Welcome to the Weekend Dispatch. Here are our top finds for March 26.
Malacothrix incana is a dune dwelling dandelion found only on sand dunes along the coast in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, as well as the Channel Islands. Its restricted distribution is why it is listed as rare. Photo by Matt Berger | Instagram
01. Photographer pick: Matt Berger
It's that time of year when daily walks are filled with bright colors and strong smells. Matt Berger — a biodiversity fanatic, botanist, and one of the most eager plant, fungi and critter enthusiasts — has a lot to share about them.
An avid foot traveler (having backpacked more than 12,000 miles), Berger takes brilliant native botanic photos while adventuring and is determined to teach his fans about the plants' roles in the world of biodiversity.
He also has a five-part webinar series called Botanical Tales of the Pacific Crest Trail. You can follow his photos on Instagram at @sheriff_woody_pct!
Learn the do's and don'ts with "Pruning Plants for a Successful Spring". Photo by David Vig | Unsplash
02. Article pick: Pruning Plants for a Successful Spring
Early-spring pruning is essential as it encourages new growth and sets up a healthy season for summer-blooming plants.
"Pruning Plants for a Successful Spring" has all the information you need to see your backyard reach its full potential. And you might just find the process isn't as intimidating as it sounds.
“Plants You Can't Kill: 101 Easy-to-Grow Species for Beginning Gardeners” by Stacy Torino. Provided photo
03. Book pick: Plants You Can't Kill
Are you just getting into gardening? Or gave it a try and failed? Stacy Torino will change your mind (and ways) about your black thumb with practical advice and more than 100 easy-to-grow vegetables, flowers, herbs, trees, shrubs and even houseplants to choose from.
Click here for purchase options.
The flowers of a bee lawn provide food for pollinators and use low-input methods that use less fertilizer and pesticides. Photo by Esperanza Doronila | Unsplash
04. Audio pick: How to Plant a Pollinator Lawn
Pollinators lawns, or “bee lawns,” are growing in popularity for urban homeowners as awareness spreads of the challenges facing pollinators. These special lawns comprise turfgrass with a variety of low-growing, flowering plants, and they even provide benefits to urban landscapes including reduced mowing needs.
This 6-minute video gives you what you need to get your yard buzzing. It demonstrates the basics of planting a pollinator lawn — how to plant a pollinator seed mix over an existing lawn, and how to plant the same seed in bare soil.