California Native Plant Society - San Diego Chapter

09/11/2026

How will climate change affect San Diego’s native plants and the communities they form?

Join plant ecologist Dawn Lawson for a look at local climate projections and how they may affect our region’s native plant species and communities. Drawing on the relationship between climate, landforms, and native plant ecology, Dawn will help us better understand which plants may be most vulnerable to change. She will also share ways individuals can contribute to research and conservation.

Tuesday, September 15

Doors open at 6:15 PM for browsing, socializing, and book/merch sales. The program begins at 7 PM, followed by Q&A; stay afterward for a speaker meet-and-greet and more socializing.

Casa del Prado, Room 101, Balboa Park
Free and open to the public.

Details at cnpssd.org/events.

09/09/2026

350+ California native plants—ready for your fall garden. Which ones will you choose?

It may be hot now, but you don’t have to plant now. Choose your plants today and pick them up October 16 & 17—right as fall planting season gets underway.

The minimum order has been reduced from $150 to $100. Current CNPS members and registered Plant Sale volunteers may order.

Not a member—or need to renew? Join or renew before placing your order.

Order by September 15:
cnpssd.org/2026-plant-sale

09/05/2026

Which native wildlife species interact with California native plants in urban gardens? Which plants do they use—and what patterns emerge across gardens throughout California?
In May 2026, CNPS launched Biodiversity in Urban Gardens (BUG), a statewide community science project investigating these relationships.
Each observation helps build the scientific foundation for Landscapes for Change, CNPS’s effort to transform built environments into places where people and nature can thrive. In 2027, these data will support a major statewide public-policy campaign advocating for legislative solutions that bring more California native plants—and more biodiversity—into public and commercial landscapes.
Our Native Plant Learning Garden at Bird Park is a registered BUG Public Garden. Qualifying observations made there automatically join the statewide study—but Bird Park still has relatively few compared with other participating gardens.
Let’s come together and change that.
CNPS San Diego wants to make sure everyone can participate. Join us for a hands-on, beginner-friendly introduction to iNaturalist. We’ll cover the basics and practice documenting plants, insects, birds, and other wildlife in the garden.
Already experienced? Help us find as much wildlife as possible, build the dataset, and support new observers.
Can’t join us that day? Come back and observe on your own—qualifying observations are automatically added whenever you visit.
After the tutorial, stay for a community potluck brunch and native plant and seed exchange. Everyone is welcome.
September 12 · 9 a.m.–noon
Bird Park · 28th St & Thorn St · San Diego
Register and learn more: cnpssd.org/events
Before you come, install the iNaturalist app on your phone. Bring a camera phone or camera, a dish to share, native seeds, cuttings or plants, and a folding or camp chair.
Bee photo: Urban Digger Bee (Anthophora urbana) approaching a sage flower, by Douglas Galasko.

09/03/2026

Our 2026 Members’ Native Plant Sale is now open for online pre-orders!

Choose from 350+ California native plants, with curated categories to help you find the right plants for your garden — from pollinator habitat and long-blooming color to sunny slopes, containers, coastal gardens, hedges, and more.

Online pre-orders are open September 1–15, with pickup October 16 & 17 at Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead.

This is a members-only sale. CNPS members save 10% on plant purchases. Not a member yet? Join for $30 through our Plant Sale membership offer and place your order online.

$150 minimum plant purchase before discounts.

Browse plants, join & order:
cnpssd.org/2026-plant-sale

08/14/2026

The CNPS San Diego Learning Garden at Bird Park is entering its final phase.

Over the past five years, volunteers, donors, designers, students, and community partners have transformed an underused corner of Balboa Park into a California native plant teaching garden. This fall, the Build & Learn Workshop Series gives participants a chance to help complete the final five garden sections while learning directly from the professionals who helped design and build them.

The new sections bring together several approaches to native garden design—including children’s, sensory, and ethnobotanical gardens, a garden designed by local high school students, and plantings created to help beginning native gardeners get started. Many of the designers behind these spaces will also take part in the workshops, with the largest group joining us for the final planting and finishing day in November.

It’s an opportunity to learn practical native landscape techniques while taking part in the completion of a lasting community teaching garden and wildlife habitat.

Build & Learn Workshop Series
Aug 29 · Sept 19 · Nov 7
$45 per workshop · $120 for the full series

Registration + details: cnpssd.org/events

08/07/2026

Do you have a California native garden in North County? We would love to hear from you.

Garden applications are now open for the CNPS San Diego 2027 Native Garden Tour, taking place April 10–11, 2027.

Your garden does not have to be perfect or complete. Small and large gardens, new gardens, and well-established landscapes can all offer visitors valuable ideas and inspiration.

Apply at cnpssd.org or use the link in our bio.

Know someone whose garden could inspire others? Please share this post with them.

# NativePlantGarden

06/23/2026

Join CNPS San Diego for Live in the Garden at the Del Mar Fair on Tuesday, June 24!

Our show garden won 10 awards, including Best in Show, and June 24 is CNPS San Diego’s special day in the garden.

Stop by to explore the garden, talk with CNPS volunteers, ask questions, and get ideas for bringing more California native plants into your own landscape.

At 12 noon, Greg Rubin will give a talk on landscaping with California native plants. He’ll also be available for garden questions and Q&A.

We’ll have CNPS seeds and books, plus select native plants for sale, including Dudleya, Verbena, Eriogonum rubescens, and Bahiopsis.

You’ll also find solar fairy house kits and tiny garden accessories from Mary’s Fairyland, plus hand-cut, hand-painted wooden butterflies, birds, and native plant wall hangings for sale by CNPS volunteer and wood artist Dianna Dibble.

Come say hello, learn with us, and celebrate native plants at the fair!

06/11/2026

05/22/2026

Joey Santore is coming to San Diego.

Join CNPS San Diego for a special June talk and book signing with Joey Santore, creator of , as part of the Concrete Botany / Southwest Tour.

Expect a lively mix of plant science, field observation, comedy, and Joey’s signature rant-style take on modern horticulture, disturbed landscapes, and the resilience of plants in a heavily altered world.

Wednesday, June 3
Doors open: 6 PM
Talk starts: 7 PM
Book signing before and after the talk
Casa del Prado, Balboa Park, Room 101
$20 donation requested

Register in advance through the Eventbrite link on our calendar: cnpssd.org/events

Photo credit slide 2: Torrey Neel /