Category: Horticulture

A small plant sprouting with blue nursery tag sticking to identify plant the type of plant. Jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus)
November 25, 2024
Saving the California Jewelflower: A Journey from Seed to Survival

For several years, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden has been working to deepen our understanding of the state and federally endangered California jewelflower (Caulanthus californicus). This beautiful annual plant is facing habitat loss due to destruction associated with agriculture, oil fields, and urbanization. Since 2017, the Garden’s rare plant team has been following populations of California…

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The Ironwood 35 Publication laying on the grass.
July 12, 2024
Celebrating Ironwood 35 | Now Available Online

The digital edition of our latest Ironwood, the Garden’s bi-annual magazine, is now available. Celebrating a new chapter in our journey to conserve native plants and habitats across the Central Coast, this issue features a diverse collection of thought provoking and engaging stories we hope will inspire you to join the movement that ensures biodiversity…

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June 20, 2024
Emerald Ash Borer | Detecting Early, Responding Rapidly

This summer, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden started work with CAL FIRE’s Forest Entomology and Pathology Program on an early detection initiative scouting for the presence of emerald ash borer (EAB) in our region. EAB is a non-native jewel beetle, originally from Northeast Asia, that was first detected in North America in 2002 in the vicinity…

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April 23, 2024
La Colina Junior High: A Mission to Add Native Plants 

A lilac verbena (Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’) blooms as students are walking by, backpacks in hand, and the school bell signifying the start of the day. A monarch butterfly flutters by, attracted to the purple and clove-like scent of the flowers. A gentle reminder that we live amongst wildlife and must do our part…

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March 21, 2024
Dudleya | Celebrating California’s Star Succulent   

What is a Dudleya? Dudleya, sometimes commonly called liveforevers, is a genus of about 65 species and subspecies. Members of the stonecrop family (Crassulaceae), these succulent plants are closely related to garden center staples like hens and chicks (Echevaria species). Dudleya often grow in marginal habitats that are difficult for other plants to colonize, such…

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December 18, 2023
Ironwood | Issue 34

Sometimes, when you’re so busy doing the work, it’s hard to slow down and celebrate the progress, people, and supporters behind it all. Our biannual magazine, Ironwood, is changing this script and we’re proud to introduce our latest issue, #34. With each new issue we put a spotlight on our latest wins, explore topics near…

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Alejandro standing in front of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden's Nursery
November 3, 2023
Find Your Perfect Plant Match

We are all too familiar with the countless hours spent looking for love, holding on to the hopes of discovering that special match that checks all your boxes. Tall, strong, low maintenance, stable, yellow-flowered with evergreen leaves … Wait. Are we talking about people here? If you’re anything like us plant lovers, finding your perfect…

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