Here’s a scary fact: by the year 2080, the climate in Santa Barbara is projected to approach that of present-day Ensenada, Mexico. Already, temperatures are rising and drought is increasingly frequent. What’s a sustainable gardener to do? In my hot, dry, south-facing Santa Barbara yard, which my husband and I rarely watered (and where I…
For a while there, we didn’t think we would find them. We were trying to attract two students in the tiny town of Cuyama to intern with us on our new landscape transformation project, and the good folks at Quail Springs were attending their second recruitment event at the local high school. Their Land Stewardship…
As we face a warmer, hotter planet, wildfires are an increasing reality across the nation, which is why the Garden is actively researching how native plants can help us better manage fire risk. But, did you know there are also things you can do today — at your home, in your landscape, and around your…
The latest issue of Ironwood, the Garden’s biannual magazine, has arrived — and it’s rooted in hope. Issue 37 invites you to dig deeper into what it means to care for our planet, starting in your backyard. Whether you’re a longtime native plant enthusiast or just starting to explore their value, this issue offers stories…
If you’ve seen people sweeping bushes with nets or tapping tree branches around the garden lately, you’ve caught a glimpse of a fascinating project in action. Greg Simmons from USDA APHIS and Mari West from UC Riverside have been busy collecting tiny insects called planthoppers, and it’s all part of an important effort to stop…
The emerald ash borer (EAB) is a species of jewel beetle native to Northeast Asia that spread to North America in 2002 and has become a widespread concern for California and the Pacific Northwest, as these non-native beetles have an insatiable appetite for ash trees (Fraxinus), as their common name suggests. EAB have the potential…
Non-native turfgrass lawns may be widely planted in southern California, but they simply do not belong here. To many people these ubiquitous green carpets of grass seem inoffensive, even desirable. But after years of droughts, fires, and mudslides, many Californians are beginning to understand that it’s past time for us to rethink their presence here.…
The digital edition of Ironwood 36, the Garden’s bi-annual magazine, is here — and it’s brimming with stories that will inspire, inform, and ignite your passion for native plants. This issue celebrates the incredible potential packed into something as small as a seed. With every article, we invite you to join us in our mission…
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