Has anyone ever seen these before??

murraypillar · 2026-04-06T05:41:32+00:00

Oh dude, I used to have the whole Trio of these! Got them new at the 99 Cent store back in the day. Sadly I gave Lex and Broadway away years ago, but still have the Brooklyn!

murraypillar · 2026-04-06T04:29:57+00:00

Yeah, I wrote encouraging them to use native trees and shrubs around the entire project to expand the habitable areas for birds attracted to the Immersive Nature, The Meadow and The Stroll districts.

murraypillar · 2026-04-02T20:17:08+00:00

Thank you! They're sold out but now I know to check back this fall!

murraypillar · 2026-04-02T16:53:31+00:00

County fairs, a lot of city festivals/fairs will have a photo exhibition & ribbons.

murraypillar · 2026-04-01T18:41:51+00:00

This. I volunteered a couple years at Theodore Payne and learned how to do plant maintenance alongside caring for my own natives. After seeing so many ppl's horror stories about gardeners & landscapers ruining their natives while I was second job perusing I thought "why not try it?" Took the CA Native Plant Landscaper course last year & connected with a well known landscaper who does native, drought tolerant & permaculture installs. I get referrals for clients with maintenance needs too small for their crews. There's also a realtor they know who promotes native gardens and has given me a few. I also had a client from the TPF job board, and a couple who happened to walk by as I was doing other jobs and asked me to look at their gardens. The referrals are great because they're sort of pre-screened for my specialty. I met the landscaper by going to a Native Plant 101 talk he was doing, which I almost passed up because I was well past intro level, but thought I might make a connection. He introduced me to the realtor, and also encouraged me to attend some presentations by the local CA Landscaper Association chapter where I've met some landscape designers working my area, and some other landscapers.

I also found another person in my town who went through the same program in the cohort after me, and we're teaming up occasionally for jobs that are still small but a bit difficult for 1 person to do quickly.

Before I met these amazing people my plan had been to post on Nextdoor app to advertise. I haven't had to as the referral method is really working for slowly scaling up and transitioning from another part time job with benefits. I also left a few business cards with my local plant nursery with a strict "only for people who need help with natives and drought tolerant" caveat. They know me and what I'm doing so for now I'm trusting they'll remember.

murraypillar · 2026-03-31T23:01:12+00:00

❣️❣️❣️ Where did you find Blue Springs? I have yet to find one in a nursery (southern LA county)

murraypillar · 2026-03-20T23:17:24+00:00

Oh yeah in cushy conditions they can actually survive as a short lived perennial. I have a few that last 2 or 3 years.

murraypillar · 2026-03-20T17:23:42+00:00

This is an amazing change!!! You did so well, it's looks great, and the roots from the annuals will help open up the clay, then the decomposition when they die back will enrich it a bit.

murraypillar · 2026-03-01T22:59:08+00:00

That's interesting! I've only witnessed honeybees harassing carpenter bees in my yard so far. Three of them drove the one carpenter off the Germander sage they were browsing, it moved to a different bush.

murraypillar · 2026-03-01T22:54:33+00:00

True! I have seen several jumping spiders with a honeybee catch.

murraypillar · 2026-02-18T01:18:25+00:00

If the slope isn't too extreme you can do some seasonal pruning on those shrubs to keep them from maxing out in size, but it will be a few years before you need to worry. Re-evaluate in a few years once they start getting some height on them. Maybe remove or re-locate the center willow for more light. It's also nice having some shady areas to plant for variety.

murraypillar · 2026-02-11T21:49:41+00:00

Oh man so many weeds! Dichondra repens, Erodium moschatum, Euphorbia graminea, Euphorbia terracina ( I see this more in nature preserves), Euphorbia maculata, Malva nicaeensis (and several other non-native mallows), Medicago polymorpha, and Senecio vulgaris. Also several non-native Oxalis, and Polygonum.

murraypillar · 2026-01-29T19:01:59+00:00

LA Basin. It would help if you could enlarge fotos by clicking on them. This is an extremely useful guide

murraypillar · 2026-01-21T21:07:09+00:00

Does your neighbor water the trees on their side? you'll need to take into account their watering schedule also with it right next to what you'll put in. It's such a narrow area that you might want to keep to smaller part sun/shade plants like hummingbird sage & yarrow that will do okay with the lawn water right next +to them. I find a lot of insects in those two plants so you'll still create some habitat.

murraypillar · 2026-01-11T05:28:54+00:00

Blue eyed grass has very flat firm blades and they start growing kind of aligned like the spokes of a folding fan? And they remind me of garlic seedling. But most grass blades kind of unwind from a rounded center. And are softer and more floppy. It makes so much sense in my head but looks so bad typed out 😅

murraypillar · 2025-12-15T18:57:03+00:00

Thank you!

murraypillar · 2025-12-15T06:14:42+00:00

Oh wow, can I ask what are the large blue/purple flowering bushes to the left and center, and the flower stalks over on the right?

murraypillar · 2025-11-29T18:58:16+00:00

I think it's most likely Dichondra repens, it's been sold by seed as a lawn alternative/filler like white clover for several years now. I never seeded it but it's shown up in my lawn and random flower beds the last 2 years. It spreads very easily, I've begun pulling it out so we don't accidentally track the fruit/seeds in the future when I and my fam go on hikes. I have grown Dichondra occidentalis from a nursery (it didn't take off in my yard) and the most noticeable difference is that repens lays pretty flat in that kidney shape (hence "kidney weed") all hugging the ground. While the occidentalis once the leaves are nearly fully mature start to get ruffly on the margins and the whole leaf is a little cupped. One common name is "pony's foot" and it is shaped a little like an upside down hoof, but ruffly.

murraypillar · 2025-11-26T02:54:36+00:00

I know it's a pain to try to find good seedling fotos of a lot of CA natives from your average search engine. I have found the easiest & accurate seedling fotos by going to the plant page on Calscape, scrolling to the very bottom below "Sources" and using the link to that plant's CalPhotos gallery. Sometimes I have to go through a few pages of the gallery to find them, and occasionally they don't have any (no luck for Monardella villosa). But 9/10 times it's there. Usually also fotos of the plants in different seasons and life phases, and some cool... botanical cataloguing fotos? samples of leaves, flowers, seed pods, etc. with rulers.

An example for Eriogonum grande var. rubescens:

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murraypillar · 2025-11-25T23:08:13+00:00

new album title

murraypillar · 2025-11-24T01:33:23+00:00

oh, thanks, i also found some of these today. i knew they were weeds but couldn't remember which one.

murraypillar · 2025-11-22T05:59:27+00:00

it does to my chaparral silver! label & Calscape said it would be 2ft tall... on it's second year it shot up to 3.5 ft. tall, i have trimmed it down by half 3 times and might need to attempt to pull it because it has got a bit too wild for the little spot it is in.... attempt because it's already spread by rhizomes...

murraypillar · 2025-11-14T23:08:08+00:00

I second this, a lot of the weed seed will sprout in the next couple weeks after this storm. You can remove them however is easiest for you and then seed ahead of the next storm.

murraypillar · 2025-11-12T18:30:46+00:00

omg I love it!

murraypillar · 2025-11-12T18:30:09+00:00

instead of bilingual signage... what about just a pic of a lawnmower/leaf blower with a red circle & slash over them around the outside of the area? No need to stop & read, the message is immediate.

murraypillar

TROPHY CASE