BVAS NATIVE PLANT CLUB NATURE CENTER GARDEN WORK PARTY

Mondays at 10 a.m.—Every Monday morning, the  garden crew gathers at the Nature Center to do a little maintenance work around the native plant garden and trails.  Interested gardeners are invited to join the group for some casual gardening and friendly chatter.

Summer is the time for Buckwheat The summer section of a native garden should have lots of buckwheat.  There are more than 100 species of buckwheat native to California, many with distinctive, long-lasting, summer flowers and seed heads.  Native insects are readily attracted to buckwheats, and serve to bring a small garden alive.  One buckwheat plant can have a hundred or more insects visiting at any one time, offering an up-close view of many different pollinator and predator insects interacting.  They are especially important butterfly plants, as well.  And it’s not just about insects.  Buckwheat flowers, leaves and seeds are used by all the smaller animals.

Editor’s Note:  We’re sorry to report that Las Pilitas Nursery, long a favorite with North County native plant gardeners, has closed the doors at its Escondido location.  Much of the info in this story was taken from the Las Pilitas Nursery website.