NEXT GENERAL MEETING: Growing Plant People - Horticulture Programs and Facilities at Southwestern College, With Holly McMullen, August 15, In-Person, Oasis, Rancho Bernardo, 1:30p -3:30p

Holly McMullen Holly McMullen is a tenured professor of plant science at Southwestern College and a field biologist with nearly a decade of experience working at the intersection of ecological research, habitat restoration, and higher education. Her expertise centers on the interactions between plants and animals, particularly within Southern California's diverse ecosystems, and she has conducted botanical and wildlife field surveys, managed large-scale restoration projects,

Jul 23

SDHS Facebook Group

Join and visit our Facebook Group and interact with other San Diego Horticultural Society Members and friends.

Previous Zoom Meetings

If you missed a zoom meeting or want to watch all or part of it again, meetings recordings are now available via SDHS YouTube Channel, or use the links below.

This Month's Articles

NEXT SHARING GARDEN: Mission Hills Sharing Garden: Saturday, August 8, 2026, With Space Available for a 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM Tour

Photos courtesy of Randy Laurie. Registration for members only: https://www.sdhort.org/event-6744549 Saturday, August 8, 2026, 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM What a treat! It’s rare to find a 2-acre garden in Mission Hills, and the owners of this beautiful property have been very generous in opening their garden to us. We had a sharing garden here in July 2013, when the garden was just 4 years old, and seeing it now you can understand how the original vision has matured and filled in. La

Aug 1

SD HORT BOOK CLUB: August 3, 2026 - Literary Gardens By Sandra Lawrence At 4:30/5p On Zoom

By Karen England, for Let's Talk Plants! August 2026. Join us on Zoom for a discussion of August 3, 2026 - Note: The Zoom SDHBC meeting link is not published, instead it is emailed to discussion participants. If you would like to receive the link, please email info@sdhort.org with “book club” in the subject line. Looking Ahead: Aug 3, 2026 - Literary Gardens by Sandra Lawrence Have you heard how much fun the SD Hort Book Club is? It's amazing, and I'm not just saying that bec

Aug 1

BOTANICAL ENCOUNTERS: The Eye Dazzling Atacama Superbloom

Words and pictures by Ida K. Rigby, for Let’s Talk Plants! August 2026. The Eye Dazzling Atacama Superbloom What more can we say? Once again the photos will tell it all. On another late September day in 2011 we headed out for more visual overload and fascinating minutia. Within the profusion there even were a few familiar plants from our gardens (calandrinias, cisthantes, encelias and alstroemerias) in unexpected places and unimaginable numbers. Just feast your eyes, as we di

Aug 1

TREES, PLEASE! Bananas – Are they Going, Going - Gone?

By Robin Y Rivet, for Let’s Talk Plants! August 2026. Banana Flower Close-up - Musa paradisiaca (Musa acuminata x balbisiana). Ruestz, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons. Are bananas as we know them doomed? Probably yes. Considering it’s the most popular and widely distributed fruit in the world, that ought to be a scary thought. Wild vs. Commercial Bananas. Composite image by ryrivet for SDHS 2026. What’s up? Bananas use

Aug 1

GROW IN ABUNDANCE: Growing Eggplants in San Diego - A Beautiful and Bountiful Summer Crop

By Sommer Cartier, for Lets Talk Plants! August 2026 Eggplant photo by PhotographyCourse. Growing Eggplants in San Diego - A Beautiful and Bountiful Summer Crop If you've never grown eggplant before, this might be the year to give it a try. Eggplants and San Diego are a perfect match. They love our long, warm summers and, once they get going, can produce fruit for months. If you've never grown one before, don't let them intimidate you. They're surprisingly easy to grow and ha

Aug 1

FROM THE MASTER GARDENERS: Low Water Turf Alternatives for Our Climate

By Vince McGrath, UCCE Master Gardener of San Diego County, for Let’s Talk Plants! August 2026. “Kurapia ground cover makes an excellent low-water turf.” – Photo Credit – Susan Nichols. Low Water Turf Alternatives for Our Climate Several years ago, the mantra for San Diego homeowners was “Toss the Turf!” The reason was to stop wasting water that we did not have on water-guzzling lawns. Water agencies were asking their customers to restrict water usage. The newer catch phrase

Aug 1

GOING WILD WITH NATIVES: Native Plants in Favorite Flavors: Minty Good!

By Susan Lewitt, for Let’s Talk Plants! August 2026. Yerba buena has many culinary uses including the usual mojito, plus these three ideas. Left photo: "Cranberry Mojito" by esimpraim is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Middle photo: "yerba buena perry pisco mojito" by goodiesfirst is licensed under CC BY 2.0. Right photo: "Mini cupcakes de mojito / Mojito mini cupcakes" by www.littlewonderland.es is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0. Going Wild with Natives: Native Plants in Fav

Aug 1

PLANT FORUM: At The July 2026 Meeting

By Susi Torre-Bueno, for Let’s Talk Plants! August 2026. In July 2025 Anne Murphy brought in a delightful bouquet of nine species of flowering California native plants for the Plant Forum. Graphic made by Karen England on Canva. For over two decades a meeting highlight was the Plant Forum, where a horticultural expert spoke about plants brought in by members. These descriptions appeared in the newsletter and are available free to the public on our website at...

Aug 1

SHARING SECRETS: So, What Vegetables And Herbs Are You Going To Plant?

SHARING SECRETS: Do you have a tree in your garden that you think you have for the right reason?

Edited by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! August 2026. Sharing Secrets graphic made by Karen England using Canva. Question of the month – Do you have a tree in your garden that you think you have for the right reason? Or, do you have some you wish you hadn’t planted or just have? We learned much about planting the right tree this past month from Tony Gurnoe. Palo Verde tree in full bloom. Barbara Bolton shares…. When we redesigned our landscape, I wanted to feed th

Aug 1

HERITAGE HAUNTS: MY LIFE WITH PLANTS: Borrego Bonanza, Part II, by Jim Bishop

Presented by Cathy Tylka, for Let's Talk Plants! August 2026. This article was written by Jim Bishop and first appeared in June 2019 edition of Let's Talk Plants! Borrego Bonanza, Part II We made a visit to Borrego in February and another in March to check out this year’s super-bloom. Part I, which appeared in the April issue, described our findings along County Road S22 and in Hellhole Canyon. The day after visiting Hellhole Canyon, we got a relatively early start and headed

Aug 1

EDITOR'S ARMCHAIR: Introduction and New Article Format

By Tony Gurnoe, for Let's Talk Plants August 2026 Tony Gurnoe and the corpse flower Amorphophallus titanum. Introduction and New Article Format A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of giving my first presentation to the San Diego Horticultural Society (SDHS). Some in the audience were already familiar with my horticultural history but I was also afforded the opportunity to meet many new fellow gardeners. This is one of the beautiful and valuable aspects of our gatherings

Aug 1

GARDEN SURROUNDINGS: Gardens and Nature Through our Lives

By Francesca Filanc, for Let’s Talk Plants! August 2026. 'Beverly Hills' apples in Francesca's beautiful home garden. Photo by Francesca Filanc. Gardens and Nature Through our Lives Gardens and nature are woven through the fabric of our lives and experiences. Being exposed to gardens and nature from the time a baby is born gives the human being a lifelong love of the outdoors and peace and tranquility in difficult and sad times as well as happy ones. Garden designed by France

Aug 1