Habitat Gardening
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Plant Propagation Classes and NEW Workshop for Summer 2024
“I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Hands-on classes are back this summer, with a new October Workshop*! *It is highly recommended that you have attended the series of all 3 propagation classes to gain the most from this New WORKSHOP....
First Annual Habitat Garden Summer Camp
Home Ground Habitats in Novato is excited to announce our first annual Habitat Garden Summer Camp for children. July 8-12 2024 9:00am-1:00pm Open to 2nd through 5th Grades FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER: click here ...
Now Open Wednesday Afternoons
We are excited to announce that Home Ground Habitats is now open to the public on Wednesdays. In addition to our Plant Sales and Events, we are now open for you to visit us Wednesdays from 1:00pm – 4:00pm. We are located at: 1875 Indian Valley Rd., Novato, CA...
June 17th, 2023 Plant Sale
There is still time to plant for blooms this year! Our May plant sale was such a success that we have planned another one! Our next PLANT SALE will be: Saturday, June 17th, 2023, from 10:00am – 1:00 pm. Many of the plants and seedlings that weren’t quite ready in May,...
Poison Oak and Its Relatives
A native plant that we all know (or certainly should!) is Poison Oak (Toxicodendron diversilobium) because it is so widespread in the Bay Area. Many people get a very uncomfortable rash if they touch any part of the plant, so knowing how to identify it and avoid...
Two Redbuds
Early in March, the Redbud is ready to burst into bloom; the beautiful zig-zagging tracery of its branches soon to be disguised in a cloud of pink flowers. I’ve planted several redbuds in different areas on our property, but the most spectacular is a well-developed...
Thinking About Weeds and Wildflowers
Micro-Habitats; Knowing Your Land My husband and I live on a south facing hillside situated above the Novato Creek floodplains; it’s a beautiful, warm, and sunny spot with a great vantage point. Our hill, called Cherry Hill on some maps, is a part of one of the ridges...
Some California Native Perennials and Shrubs to Grow from Seed
Linum lewisii A beautiful Western perennial, perfect for the border or in a meadow blended with bunchgrasses, poppies, clarkia and flowering bulbs. Summer blooming, flowers open over a long time; full sun, low water, 12-18” tall, needs good drainage, deer ignore it....
Some California Native Wildflowers to Grow from Seed
All of these native annual wildflowers are great for pollinators and other beneficial insects! Clarkia unguiculata / Mountain Garland The blooms of this native clarkia range from white, pale pink, salmon, and bright pink to magenta—all on the same plant. Flowers in...
Making Space for Weeds
The Flickers have now left my oak woodlands and moved to higher elevations in the Coast Ranges; I’ll look forward to seeing them again when we’re camping in the forests this summer. Meanwhile, the Tree Swallows are here already and I’m waiting to hear the first calls...
Gardening in Harmony with Nature
The Natural World has been my touchstone; a certain intimacy with the land and other creatures that always rings honest and true. When I think about why I like to garden it always comes back to my desire to be a participant with nature. I came to California as a...
Natives for a Meadow Garden
Some of my favorite annual wildflowers are the gilias, and the whole genus is pretty much deer-proof. I like globe gilia (Gilia capitata) with its round heads of small blue flowers; these grow wild on Mt. Burdell. I haven’t seen bird’s-eye gilia (Gilia tricolor) in...
Creating a Meadow Garden
The days are still warm and we’re all hoping, once again, that this will be an El Niño year with ample rainfall and a good snow pack in the Sierras. The days are noticeably shorter, and the evenings are much cooler. The shorter day length is a cue to many native...
Living with Deer, Part 1
For many Californians throughout the state, deer are the largest free-living animals they will commonly encounter; and for anyone with an affinity for the natural world, it’s an impressive thing to realize that these animals are self-sustaining, leading their own...
On Gossamer Wings: The Lycaenidae Butterflies
The Lycaenidae family of butterflies—blues, hairstreaks, coppers, and metalmarks, are usually small and very delicate looking, many of them brilliantly colored and some with very interesting life cycles. The apparent fragility of these tiny creatures earned the family...
Painted Lady Larval Host Plants
Other Larval Host Plants Painted lady larva will also feed on weedy thistles in the Cirsium and Silybum genera, as well as the dreaded Yellow Star Thistle (Centaurea solstitialis), and related cultivated plants like Artichoke and Cardoon. The larvae also feed on other...