Meeting:
Thursday, November 8, 2007
Guest Presenter:
David Fross
Founder and president of Native Sons Wholesale Nursery in Arroyo Grande, California, and horticulture instructor at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Program:
“Ceanothus – A Horticultural Perspective of a Classic California Genus”
The North American genus, Ceanothus, includes plants known commonly as wild lilacs, mountain lilacs, California lilacs, blueblossoms and buckbrushes. It can be found from Canada to Mexico and from coast to coast, with forms from flat ground covers to large shrubs and small trees. The abundant blossoms of ceanothus, predominantly in all shades of blue, greet travelers up and down the state of California each spring. Many gardeners and landscape design professionals, however, are unaware of how suitable these plants are for a variety of garden and landscaping situations.
In his presentation on ceanothus, Dave Fross provided information on the best cultivars to plant in gardens and landscapes. He discussed the many uses for this versatile genus and comment on cultivation practices, pruning, pest control and more.
Besides teaching at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, David also directed the development of the California Collection at the university’s popular Leaning Pine Arboretum. He is the co-author of two popular books on California native plants, California Native Plants for the Garden, with Carol Bornstein of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Bart O’Brien of Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden; and his newest, Ceanothus, with Dieter Wilken of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. Both books were available for sale and signing at this month’s meeting.
Plant Raffle
The raffle provider for our November meeting was Native Sons Nursery.