President’s Message
It all starts with a bug.
The smallest creature in our garden is a gateway to appreciation of the world around us. Plants provide the essential backdrop of shelter, of food, and of life.
Recently our chapter has engaged in the usual spring flurry of public outreach. We have hosted field trips, we have manned booths at the Green Scene in Fullerton, the South Coast Plaza Spring Garden Show and the Panhe Earth Day celebration at San Mateo Campgrounds, and soon, on May 8, we will stage a marvelous garden tour featuring native plant gardens, many of which have never been seen publicly.
Why do we keep plugging away? What is the purpose of bringing native plant gardening knowledge to the masses?
We do it for the wild creatures and we do it for the plants. We are a part of California, but they were here first, and they are beautiful and special and sometimes totally unique, and they deserve to live. When we cause native plant gardens to replace lawns and tropical plants, and when more people understand the heritage quality of native gardens, then there will be more children growing up surrounded by California beauty and more voices to help save our irreplaceable wild habitats.
Each of you can spread the word about our native plant garden tour to your friends and neighbors. The registration website is easy, and the flyer can be reprinted and passed out. If you have the time, you can help at a garden for a few hours, to make everyone’s experience at the garden tour smoother and more enjoyable, from gardeners and homeowners to designers and visitors.
Every little bit of information helps make native plant gardening more understandable and accessible to the general public. We look forward to your participation, and keep in mind that it all starts with the smallest miracles that happen in our native plant gardens.
—Laura Camp, President
THANK YOU TO VOLUNTEERS
A very sincere Thank You to the following volunteers, who assisted at April public outreach events:
At the Green Scene, Fullerton Arboretum on April 17-18: Jennifer Beatty, Laura Camp, Nancy Heuler, Dori Ito, Sarah Jayne, Brad Jenkins, Beth Karner, Celia Kutcher, Jennifer Mabley, Mary Olander, Dan Songster
At the Panhe Earth Day Celebration at San Mateo Campgrounds, April 19: Celia Kutcher
At the South Coast Plaza Spring Garden Show on April 22-25: Jeanne Carter, Laura Camp, Debbie Evans, John Gossett, Nancy Heuler, Sarah Jayne, Brad Jenkins, Celia Kutcher, Jennifer Mabley, Torrey Neel, Dan Songster
