Yard Magic Native Plants

Experience the Power of Plants:
Enter the fascinating world of southwest desert plants

Through our series of workshops and classes, we invite you to enter the captivating world of plants and their impressive uses. Experience the plants growing in your area’s natural community as you never have before…through taste, smell, touch, herbal remedies, landscape, stories and even art.

Let us lead you through native gardens to witness the variety and beauty of native plants available to gardeners throughout the southwestern United States. Join us in exploring the ancient and modern uses of our native plants for medicine, tools, shelter, clothing, and food. Enjoy learning how to incorporate drought-tolerant native plants into your garden design for benefits you might not have imagined.

Desert Herbal Healing Balm

Join us to learn how to safely prepare and use desert herbal plants for preventing and treating common maladies such as sore throats and colds, skin irritations, cuts and indigestion. Become familiar with harvesting and preparing native plants for your own aromatic potpourris, herbal remedies, refreshing teas and beverages, unique snacks, and lovely bouquets. Experience the empowerment of creating your own herbal remedies such as tinctures, salves, ointments, and teas from native plants that you can grow successfully in your own region. Learn how to make teas and tinctures from fresh local plants. Have fun finding everyday uses for the native plants you can grow in your own edible, aromatic, herbal landscape.

In our workshops and classes, you will learn which of California’s 4,800 native plants are perfectly suited for your particular yard, and which ones best serve as evergreen hedges, privacy screens, shade-giving trees, long-lived ground covers, erosion control, seasonal color, interesting vines, and striking specimen plants. Find out how to select, plant, irrigate, and care for a remarkable variety of attractive, drought-tolerant native plants.

Holly Leaf Cherries

Learn how to weave pathways artfully through your yard to enhance your enjoyment of each section of your garden, and make your yard appear to expand as your guests explore your pathways. Examine ways to integrate into your landscape design special areas for conversation or contemplation, kid-friendly zones, pet-friendly zones, bird-friendly zones, and special areas for groupings of herbal remedy plants. Explore ways to achieve privacy, enhance bird-watching opportunities, maximize interest and charm even in small yards, all while reducing your time weeding and watering.

Listen to true stories about how planting natives transformed a family’s enjoyment of their yard and home, changed their landscape into a wildlife sanctuary, and revolutionized the way they entertain friends and guests. Enjoy the enchantment you can create in your own backyard with easy-to-follow tips combining readily available materials with “green” gardening principles.

Experience the fun of finding food, medicine, home décor and garden landscaping in the plants native to the southwestern United States. Discover the powerful healing properties of native southwest plants, and learn how to prepare them yourself during our hands-on workshops.

Have Fun Learning about Native Plants!

Robin at the Workshop

Class and Workshop Series:

• Creating Yard Magic with Desert Native Plants
• The Fun of finding Food and Medicine from Desert Native Plants
• Bringing Birds into Your Backyard
• Crafting Herbal Remedies from Desert Plants
• Going Native in Your Yard…What to Grow and Why
• Designing Your Native Plant Landscape
• Fun Uses of Desert Native Plants…from Arts to Eats
• Harvesting Desert Plants…How, When, and Where
• Know Your Desert Natives…Fun Ways to Recognize Southwest Plants
• Growing and Using Desert Herbal Remedies
• The Joy of Desert Gardening
• How To Fully Enjoy Your Yard
• Eat the Weeds…Don’t Curse Them
• Creating a Wildlife Sanctuary in Your Yard

Whether we are in the classroom or out in the wild, classes are small, affordable, intellectually stimulating, thought provoking, hands-on, and fun.