PAST SCHS MEETINGS
Following is a list of prior SCHS meetings, in chronological order (newest date first).
Click on the month to download a copy of the meeting write-up in our newsletter. Select meetings and their plant forums have also been recorded and are available on our YouTube channel!
We know that times are tough for everyone right now, but if you are enjoying our webinars, we hope you will consider becoming an SCHS Member or making a small donation (online or via mailed check) so that we can continue to provide free programs. Thank you!
2024
2024 September Recap.pdf - “California Native Seed: How to Identify, Collect, and Sow the Future” with Antonio Sanchez, Nursery Manager and Restoration Outreach Coordinator for SAMOFund in Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum / Demonstration - How to Identify, Collect and Sow Seed
2024 August Recap.pdf - “Firescaping and Habitat Gardening” with Co-Authors Rachel Schleiger and Adrienne Edwards - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum / Plant Sloping Paper
2024 July Recap.pdf - “Creating a Resilient Garden: Using Stormwater as a Resource” with Marilee Kuhlmann - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2024 June Recap.pdf - “Presidio Tunnel Tops: Creating a National Park for All at the Golden Gate” with Michael Boland, Chief Park Officer at the Presidio - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2024 May Recap.pdf - “Experiments with Different Growing Methods for Fruits and Veggies” with Mike Wood of Huarache Farms - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2024 April Recap.pdf 2024 Ruth Borun Lecture Series: Brian Kemble of the Ruth Bancroft Garden on "All Plants Come from Somewhere! How Plant Origin Clues Make Us Better Gardeners" - Recording and Q&A / No Plant Forum
2024 March Recap.pdf - “Exercise in the Hyper-local: How the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is Connecting Critical Habitat and Supporting Biodiversity" with Landscape Architect, Robert Rock - Recording / Plant Forum
2024 February Recap.pdf - “Chile: From the Atacama Desert to Patagonia” with Paul Mills, Director of Conservation and Curator of Living Collections at Lotusland – Recording / Plant Forum Special notice: Wildfires have recently devastated critical Chilean habitat and even the National Botanic Garden at Viña del Mar. If you can, please consider donating to our horticultural friends in Chile to help them rebuild. You can contribute to the Botanic Garden Conservation International Disaster Recovery Fund, or give directly to the Jardín Botánico Nacional de Viña del Mar.
2024 January Recap - “The Gardener Did It! Following the Clues of Japanese-American Landscaping and Flower Growing in Southern California” with Naomi Hirahara - Recording / Plant Forum
2023
2023 December Recap.pdf - “Avocados: Their Natural History and How to Grow Them” with Eric Focht of UCR- Recording / No Plant Forum
2023 November Recap.pdf - "Rooted in History: Stories from the Huntington" with Sandy Masuo - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2023 October Recap.pdf - Horticulturist of The Year Award Banquet: Richard Schulhof - no recording available
2023 September Recap.pdf Tim Becker of the Theodore Payne Foundation Nicholas Staddon of Everde Growers Kathy Musial of The Huntington on "Hot and Cool New Plants" - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2023 August - no meeting
2023 July Recap.pdf Madena Asbell of the Mojave Desert Land Trust on "Desert Plants for LA Gardens" - Recording and Q&A/Plant Forum
2023 June Recap.pdf Jeff Chemnick of Aloes in Wonderland specialty nursery on "Creating a Field Guide to the Plants of Oaxaca"- Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2023 May Recap.pdf Anjali Berger and Steve List present "Growing Green Thumbs: Creating a Love of Gardening in Kids & Teens" - Recording and Q&A
2023 April Recap.pdf 2023 Ruth Borun Lecture Series: Fergus Garrett of Great Dixter Gardens on "Great Dixter: A Garden Richer in Biodiversity than the Surrounding Countryside" - Recording and Q&A
2023 March Recap.pdf Renee Shepherd presents "Garden to Table From Seed" - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2023 February Recap.pdf Chris Cosma on "Prioritizing California Native Plants for Butterfly and Moth Conservation" - Recording and Q&A / Plant Forum
2023 January Recap.pdf Special screening and panel discussion of the short film Saging the World - no recording available
2022
2022 December Recap.pdf "DIY Paper Crepe Flowers: Holiday Meeting" with Layla Valenzuela - Recording and Q&A
2022 November Recap.pdf "The Modern Crevice Garden: Going West With It" with Kenton Seth - Recording / Plant Forum
2022 October Recap.pdf "The Whitelock Cycad Collection Takes Root at the Huntington" with Gary Roberson - Recording and Q&A
2022 September Recap.pdf 2022 September: Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet honoring Dave Fross - no recording.
2022 August Recap.pdf "Micro Forests in Los Angeles" with Horticulturalist and Educator, Katherine Pakradouni / Recording / Plant Forum
2022 July Recap.pdf "Ralph Cornell: Water and the 'Genuine' Southern California Landscape" with Brian Tichenor of Tichenor and Thorpe Architects / Recording / Plant Forum
2022 June Recap.pdf "Antioxidants from Your Garden" with Tom Spellman, Fruit growing expert Tom Spellman of Dave Wilson Nursery / Recording and Q&A / Handout on Antioxidants
2022 May Recap.pdf "Of Cultivars and California Native Plants - and 'Nativars'" with Bart O'Brien, director of Regional Parks Botanic Garden / Recording / Plant Forum
2022 April Recap.pdf "Garden Allies: An Introduction to Life in the Landscape" with Frédérique Lavoipierre, author, educator, consultant / Recording / Plant Forum / 2021 SCHS Internship Awardee - Matt
2022 March Recap.pdf "Growing Your Best Tomatoes" with Steve List, agriculture teacher at Sylmar Charter High School / Recording / Plant Forum
2022 February Recap.pdf Ruth Borun Lecture Series presenting Dr. Suzanne Simard, "Finding the Mother Tree" /no recording available/ Plant Forum
2022 January Recap.pdf "Horticultural Therapy in Practice" with Arleen Ferrara, owner of Satori Garden Design / Recording / Resources / Plant Forum
2021
2021 Dec Recap.pdf "California in a Vase: Native Plant Arrangements for Every Season" with Lucinda McDade, Executive Director of California Botanic Garden (CalBG), and Linda Prendergast, head of the Native Designs volunteer group at CalBG / Recording / Plant Forum / 2021 SCHS Internship Awardee - Marissa
2021 Nov Recap.pdf "A Brief History of Black Designers and Planters" with Matt Williams, urban planner with the City of Detroit Planning and Development Department / Recording / Plant Forum
2021 Oct Recap.pdf "Growing Weed in the Garden" with Johanna Silver / Recording / Plant Forum / 2021 SCHS Internship Awardee - Bridget
2021 Sept Recap.pdf 2021 Horticulturist of the Year Awards honoring Bill Baker, John Dourley, and Virginia Hayes / Recording
2021 August Recap.pdf "Gardening Tools of the Trade" with Jill Morganelli, horticulturist and educator / Recording
2021 July Recap.pdf "Fruit Tree Ins-and-Outs: Why Commercially Cultivated Fruit Tree Species are Different from Other Trees" with Joanna Glovinsky, founder of Fruitstitute / Recording / Plant Forum
2021 June Recap.pdf "Gardening in Summer-Dry Climates - Beyond Mediterranean" with Saxon Holt, director of the Summer-Dry Project / Recording / Plant Forum
2021 May Recap.pdf "Native Plant Palettes - Creating Dyes from our Fibershed" with Rebecca Burgess, executive director of Fibershed / Recording / Plant Forum / 2020 SCHS Internship Awardee - Sharon
2021 April Recap.pdf "Composting for Climate and Community Resiliency" with Michael Martinez, founder and executive director of L.A. Compost / Recording / Plant Forum
2021 March Recap.pdf "Designing Living Walls for the Urban Environment" with David Brenner, founding principal of and lead designer at Habitat Horticulture / Recording / Plant Forum
2021 Feb Recap.pdf Ruth Borun Lecture Series presenting Jennifer Jewell, "Cultivating Place: How a Garden Culture of Care Strengthens Places and Their People" / Recording
2021 Jan Recap.pdf "Planting California Natives Created a Wildlife Oasis!" with Scott Logan, photographer and naturalist at The Gottlieb Native Garden and owner of Wild Wings Backyard Nature Store / Recording / Plant Forum
