Leaf It Where It Falls

On garden day, local first graders were introduced to the notion that trees drop their leaves where needed. One budding botanist responded, “So you just leaf it where it falls?” The duff of trees and plants are important compost for both soil and insects. But for some reason, we have been trained to “clean up”…

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Back to School

Each school week finds BVAS Garden Club members Jo Niedeck and Joan Bockman knee-deep in compost. They’re leading a treasure hunt with the children at Laurel, Mission, and South Oceanside Elementary Schools. The prizes? Tasty produce and an appreciation of the birds, insects, and other invertebrates that the garden supports. There’s no place like a…

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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…

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Butterfly Gardening

Attracting butterflies to your garden is a rewarding way to foster a healthy population of beneficial insects. The arrival of the graceful, multicolored beauties in your yard is evidence that by providing habitat and eliminating the use of chemical sprays, nature can restore balance to itself. Drought tolerant native plants are beneficial for species-specific native…

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A Time to Sow

The long-awaited return of rain gives promise of a banner year for native wildflowers throughout San Diego County. What better way to celebrate our wonderful natural heritage than to plant a patch of native wildflowers in your garden? Pick up a packet of mixed California native wildflower seeds from a local nursery, and sprinkle the…

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