Women Growing Natives

On Saturday, ten women who grow California native plants and run nurseries from Marin to Carmel, gathered at the Acterra nursery in Palo Alto to connect and share experiences.

 

We talked about soil, shadehouses, propagation, mother beds. . . 

 

Perhaps the first of many gatherings. We were inspired and connected. These are the people who speak the same language as me.

women growing natives

A few weeks back I threatened myself to start up a group of women who grow native plants for restoration. I was just getting a group like this together in the San Francisco Bay Area before I left and moved back here. Well lo an behold I sent out the word, it has spread like wildfire, and we have a substantial group very excited to get together. So the dream is happening. We have a location, a list of people, a couple of items to chat about, and I know we'll have good food.

This is about collaboration and sharing information. The nursery trade can be a bit lonely, and honestly, I think we like it like that. However, all of us collectively hold a vast amount of information and knowledge learned over many years of trial and error, and if we can share that with one another, we can be that much more effective in our work to restore function in habitats.

green thumb, black thumb, win some, lose some

The nursery is often productive but sometimes, it's not. Most of what you see here are dead plants.

After transplanting these mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana), most of them died. This isn't what is supposed to happen, especially with this hearty species.

What should happen is this. 

 Same soil, different plant but just as hearty. These are bush lupin (Lupinus arboreus) and they all survived. Yep. Every last one. None show any signs of distress.

It's not easy to show the things that don't go well in restoration. But it is just as important to show what went wrong as what went right. It's advancement of knowledge either way.

I do think it's time, however, for the "Women Growing Natives" group to really get going. Better walk my talk and pull this group together.