2020
2020 Dec Recap.pdf "Mission Possible: Growing Roses Organically" with Steve Gerischer, owner of Larkspur Garden Design and vice president of the Southern California Horticultural Society / Recording / Q&A / Plant Forum
2020 Nov Recap.pdf "Nature Restoration Landscaping" with Dennis Mudd, founder of Calscape and co-director of Smart Food Foundation / Recording / Q&A / Presentation PDF / Plant Forum
2020 Oct Recap.pdf "Growing Asian Vegetables in Los Angeles" with Florence Nishida, co-founder of L.A. Green Grounds / Recording / Q&A / Handout / Recipes / Plant Forum
2020 Sept Recap.pdf 2020 Horticulturist of the Year Awards honoring Dara Emery, Denis Kurutz, and Bert & Manny Singer / Recording
2020 August Recap.pdf "Plant Hormones: Knowing and Managing Them for Better Results" with Ernesto Sandoval, Director of the UC Davis Botanical Conservatory / Recording / Plant Forum
2020 July Recap.pdf "Veggies Taste Better When You Grow Your Own!" with Yvonne Savio, UC Master Gardener and author of Gardening in LA / Recording / Presentation Outline / Q&A
2020 June Recap "Agaves for the Landscape" with Greg Starr, author and owner of Starr Nursery / Recording / Q&A
2020 May Recap Sandy Masuo on "Winging It: Birding Basics for Gardeners" with Sandy Masuo, Associate Editor, Publications Division at the Los Angeles Zoo / Recording / Presentation PDF
2020 Feb Recap.pdf "A Tale of Two Floras: California and South Africa" with Evan Meyer, Executive Director of the Theodore Payne Foundation / Recording
2020 Jan Recap.pdf "Tending L.A.'s Trees: Getting it right from Juveniles to Giants" with arborist Nick Araya of TreeCareLA / Recording
2019
2019 Dec Recap.pdf "The Lore and Legends of Christmas Greens" with Marie Barnidge-McIntyre, Horticulturist at the Rancho Los Cerritos Historic Site / Recording
2019 Nov Recap.pdf "After Sunset: Ecologically Sensitive Lighting and Landscape Design" with Dr. Travis Longcore of the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability / Recording
2019 Oct Recap.pdf Panel Discussion "True Confessions: Let's Talk about Lawn Alternatives" with landscape designers Wynne Wilson, Ellen Mackey, Cassy Aoyagi and Joel Lichtenwalter.
2019 Sept Recap.pdf 2019 Horticulturist of the Year banquet honoring Mike Evans of Tree of Life Nursery / Recording
2019 August Recap.pdf Michael Wilken-Robertson on "Kumeyaay Ethnobotany: Shared Heritage of the Californias" / Recording / Plant Forum
2019 July Recap.pdf Robert "Bob" Allen on "Native Plants and the Critters that Love Them" / Recording
2019 June Recap.pdf Matt Ritter on "Southern California Tree Selection: Factors to Consider in an Era of Global Climate Change, Droughts and Decreasing Diversity"
2019 May Recap.pdf Nan Sterman of A Growing Passion on "Hot Color, Dry Garden: Creating Color-filled Waterwise Gardens"
2019 April Recap.pdf Matt Candeias of In Defense of Plants on "Gardening in a Changing Environment" / Recording
2019 March Recap.pdf Mike Evans of Tree of Life Nursery on "Ugly is Not a Turf Replacement"
2019 Feb Recap.pdf Jason Dewees of Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco on "Designing with Palms for Dry Climates"
2019 Jan Recap.pdf Jennifer Hinostroza of Mt. San Antonio College on "Houseplants and Balcony Gardening"
PDF version of Jennifer's houseplant recommendations handout: Houseplants.pdf
2018
2018 Dec Recap.pdf Jo O'Connell of Australian Native Plants Nursery on "Australian Native Plants: Survivors and Thrivers"
