Welcome to the Southern California Horticultural Society

PLANT LOVERS SHARINg KNOWLEDGE

On the second Thursday of each month, we invite speakers to present a talk or program about their area of expertise. We offer in-person meetings as well as live-streaming on Zoom. Everyone is welcome! In-person events are usually free for SCHS Members and students with ID; a $5 entry fee is requested for non-members. Zoom webinars are usually free, but registration is required.

Meetings may also include Plant Sales, a Raffle and expert discussion of plants brought in to the Plant Forum. Do you have an interesting plant to share? If you can't bring one in person, send in a photo and requested information on our Plant Forum Page.

For more information about the Society, please see our About SCHS page.

UPCOMING EVENT:

Thursday, February 12th, 2026

zoom only - schs February Meeting

Photos courtesy of the speaker

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR — 

"GIVING TREES A SECOND LIFE:  
HABITAT VALUE OF DEAD, DYING, AND DECAYING TREES” 

WITH RYAN SUTTLE, CONSULTING ARBORIST AND URBAN FORESTER AT HORTSCIENCE/BARTLETT CONSULTING IN BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA

On February 12 the Southern California Horticultural Society welcomes as our online guest speaker  Ryan Suttle, a consulting arborist and urban Forester at HortScience/Bartlett Consulting in Berkeley, California.  As in his consulting work, Suttle’s program will focus on assessing tree risk and considering what secondary value these trees might have after their lives are considered to be over. 

Suttle has a strong arboricultural background through his Masters of Science degree in environmental conservation, with a focus in arboriculture & urban forestry, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is a Board Certified Master Arborist with the International Society of Arboriculture, and in his current position at Bartlett Consulting he specializes in tree risk assessment and vegetation inventorying. 

Of particular interest to Suttle is the intersection of wildlife and arboriculture, especially in increasingly urban and fragmented environments. In a recent article about boosting wildlife habitat in gardens, he suggested that homeowners consider the value that decaying trees have by keeping some dead branches or entire dead tree snags where they pose low risk. In more natural areas, downed wood may be placed on the ground in partial shade to encourage use by birds and reptiles or small mammals.  Suttle will explore this philosophy in his program and share images representing these practices and more. 

This atypical approach to tree care  should give us all food for thought as we begin to assess the needs in our own gardens for the coming year – and maybe allow us to rethink some of our perceived notions about maintenance – giving us more time to relax in and enjoy our landscapes.

We hope you will be able to tune in for this evening’s webinar. You won’t want to miss this fascinating presentation, and can register to view it at: www.socalhort.org.

All photos courtesy of speaker  

DATE:  Thursday,  February 12, 2026

Meeting opens at 7:10pm (PST); Plant Forum starts at 7:15pm; Program starts at 7:30pm

Members:  FREE  /  Non-Members:  Free for Zoom

NOTE:  The program will be recorded and posted to our YouTube channel.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, February 7, 9:00-11;30am
Coffee in the Garden tour
Arnold Garden in Chatsworth - registration is open!
CLICK HERE to register or go to our Events Page.

Thursday, February 12, 2026 at 7:00pm

Online Zoom

Arborist Ryan Suttle will speak on "Giving Trees a Second Life: Habitat Value of Dead, Dying, Decaying Trees"

Friday, March 13 - the 2026 Ruth Borun Lecture Series
John and Molly Chester of the 2018 documentary "The Biggest Little Farm" will be speaking on regenerative farming and land stewardship. Details will be announced soon!

Saturday, March 21
Field Trip to Apricot Lane Farms in Somis
Details will be announced soon!

Visit our Past Meetings page to re-watch previously recorded in-person meetings and webinars, download each meeting write-up, and reference any materials provided by our speakers.

SCHS Statement of Solidarity

As a horticultural nonprofit, we stand in solidarity with the agricultural and horticultural workers whose skill and daily labor sustain our gardens, green spaces, and food systems. We honor their expertise and recognize that these workers, like all people in the United States, are protected by constitutional rights that uphold equal protection under the law, freedom of speech and association, and the right to fair and lawful treatment in their workplaces and communities.

We are committed to respecting their contributions to the land and supporting safe, fair, and dignified working conditions. Our work is possible because of theirs.

• Our Hort Happenings page lists events at local horticultural institutions. 
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