Specialty nursery to introduce wonders of native plants this month

Southern California residents will have the opportunity to experience the beauty and ease of gardening with California native plants at several April events sponsored by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, a specialty nursery in Sun Valley. To RSVP or for more information, call (818) 768-1802.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sat. and Sun., April 2 and 3 it’s the second annual Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour. More than 20 gardens in communities around Los Angeles will demonstrate how easy it is to attract birds and butterflies, use no pesticides and conserve water with little maintenance. The self-guided garden tour visits gardens in areas including Beverly Hills, La Canada, Pasadena, Sherman Oaks, Studio City and other communities. Admission is $20 per person.

From 6 to 8 p.m. Sat., April 2, a free public lecture on "The Art of Native Landscapes" will be presented at the Eagle Rock Cultural Center, 2225 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock. Award-winning native landscape designer and contractor Greg Rubin will talk about designing, installing and maintaining successful native landscapes.

Celebrate "Poppy Day" from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sat., April 16 at Theodore Payne Nursery, 20459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley. The free event will feature nursery tours, wildflower walks, pruning demonstrations, propagation demonstrations and a photography exhibit.

Also on site at the nursery from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sat., April 30 will be a class, "Photographing Natives," presented by Ken Gilliland, whose native plant digital photography work has been published by the Metropolitan Water District and Cal-flora native plant database and seen in gallery shows. Participants will learn what makes a good photograph great and how to photograph plants in unique ways. Class will focus on composition theory and will tour the nursery and Wildflower Hill photographing native plants.

Cost of this class is $25 members/$30 nonmembers, and reservations are required.