APRIL 2019 MARKETPLACECONTRACOSTA.COM 27
April 20, with a fall sale in October. If you visit the garden,
be sure to stop by Native Here. It’s just the other side of the
golf course; a hop, skip, and a jump up the road.
The Friends of Sausal Creek has a very good sale, usually
with a few things I haven’t seen elsewhere (sausalcreek.org).
It’s held at Joaquin Miller Park in the Oakland hills. They
only seem to do one sale a year, though, in the autumn.
The Markham Arboretum, at 1202 La Vista Ave in
Concord (markhamarboretum.org), holds sales in the spring
and fall, but dates haven’t yet been announced as I write
this. However, they also do smaller weekly sales on Tuesday
mornings. They sell both natives and some unusual nonnatives.
Another excellent plant sale I’ve patronized is the one at The
Gardens at Heather Farm in Walnut Creek (gardenshf.
org). They were dormant last year as their greenhouse was
being rebuilt, but were hoping to be back in business in
2019. Check their website for updates.
The Pinole Garden Club (californiagardenclubs.com/
content/pinole-garden-club) usually holds a sale one Saturday
in May at the Pinole farmers market, featuring both natives
and non-natives. Not the biggest, but prices are quite
reasonable, and you can do some grocery shopping while
you’re there.
A bit further afield, the Marin County chapter and the Willis
Linn Jepson (i.e., Solano County) chapter of the Native Plant
Society hold sales in San Rafael and Benicia, respectively.
Depending on where you live, it could be worth a trip over a
bridge to check them out. Consult their websites (cnpsmarin.
org and jepson.cnps.org) for dates and locations.
Last but not least (well, okay, it’s probably least, too) is the sale
held by Citizens for a Greener El Sobrante (C4AGES).
It’s the one I’m in charge of. We’ve only been doing it a few
years, so our selection is comparatively limited, but we add
new varieties each time around. We also compensate for our
modest inventory with low prices and being early on the
calendar. Our sale also includes a lot of succulents and some
other plants which, though non-native, are well suited for
this area. If you live in the El Sobrante area, please drop by
on Saturday, April 13. See greenerelsobrante.org for time and
location. We hold another sale in September.
Two other resources deserves mention, though they don’t
sell plants or seeds. One is Bringing Back the Natives
(bringingbackthenatives.net), which holds garden tours to
give folks a look at what their neighbors have done with
native plant landscaping. This year’s tour is on May 5 (prior
registration required).
The other resource is Calflora, which maintains a
comprehensive online database of native plants. It’s the easiest
way to determine whether a plant is native and, if so, to
which parts of the state. their website also has an interactive
planting guide, to help you choose the best species for your
area. If you develop an interest in native plant gardening,
you’ll find it invaluable. (calflora.org)
Jason Tilley is an El Sobrante homeowner and chairs the plant sale
committee of Citizens for a Greener El Sobrante. As you might have
guessed, he likes gardening.
Rosy Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens)