Saturday, February 27, 2016

A SPECIAL INVITATION FOR OUR LOCAL RESIDENTS

"NATIVE JEWELS OF JAMUL (and Beyond)

SPECIAL NATIVE GARDENS MINI-TOUR 

CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANT SOCIETY (SAN DIEGO) & DEERHORN VALLEY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

SUNDAY APRIL 3rd
9:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. 
SPECIAL PRICING FOR LOCAL RESIDENTS
(FIRST NOTICE!)

"Native Jewels of Jamul...and Beyond"  will feature five very unique properties right here in our backcountry.  This Special Sunday "Mini-Tour" is organized by the San Diego Native Plant Society and co-sponsored by the DVCA.

A special pricing of $15/ticket for local area residents will include admission to all five sites (Sunday only), maps, mini-guide, and expert native-plant docents at each site for your questions. On the morning of the Tour, you'll be able to register right here in Deerhorn Valley at the home of Kim & Rob. (DV Rd and Elena Lane). Rob will provide us all some of his home-roasted coffees, and the DVCA will provide goodies to accompany, as well as light hors d'oeuvres at both Deerhorn Valley properties.  All is included with Special-price Backcountry Resident Ticket.

The link for ordering these special tickets online is NOT yet active!  Email  DVCA@deerhornvalley.net, and we'll send you an email blast as soon as the Native Plant Society has it up and running.

What a wonderful opportunity for Deerhorn area residents to meet up, and see first-hand how native plants work with our backcountry drought and fire-prone hillsides.   Here's a quick sampling of the five featured properties: 

— TRINCHERA RANCH (Deerhorn Valley) — 

After Bob and Suzy Bullock removed weeds to reduce wildfire risk on their Deerhorn Valley property in 2005, Bob started to notice that lovely native wildflowers and shrubs began to pop up. Bob was inspired to augment this natural regeneration by planting about 160 more native plants and then to build pathways winding through them, down to and across the stream that cuts through their property. The result is a 2-acre garden design that is sensitive to the different micro-habitats on the slopes and canyons, with distinct manzanita and mixed chaparral, oak woodland, Cliffside, and meadow habitats all visible during a short walk.




— RANCHO CHUPAROSA (Deerhorn Valley) —


Bob Hill and Mary Jane Quinn started planting their 40-acre property with native plants in 2005. Now gardens sprawl over 2 ½ acres amidst patios, walkways, fountains, and ponds. In addition to the manzanitas and other chaparral species that would be expected in a native garden here, they included California native plants from two very different locales: the desert and the Channel Islands. The austere desert trees set off the fuller evergreen shrubs and trees, creating the relaxed feel of a back country retreat.
The buildings use environmentally friendly straw-bale construction (you can even take a peek at the guts), earthen plaster, reclaimed wood, and electric photo-voltaic solar panels. Their ponds recycle rainwater which shed off the metal roofs and funnel down a network of buried pipes. A 6500 gallon storage tank captures additional rainwater which is used for their organic vegetable garden and fruit trees.  A native jewel for all seasons!


— DAN & REBECCA KJONEGAARD (Rancho San Diego) — (photos coming!)
The Kjonegaards are relative newcomers to native plants, so this is a perfect complement to the more established garden sites in Deerhorn Valley. The native oaks on their 2-acre hillside property have been complemented with native shrubs and ground covers that provide an aesthetic link to the surrounding chaparral. Buckwheats and other colorful shrubs on the front slope give way to more formal sage-rich plantings in front of the house. Walk around back, past the eclectic collection of “gracefully aging” tools and implements, to an assortment of manzanitas and wild lilacs. Looking upward to the hills, you’ll see both the “before” condition of the whole property and the location for the next bunch of native plants.

— RANCHO JAMUL ECOLOGICAL RESERVE (Jamul) —

The historic Daley Ranch House off Hwy 94 now serves as the headquarters for various area wildlife agencies at the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve and is normally closed to the public. Earth Discovery Institute has led volunteer efforts to transform the landscape in keeping with its location within a habitat preserve. Nearest the house is the Ranch House Garden, with a fragrant array of native shrubs, and a habitat pond that is a boon to local critters. The heavy clay soil in part of the garden is being reconditioned and the step-by-step process will be displayed. A little walk will take you to a pollinator garden planted by elementary students from area schools, a Tecate Cypress grove that will serve as a seed bank to keep the species from extinction if wildfires destroy the last natural stands, and a cactus growing area used for habitat restoration for the coastal cactus wren. Earth Discovery Institute and wildlife staff will be on hand to talk about the goings-on at the Reserve.


— THE NATIVE HABITAT AT THE GARDEN (Rancho San Diego) —

This ecological garden demonstrates a straightforward approach to habitat creation called plant community design. By replicating plant associations found in nature, a low-maintenance and exceptionally drought-tolerant landscape is produced.  A docent from the Native Plant Society will be there especially for Tour participants. Here's a wonderful resource to start with planting natives that will thrive in our chaparral and oak woodland habitats.