You should check this one out! The Los Angeles Cactus and Succulent Society's 11th Annual Drought Tolerant Plant Festival "Water Wise Dollar Wise" Learn how landscaping with drought tolerant plants can save you money and water. � Interior Educational Displays � Exterior Demonstration Gardens � Raffle � Silent Auction � Plant and Pottery Sale � Craft sales Saturday�s Guest Speakers Include: Lili Singer, "California Natives in the Garden" sponsored by the Theodore Payne Foundation(11:15am) Mike Buckner, "The Art of Staging Succulents" (2:15pm) Chief Mark Stormes from the LAFD, "Vegetation Management in the Los Angeles City Brush Zone" (1:00pm) Nels Christianson, "Gardens of Brazil", sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Bromeliad Society (10:00am) Sunday Kids Day � Arts and Crafts � Create Father�s Day Gifts � Pot -A -Plant � Games �Educational Gardens Drought Tolerant Plant Festival Saturday June 11th 9am to 5pm (Lectures start at 10:00) Sunday June 12th 9am to 4pm (Kid�s events start at 10:30) Sepulveda Garden Center 16633 Magnolia Blvd Encino, CA 91436 For Times and More Information 818 220 8005 or www.lacss.com Our website http://www.waterwisedollarwise.com Here is a link that might be useful: The LACSS 11th Annual Drought Tolerant Plant Festival June 11th and 12th 2011

I don't know which it is. To be honest, "Allen Chickering" and "Pozo Blue" look the same to me. Maybe someone can show me the difference. There are other hybrids, of course, but these are common. "Pozo Blue" is a Las Pilitas specialty. "Pozo" is a small place on the map near Las Pilitas's Santa Margarita campus. "Winnifred Gilman," an authentic S. clevelandii, does have dark blue flowers. Some wild plants have the same deep color, and in fact I've grown some from cuttings, and they are in the ground now. The hybrids typically have lighter blue flowers (or is it purple; I'm color blind & can't tell) and they tend to have the multiple heads on one stem. They get that from their S. leucophylla ancestor. They also start flowering later than S. leucophylla but earlier than S. clevelandii. Real S. clevelandii more often have only one flowering head on a stem. I posted photos of real S. clevelandii as seen in nature on the "Salvia clevelandii in California" thread that I created here a year ago. Last year I found an interesting S. clevelandii x S. apiana hybrid near Escondido. This is a recognized natural hybrid called Salvia x palmeri. These two species bloom at the same time, so I'm not surprised that they have natural hybrids. I'm more surprised by S. mellifera x S. apiana hybrids, which are rather frequent where these two species occur together, since S. mellifera are usually finished flowering well before S. apiana start.

In years past I have had quite a few big out door parties. My back yard alone is about 1/2 an acre....and ringed with bushes and trees and gardens. The best solution I found was something called "skeeter beater"...granular stuff you sprinkle around a few hours before the party. It worked fairly in combo with yard guard....but every flower it got on became discolored in a day or 2...some leaves too...spotted. New growth and flowers covered it up but.... If I were doing sometning like that now, I would start now being vigilant about any water. I would have a dunk in every birdbath and pool and ask my neighbors to do the same. And I would start soon with spraying every few days to reduce the population. I know...I hate to put that much poision into the air but.... Then the day of....I would do lots of Yard guard....fans aw far as I could string them. Not blowing from the shrubbery into the crowd but from the crowd to the shrubs. and I would have a table with every type of repellant I could think of. No citronella candles...gag! I don't know what your time frame is, but skeeters become most active at dusk, It won't be too bad before that time and once it gets good and dark they sort of go to sleep. So perhaps a second run around the perimeter of the yard about 7:00 would further knock them back. Good luck....sounds lovely! Linda C

Eriogonum fasciculatum grows wild on the hillsides in Castro Valley. You definitely need to try this fabulous plant. I planted it in the fall last year (so it got a ton of rain this year) and have only watered it 3 times since planting it. It is in full bloom now and as I mentioned above attracts all kinds of cool bees (probably even cooler bees in your region). Not sure how much room you have but if you can plant a tree, a Fremontadendron might work for you. It does need good drainage. Plant in the fall, water it in well and let the rain do the rest. This plant really does not like summer water. If you have a smaller yard, look for Ken Taylor or Dara's Gold. Doesn't need a lot of pruning and if you do prune it, be cautious of the leaves, they are hairy and can be irritating. Another great shrub that does well in Livermore is Dendromecon hardfordii and Dendromecon rigida (Bush Poppy). I have seen both here and they bloom ALL year round. Bright yellow flowers that are so cheery. It can get 8-10 feet tall and 5 feet wide if it is happy. Once established, it survives on NO summer water here in Livermore and we just had a 107 degree day. Not a native but does great in my yard, Nepeta faassenii (Cat Mint). Adored by bees and certain butterflies. It has purple flowers and the leaves have a nice scent. I have it in my front and backyard. I water in my backyard (which is not native) and don't really water in my front yard (which is native). Haven't really noticed a difference. This plant is a trooper. Needs to be pruned back once it blooms the first time in late Spring and then it blooms a second time. I got lazy and didn't prune it in my backyard and it still blooming. Go figure. Good luck!!