Live in or near Hollywood and TPF is too far of a drive? Well, we're coming to you! Armed with plenty of California native plants and related literature, we'll be setting up shop at the famed and ever-popular Hollywood Farmers' Market beginning Sunday, January 6th.

Hours are: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm - plenty of time for leisurely shopping. You can even get breakfast too! What a lovely way to spend a Sunday morning. Hope to see you there.

Saturday, January 19th, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. - Pine Needle Basketry with Leigh Adams. Only a few spaces left!

Saturday, February 9th, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. - All About Leaves with Lisa Novick (for adults and kids). Through hands-on activities and science demonstrations, you'll discover adaptations leaves of California native plants have made over many thousands of years to survive the elements. See Field Trip section below for student testimonials.

Saturday, February 23rd, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. - A Bird's Eye View of Native Plants with Ken Gilliland. If you've ever wondered about the local birds in your neighborhood and what native plants will attract them to your garden, this is the class for you! It starts with basic birding identification skills and moves on to show you how to increase the amount of birds and diversity of species in your yard by using California native plants and creating a mini oasis or "EcoTone."

Saturday, March 8th, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. - Lester Rowntree: Contributions to Native Plant Horticulture. Don't miss this fascinating lecture by Rosemary Foster about Lester Rowntree, a contemporary of Theodore Payne who wrote volumes about and designed many California native plant gardens during her lifetime. She was a true pioneer and there is endless inspiration to be gleaned from her work.

Register for any class by calling 818-768-1802.

The 2008 TP Garden Tour is around the corner: Saturday, April 12th and Sunday April 13th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day. We'll be showcasing more than 30 California native plant gardens in the Los Angeles area and offering a free talk by Alrie Middlebrook, coauthor of Designing Native Plant Gardens (UC Press, 2007) at Barnsdall Theatre on the evening of Saturday, April 12. Everyone is welcome to come to the talk (not just Garden Tour ticket-holders).

If you have a creative, interesting and unique botanical creation that contains at least 50% California native plants and you'd like it to be considered for the Tour, please contact us at 818-768-1802.

We need volunteers who are outgoing and knowledgeable about California native plants to be docents during the Tour. To sign up for one or both of the days, please call 818-768-1802.

Tickets ($20 per person) may be purchased by phone: 818-768-1802. They make a terrific present, be it for Valentine's Day (a promise to take your sweetheart on a romantic stroll through some of LA's most beautiful gardens), birthdays, Easter, Passover, you name it.

Pick up a pot or two (or three!) on your next trip to Theodore Payne and discover the creative world of container gardening with California native plants. We're serving up a wide variety of styles, shades and sizes at prices that are a steal!

In January we're offering Ceanothus impressus var. nipomensis to our current members at a 20% discount. Native to Santa Barbara and San Luis Opisbo Counties, this variety of California wild lilac is an evergreen eight foot tall and wide shrub with small, glossy green leaves and violet-colored buds that precede beautiful dark blue flower clusters in the late winter/early spring. It tolerates sand (grows nicely in beach sand) and drought once established and is a magnet for butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. Birds will use it for cover and browse it for seeds. Several of these Ceanothus planted along a fence or wall form a stunning hedge.

We've recently begun offering fun and informative field trips for 3rd & 4th grade students. There are two programs from which to choose. Each one lasts a little over an hour, with a break in the middle, and will be held in the Picnic Area under sycamore trees. The fee for each program is $50.00 per class. Classes are welcome to stay and eat lunch after the program and visit our nursery and bookstore as well.

"All About Leaves," our life sciences standards-based program for third and fourth graders, centers on the leaf adaptations of California native plants. Students will examine the leaves of plants from different habitats, then draw and describe the leaves and analyze their characteristics to link them to their adaptive purpose. In addition, there will be a demonstration of the varying heat absorption rates for leaves of different colors, as well as a demonstration of how plants combat water loss through plant oils. Throughout the program, the vital ecological link between butterflies and birds and native plants will be emphasized so that students understand the importance of preserving and restoring our California landscape. Students will learn not only about the water-saving benefits of native plants, but also about the crucial ecological function they fulfill. This program satisfies, for third grade, science content standards 3.3.a, 3.3.d, 3.5.c, 3.5.d and 3.5.e, and for fourth grade, science content standards 4.2.a, 4.3.c and 4.6.b..

"Tongva Rope-Making and Tools from Native Plants," our social science standards-based program for third and fourth graders, centers on rope-making, one of the most crucial skills of California's indigenous peoples. Through making rope with yucca fibers, students will learn how the indigenous peoples of our region adapted to the natural environment and used its natural resources. Various other goods and tools made from natural resources will also be shown to demonstrate how native plants formed the basis for the material culture of southern California's indigenous peoples. This program satisfies, for third grade, social science content standards 3.1.2 and 3.2.2, and for fourth grade, social science content standards, 4.1.3, 4.2.1 and 4.2.5.

Field Trip Testimonials: Here's what some recent attendees had to say about their experiences at TPF:
"My favorite part is when we were doing science. I learned a lot about leafs. My favorite leaf is the toyon leaf. I had so much fun." - Rayne G.
"Me and my friend enjoyed the white sage. I liked to smell it a lot." - Pedro.
"I liked that we studied leaves. We measured the temperature of cups of water. Most of all, I loved being there with you and the Theodore Payne Foundation. I wish I could stay for the rest of my life." - Andrea G.

For further information and to schedule a field trip, please contact Lisa Novick at lisa@theodorepayne.org.

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