Mixed garden with some native plants, non-natives, and succulents
🌿Start small
This parkway garden has one young GLORIOUS Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman' mixed in with succulents and alyssum
The pollinators love the sweet Alyssum nectar that provide a vital "bridge" food source during winter, as well as the lilac blossoms from Ceanothus
#PollinatorGarden #GrowNatives
Blue-eyed grass growing in the garden.
Blue-eyed grass growing in the garden.
Blue-eyed grass growing in the garden.
🌿Blue-eyed Grass
🐝 A Pollinator Favorite
Native bees adore them. Open during the day and close at night, offering nectar and pollen to a variety of small pollinators.
🌼 A Surprisingly Tough Wildflower
Many species tolerate drought once established, making them great for native gardens
#GrowNatives
Monarch butterfly approaching thistle with a blurred background. Image by Gary Bendig
Today's Noozhawk Headline...
"Biologists Find Only 2 Butterflies in Late-Season Count at Ellwood Mesa"
Last year - the count was 4
If you live in Santa Barbara County, please plant at least ONE food source to help their survival💖🦋
#MonarchButterfly #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #GrowNatives
Urn shaped flowers hanging off a manzanita tree
Manzanita tree growing in a border of a parking lot with "little apples" hanging down
While the rest of the forest is sleeping, the Manzanita is just waking up! 🪵🌸
Their "urn-shaped" flowers are a vital nectar source for hummingbirds right now
🐝 Musical Bees: Native bees must vibrate at a "Middle C" frequency to release the pollen (buzz pollination!)
#PollinatorGarden #GrowNatives
If you plant it, they will come! #biodiversity #grownatives
Deer Grass growing at the museum
California Native Bunchgrasses🌾
The health of California's native perennial grasslands is rooted in Chumash tradition with managed, controlled, frequent burning
This practice promoted healthy native bunchgrasses, inhibited invasives, and shows a deep co-evolved ecological relationship
#GrowNatives
Native Deer Grass shining in the sun at Allan Hancock College
🌾California Native Bunchgrasses
Santa Barbara’s historical grasslands were dominated by perennial bunchgrasses—plants that grow in dense clumps rather than forming a continuous sod
Adding these into your garden provides natural texture and incredible drought resilience 🌿
#GrowNatives #Bunchgrasses
Native Californian fern in the wild with shaded background. Image by Cole Keister.
🌿California ferns are like the state’s ecological “memory,” holding onto strategies millions of years old while still fitting gracefully into today’s diverse landscapes
They’re quiet survivors that shaped California long before its modern ecosystems existed
#CaliforniaNativeFern #Fern #GrowNatives
Ferns in the wild - reaching for the sun
🌿Native ferns are particularly well adapted to the central coast’s Mediterranean climate: cool, damp winters; long, dry summers; and, generous morning fog
Their fronds create a living tapestry—softening hard edges, filling understory gaps, and offering shelter for small wildlife
#Fern #GrowNatives
Beach Aster / Seaside Daisy in full bloom in the sun
🌿Beach Aster
The flowers may be small, but they appear in abundance, creating cheerful splashes of color that draw the eye and invite pollinators from near and far
Sow from late fall through early spring, on the surface of a well-draining soil to establish roots before summer drought
#GrowNatives
Cleveland Sage sprig with blurred background
🌿 Pruning tips - Cleveland Sage:
Late fall = great time!
Young plants: prune back to 3–4 nodes for bushiness
Mature plants: just tip-prune & deadhead for blooms
Avoid cutting old woody stems—they may not regrow
Deep cuts = fewer blooms next season
#ClevelandSage #PollinatorGarden #GrowNatives
Monarch butterfly on milkweed
If you're starting Milkweed from seed in the Santa Barbara area, the ideal planting time is approaching
Sow directly into the soil before the rains
Native species like Narrowleaf, Showy, and California Milkweed often need a cold period to germinate, and late fall is ideal
#Pollinators #GrowNatives
Graphic of birds, monarch butterflies, dragonflies, matilija poppies, and yarrow with a tan background
🌿With the right care in autumn, you can create a thriving habitat that supports pollinators and provides lasting beauty
Some sages (black sage & crimson pitcher) can be cut down nearly to the base to refresh woody growth
Do this in fall or early winter so plants regrow with the rains
#GrowNatives
Tidy tips native California flower in the wild
California Lupine in front of California Poppies on a slope
California Wildflowers in nature
🌿Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
The Garden shows us not just what California once looked like, but what it can look like again when we work with nature instead of against it
By choosing to replace your lawn with native plants, you're connecting your home to the wild beauty of California
#GrowNatives
Cleveland Sage at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
🌱 The Santa Barbara Botanic Garden nursery is a treasure trove of California natives—the largest selection on the Central Coast!
