5 Tips for a Fantastic First (or Fifteenth) Native Plant Garden Tour
April 11, 2018. By FormLA Staff: Whether this your first time on theTheodore Payne Foundation‘s Native Plant Garden Tour or simply looking to take your tour mojo to a new level. Here is all you need to tour like a pro, at our gardens (Garden 5 | Garden 27 | Garden 44) and beyond!
Step 1: Pick (and Prioritize) Your Path
Theodore Payne Foundation does great work creating effective routes to their gardens. Yet, as LA Times’ Lisa Boone and KTLA’s Gale Anderson there is just too much beauty to see it all! Setting priorities will help ensure you see what most appeals to you. Peruse NativePlantGardenTour.org for a sense of what you’ll see. We hope we make your cut, but, seriously, you can’t go wrong here!
(Not to be your mom, but you’ll also be much happier at 4PM if you work in time for snacks, swear a smart hat, cozy shoes, and sunscreen application along the way.)
Step 2: Know April Blooms
Is it cheating? Maybe… but the easiest way to ID LA’s lush and lovelies is to catch them at their blooming best. We can help. Visit our Blooming Now: April Pinterest Board to refresh your ability to spot native blooms. Better yet, download the Pinterest app to have the resource on hand. Then when friends gasp at the beauty of a Margarita BOP or Paz Penstemon, you can drop some serious botanical knowledge with confidence!
Follow FormLA Landscaping’s board Blooming Now: April in LA on Pinterest.
Step 3: Put Plant Palettes in Your Pocket
Theodore Payne posts easy-to-print plant palettes for each garden in the garden profiles. We’ve also created Pinterest Boards for each of our gardens.
Saturday: The Beach | Garden 5 (Printable)
Follow FormLA Landscaping’s board Blooming Now: April in LA on Pinterest.
Sunday: The Valley | Garden 27 Printable)
Follow FormLA Landscaping’s board Blooming Now: April in LA on Pinterest.
Sunday: The Foothills | Garden 44 Printable)
Follow FormLA Landscaping’s board Blooming Now: April in LA on Pinterest.
Step 4: Talking Points
Botanical names not your jam? Want to feel like you got the memo? Here’s the secret. Native plant enthusiasts can be as passionate about the impact of native gardening as the beauty of native blooms. Want to impress your fellow tour-goers? Speak to authentic gardening’s impact on ocean health at the beach or ability to mitigate fire and slide risk in the foothills. You’ll not only seem in-the-know, people may just think you are a local!
Step 5: Say Hi! Ask Questions!
Cassy Aoyagi and Hilda Weiss will docent the Shotgun House Coastal Garden. You’ll find Isara Ongwiseth and the City of Sierra Madre team at the Authentic Foothill Gardens this Friday. Eric Crow will join DiAnna and Phil Moore in Northridge, a ticket pick-up location.
We love hearing your thoughts, answering questions, and simply seeing your smiles! The docents, gardeners and homeowners on this tour are all incredibly passionate about the impact native gardening can have for LA and the world. Nothing makes us happier than sharing that passion with someone newly curious!