June 16 - 5th Annual Chapter Celebration - PUBLIC IS WELCOME
Join us at the Duck Club in Irvine. See directions HERE.
- 5:30 Bird Walk in the Duck Ponds with Rich Schilk. Bring your binoculars or just stroll with the group.
- 5:30 Bring your donated items for the silent auction or raffle. Questions? This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- 5:30 Help with setup welcome. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
- 6:30 Silent Auction commences, Raffle ticket purchase and item selection.
- 6:30 Light appetizers served.
- 6:30 Slideshow of Chapter activities for 2010-2011.
- 7:30 Main Program.
"Reimagining the California Lawn" - Talk and Book Signing!
Speaker: co-author Bart O'Brien
Lawns are so much a part of our suburban consciousness that even when you want to reduce the size of your lawn, or eliminate it, it is hard to imagine what it might look like or how to go about making the change.
If that sounds like you, Reimagining the California Lawn is the book you’ve been looking for to help you through the process. Bart’s talk will focus on using native and Mediterranean plants, recycled materials, smart watering practices, and composting. In short, he will give us good look at removing a lawn and creating a lovely and sustainable landscape. The book is not all native-but it is an excellent primer for those of us who are ready to take that first step -- kill the lawn and plant something that is not a turf-grass monoculture.
If you are considering removing a turf area (or if your neighbor is) this is the talk to attend and the book to own. As Emily Green of the LA Times says “Within weeks of buying this book, a motivated beginner could have a plan, a plant list and a set of affordable, achievable goals. The upshot over time would be thousands saved on water, fertilizer and lawn care, and a blooming corridor far superior to grass.”
As always, Bart’s Talk will be informative and inspiring and really, it is not to be missed!
Bart O'Brien is Director of Special Projects at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont an educational institution dedicated to research, conservation, and horticulture of California native plants. An authority on the California flora and of northern Baja California, Mexico, he is also an accomplished collector, grower, photographer, lecturer, and author. He is co-author of two recent books: the award winning California Native Plants for the Garden, and the bilingual Care & Maintenance of Southern California Native Plant Gardens – Cuidado y mantenimiento de jardines de plantas nativas del sur de California. His new book, coauthored with Carol Bornstein and David Fross, "Reimaging the California Lawn – Water-Conserving Plants, Practices, and Designs" was published in April 2011.