After wandering the trails, stop by the nursery to see what’s for sale—and pick up expert advice to help your own garden thrive🌿
#SBBG #TheNativeGuild #GrowNatives
Turtle climbing onto a rock in the pond at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
🌿The SB Botanic Garden is a living museum!
With 5.5 miles of trails, it showcases 1,000+ native plant species
More than beauty, it’s a hands-on guide to what thrives in CA’s microclimates—perfect inspiration for transforming lawns into water-wise habitats
#NativePlants #GrowNatives #TheNativeGuild
🌿Good morning, native plant lovers!
I have a new video to share. Explore this resource to discover why planting native plants is essential 🐞🦋🐝
youtu.be/sUURn2og6qQ?...
#TheNativeGuild #Pollinators #GrowNatives #MeetTheWildlife #HabitatGarden #NativePlants
Ceanothus 'Yankee Point' ground cover that really grows!!
🌿 Ceanothus ‘Yankee Point’ — Evergreen + erosion control + pollinator magnet
In spring, it bursts into clouds of blue flowers that pollinators adore
Once established, it thrives with little water, offering beauty, resilience, and habitat in one.
#TheNativeGuild #CeanothusYankeePoint #GrowNatives
New Substack Essay Available - Learn How To Save Money & Help The Planet
Santa Barbara County Will Help You Go Native!
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#TheNativeGuild #WaterWiseGardening #SustainableLawnReplacement #GrowNatives
Golden Yarrow in front of purple sage
🌿Creating a year-round bloom garden:
Mix early, mid, and late bloomers for each season
Layer shrubs, perennials, and annuals to create depth and diversity
Plant for wildlife needs — nectar, pollen, seeds, berries, and shelter
Observe and adjust: Nature will teach you
#TheNativeGuild #GrowNatives
Brilliant Blue Sage in the garden
🌿Year-Round Blooms
California natives have evolved to flower in succession, each taking a turn to feed pollinators, brighten the landscape, and carry us through the seasons
With a little planning, you can design a garden that offers color — and habitat — all year long
#TheNativeGuild #GrowNatives
New Article Available on Substack!
Native Plant Myths Debunked — What You Might Be Getting Wrong (And Why That’s Okay!)
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#TheNativeGuild #PlantNativePlants #GrowNatives #NativePlantMyths
Stone Pine Hall Native Garden
🌱 Myth Busting
MYTH: Native gardens look messy
FACT: Native landscapes can be lush, colorful, and beautifully designed! 🌻
MYTH: You need to heavily fertilize natives
FACT: Native plants thrive with zero fertilizer and very little water once established!
#thenativeguild #NativePlants #GrowNatives
A vibrantly colored Blanketflower, which has a deep red-orange center with bright orange petals that fade to a golden yellow at the tips.
Check out the gorgeous Blanketflower that showed up in my bed of Lanced Coreopsis this morning!
#Blanketflower #nativeflowers #grownatives #lancedcoreopsis #savethebees #gardening
I pulled back for you of Meadow checkerbloom growing in my yard. There’s a birdhouse above it. There’s some roses and currents and trees in the background.
I close that view of one of the stems with flowers on it light pink almost white blooms
Meadow Checkerbloom
Another Pacific Northwest native this one is very light pink almost white.
#GrowNatives
🌿 Native garden dreams?
Let’s not kill them with love.
Overwatering?
Spring planting?
Compost overload?
Check out my latest Substack essay about mistakes to avoid.
#NativePlants #GardenFails #MatilijaPoppyDrama #TheNativeGuild #GrowWithGrace #TheNativeGuild #NativeGardenPlan #GrowNatives
The large leaf Geums are 99% green leaves with little bright yellow flowers on the top of the plants The Fringe Cups stick up on green stems and have little cream colored bells in a row along the 15 inch stems. There is about 10 bell flowers on each stem that looks like they grow straight out of the stem.
Some more Fringe Flowers with Large Leaf Geums on on my planting strip (I did not plant these, I collected seeds from Carkeek Park, tossed in the Fall several years ago, and they have gratefully taken over)
#GrowNatives
Pacific Rhododendron light to dark pink bloom big green leaves
Top view light to dark pink flower cluster big green leaves
Pacific Rhododendron blooming now.
#GrowNatives
Deer plant dancing in the wind. 💛🌱💚 #californianativeplants #grownatives #nativeplants
A tall stem of coral-colored flowers with white stamens. In the background are garden beds edged with red bricks.
Several stems of bright pink/purple flowers with white stamens. In the background are a brick column, a black iron gate, a neighboring house, and leaves and woodchips in a garden bed.
It’s Elegant Clarkia’s time to shine! Check out these beauties and find out who else is blooming in my #californianativeplants project — all in my new blog post. 🥰 💚🌱💚
puttingdownroots.blog/2025/04/27/s...
#nativeplants #grownatives #gardening
