Stop by the Bay Model to see the native pollinator garden that was recently planted by the Marin chapter of the California Native Plant Society!  This horseshoe-shaped garden was the brainchild of Park Manager, Chris Gallagher, who raised the funds to create it and partnered with the CNPS to make it a reality.

The garden is planted with different wildlife habitats for songbirds, hummingbirds, and butterflies including a Monarch butterfly way station. Each section of the garden focuses on the plants favored by that specific type of pollinator. The purpose was to create a safe haven for all these essential creatures including native bees.  The local native plants offer numerous resources for native creatures: pollen and nectar, seeds and berries, food for the larval stages of butterflies, cover for nesting. Water is provided by a solar-powered birdbath and a misting fountain for the hummingbirds; small puddles for the insects form in the uneven surfaces of the stones and boulders.

Local Sausalito gardeners can get great ideas from this garden, as all the plants are identified with markers (plant list). Gardening with native plants allows you to bring the beauty of California into your landscape while also saving on water, reducing pesticide use, and supporting our local ecology—all the while reducing your maintenance efforts.

Further information on planting with natives can be found on the CNPS website. While you are at the Bay Model, don’t forget to check out the Wildflower Photography exhibit inside!

And one more fun fact: the three huge redwood trees out in front of the Bay Model building were planted in 1987 by Chris Gallagher, who is now the Park Manager for the Bay Model Visitor’s Center.  Thank you, Chris, for having the foresight to plant those gorgeous trees!

Only a couple weeks left to see the special exhibition of photographs entitled Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change at the Bay Model!  This  exhibit features over 70 wildflower portraits and native landscapes by award-winning local photographers Nita Winter and Rob Badger.

The breathtaking photographs address climate change and its effect on a universal symbol of beauty: the wildflower. The exhibition emphasizes Marin’s landscapes, but also includes diverse geographic regions of California, from Sierra alpine rock gardens to Death Valley’s desert scenery. Special interpretive panels connect the wildflower imagery to the specific habitats for these plants here in Marin.

Now through June 1. Tuesday–Friday 9am–4pm, Saturday 10am–5pm. Closed Sunday & Monday
The Bay Model

Presented by the Marin Chapter of the California Native Plant Society. While you are at the Bay Model, don’t forget to check out the new native pollinator garden outside!

Have you ever wondered if you can eat your flowers? In some cases, you can! Many of these edible beauties are easy to grow over the course of a season.

Join Jenine Stilson to learn which flowers or parts of flowers are safe to eat — and some that you should avoid. She will cover ornamentals, herbs, flowers of fruits and vegetables, and even weeds, and give you creative ideas on how to use them.

Jenine became a UC Marin Master Garden in 2014 and is a leader for the Edible Guild. She grew up on her parents’ almond orchard in Yolo County, and has been a life-long gardener of edibles ever since. She is a contributing writer for “Backyard to Belly” and has presented at the Indian Valley Organic Farm & Garden as well as various school gardens.

Thursday, June 27 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Sausalito City Hall

This program is sponsored by the Sausalito Library and Sausalito Beautiful. If you aren’t able to attend the lecture, you may want to explore the Marin Master Gardener website for more information on edible flowers.

Invasive plants brought in from other parts of the world represent a significant challenge to the natural environment of our country and our home landscapes in Marin. When a gardener thinks of an”exotic invasive,” it is usually an insect or a plant. These are, indeed, awful threats but there are exotic invasive diseases, aquatics, and mammals that also pose important threats to our native species and environments.

Based on research done by the UC Cooperative Extension staff, Marin Master Gardener Bob Mauceli will discuss some examples of these alien threats, and what California is doing to deal with them. Before becoming a Marin Master Gardener in 2014, Bob was a Master Gardener for 9 years in New York. He lives on a north Novato hillside that has 21 Tuscan olive trees and is landscaped using native trees, shrubs, ground covers and perennials. His study of the native California environment led him to try to understand more about the threats to it from invasive organisms of all kinds. Bob is also a member of the California Native Plant Society, and is a birder. He has built natural habitats in all the places he and his family have lived.

Thursday, May 30 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, Sausalito City Hall

This program is sponsored by the Sausalito Library and Sausalito Beautiful. If you aren’t able to attend the lecture, you may want to explore the Marin Master Gardener website for more information on invasive plants.

Six new replacement trees have been planted on Bridgeway in the downtown area! Sausalito Beautiful donated the fruitless Chinese pistache trees, while the City’s contractor planted them in March. A huge thanks goes to Loren Umbertis of the Public Works Department for making this happen.

The new trees replaced six diseased Callary Pears.  We hope to work with the City to continue replacing diseased trees in this area at a rate of 10 per year. The most striking characteristic of the Chinese pistache is its intense fall color, when the dark green leaves turn brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and scarlet.

More information on the Downtown Bridgeway Tree Project.

In my professional experience as a landscape architect, trees make the biggest and longest lasting impact on public green spaces. If you have been paying attention, I hope you’re concerned with the numerous trees cut down this year at Dunphy Park and MLK Park. In the case of Dunphy, the park plans include planting more trees than were removed, however the MLK site currently has no plans to replant the site after dozens of mature trees were removed.

Sausalito Beautiful has been leading a dialogue with the City and is moving forward with a plan to replant MLK, the single largest piece of open space in Sausalito. With projects like MLK tree Replanting, the Caldeonia Street Tree Replanting and the Downtown Bridgeway Tree Replanting, Sausalito Beautiful is on track to plant more trees this year than have been planted in Sausalito in the last 5 years or longer. Not only does this make Sausalito more beautiful, but directly counteracts climate change and helps achieve the goals outlined in Sausalito’s 2015 Climate Action Plan. You can help Sausalito Beautiful and help your community by supporting these projects!

In case you want to know more about the benefits of trees, look here, here and here for more information!