, Barry Lopes, Craig Childs, Ed Abbey, Wallace Stegner, Wendell Berry ..read more

Lonicera subspicata var. denudata photo by Emily Sluiman Fall. Autumn. Second Summer. The much anticipated season following summer, preceding winter. A greatly appreciated relief from the hot dry months behind us, a wonderfully savored time of holidays, memories, family gatherings, and changes; in weather, leaf color, day length and the night sky, as we anticipate winter and its promise of spring. A season of hope. A look to the skies for the start of our rains. New birds arriving from distant lands, long migrations while others have left, flown south. The beginning of the horti ..read more

with Mike Evans Saturday, October 7, 2023 Starts at 9:30am Virtually every natural garden should have a swale in order to soak in rainwater, and what would be runoff, into the ground. Your swale should be an attractive and functional element in your garden and serve as an accent for the theme or narrative you are creating. This workshop will focus on the technique and the art behind building a functional swale in a natural garden. Tree of Life Nursery now carries the materials necessary for you to build your own functional swale in your natural garden! Come to this workshop to learn the why an ..read more