The Barn in Camarillo was the scene of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) Channel Islands 2nd Annual Symposium. Pamela spoke to the crowd about Watershed Restoration Through Ocean Friendly Gardens, and reminded everyone to think about restoring urban soil to Living Soil and redirecting downspouts into the landscape BEFORE planting CA native plants and expecting them to thrive.
CNPS at The Barn in Camarillo
Right outside the building was an excellent example of a downspout redirected into a garden. When it rains, the water from the roof of the Barn flows into a bioswale filled with native grasses and plants.
Camarillo Barn Redirected Downspout
However, while native plant lovers were gathered inside the Barn, a rampant non-native was poised to take over the dry creek bed outside…Stipa tenuissima (Mexican feather grass) had been planted right next to the native Muhlenbergia rigens (Deer grass) and was trying to camouflage itself. Pamela tried to rally an eradication party during a break, but was thwarted by the tired, hungry native plant advocates who were more interested in digging into the amazing locally-produced, organic lunch.
Stipa tenuissima Invades Bioswale
The deed will have to wait until another day!
This reminds us to ALWAYS check www.cal-ipc.org before we plant!
To find out more about Pamela’s upcoming talks or to review her as a speaker, check out: www.greatgardenspeakers.com
