4th Annual Theodore Payne Garden Tour Showcases Beauty and Versatility of California Native Plants

Above: Santa Monica garden on Theodore Payne Garden Tour

If you’ve long considered using California native plants in your garden but weren’t sure how they’d measure up to the old stand bys available by the truckload at the local nursery, the annual Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour on April 28th & 29th may just be what you’ve been waiting for!

With 30 gardens throughout Los Angeles – in neighborhoods like Echo Park, Atwater Village, Glendale, Eagle Rock, Altadena and beyond – there is a design style and plant palette for people of all aesthetic tastes.

The Tour is a unique opportunity to go beyond the fences and walls of private homes and also to step into larger-scale non-private gardens that are generally not open to the public with the guidance of the garden hosts and knowledgeable docents.

Tickets to this wonderful self-guided garden journey are $20 and can be purchased at the Theodore Payne Web site, where you can also see photos of gardens on the Tour, or by phone at: 818-768-1802. The price of admission includes a free presentation on gardening for butterflies, given by Chris and Trish Meyer of Wildscaping.com the evening of Saturday, April 28th at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood.

Some of the highlights of the Tour include: a sloping hillside garden in Topanga with rambling trails and mature specimens of manzanita, toyon, pine and California lilac; a welcoming cottage-style garden beneath a large western sycamore in Westchester; an innovative, eclectic garden in Santa Monica with multiple artistic elements, including handmade grapevine fencing, one-of-a-kind fountains, a recycled concrete bench, antique manhole covers and a flowing stream next to a teepee for camping; a terraced garden of local plants abuzz with fluttering winged friends in Echo Park; a “California Natural” garden wrapping around an environmentally-sound Brentwood home that hugs a ridge overlooking the city; a hidden haven of habitat in Altadena and so much more!

There is no better way to learn the ropes of gardening with native and all the benefits that brings than to attend the Native Plant Garden Tour. Whether you’re the small space gardener or a large-scale landscaper, there is inspiration to be found in these botanical beauties. Call to get your tickets early so you will receive your guide well-enough in advance to plan your own Tour route. That way, you’ll get the most for your money. Enjoy!