PDF version of Jo O'Connell's December 2018 talk (4.5 MB file): Australian Native Plants for Fire Resistance 12_07_18.pdf
2018 Nov Recap.pdf Betsy Collins of the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden on "Horticultural Treasures from the California Islands"
2018 Oct Recap.pdf Shawn Maestretti and Wynne Wilson on "Designer Insights: Artfully Blending Natives & Exotics in the Garden"
2018 Sept Recap.pdf Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet honoring John Schoustra
2018 August Recap.pdf Kelly Comras on "Ruth Shellhorn: Midcentury Landscape Architecture in Southern California"
2018 July Recap.pdf Philip Rundel on "From Proteas to Aloes: Exploring the Remarkable Flora of South Africa"
2018 June Recap.pdf Saxon Holt on "Think Like a Camera"
2018 May Recap.pdf Tom Glavich on "Bulbs: From the Old World to Your Garden"
2018 April Recap.pdf Steven Gerischer and Laurel Woodley on "Succulents in the Southern California Landscape" and tour of the Succulent Collections at the Huntington
2018 March Recap.pdf Antonio Sanchez on "Inviting California to Dinner: Bringing California Native Plant Foods into Your Life, and the Future of Native Plant Agriculture"
PDF version of Antonio's talk (12 MB file): Hort Society Native Food Talk.pdf
2018 Feb Recap.pdf Jeff Chemnick of Aloes in Wonderland Rare Plant Nursery on "Treasures of the Sierra Madres: Botanizing in Mexico"
2018_Jan Recap.pdf Tracey Kahn on "Citrus Appeal: Delving Into Citrus Diversity at UC Riverside"
2017
2017 Dec Recap.pdf Jerry Robinson of Rainforest Flora on "Bromeliads for the Home Garden" and Holiday Party!
2017 Nov Recap.pdf Jeff Moore or Solana Succulents on "Aloes and Agaves in Cultivation"
2017 Oct Recap.pdf Lili Singer on "Good Bugs for Your Garden"
2017 Sept Recap.pdf Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet honoring Randy Baldwin
2017 August Recap.pdf Genevieve Arnold on "Celebrating Seed Season"
2017 July Recap.pdf Lara Hermanson on "Building Sustainable Urban Farms"
2017 June Recap.pdf Sandy Masuo on "The Dirt on Plant Sex"
2017 May Recap.pdf Rebecca Latta on "TLC for Your Trees"
2017 April Recap.pdf Scott Kleinrock on "The California Garden at the Huntington: Explorations into the New Regional Plant Palette"
2017 March Recap.pdf Barbara Eisenstein on "Wild Suburbia: Learning to Garden with Native Plants"
2017 Feb Recap.pdf Robin Parer of Geraniaceae Nursery on "Hardy Geraniums for Southern California"
RParer’s Slide List.pdf Robin Parer's Slide List for her February talk "Hardy Geraniums for Southern California"
2017 Jan Recap.pdf Southern Californians' Impressions of London's Chelsea Flower Show
2016
2016 Dec Recap.pdf Holiday party!
2016 Nov Recap.pdf Sasha Duerr on "Exploring the Seasonal Color Palette: Natural Color and the Alchemy of Place"
2016 Oct Recap.pdf Landscape Designers Panel "Favorite Native Plants" with Amy Nettleton, Andreas Hessing and Carlos Flores
2016 Sept Recap.pdf Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet Honoring Carol Bornstein
2016 August Recap.pdf Sandy Masuo on "They're Hot! They're Cool! They're Succulents!"
2016 July Recap.pdf Wendy Proud on "Hot Plants for Hot Climates": Diversity of Plants from Arid Regions"
2016 June Recap.pdf Lane Goodkind on "Grasslands and Human Nature: Promoting Wildness in Urbanized Areas"
2016 May Recap.pdf David King on "The Why and How of Seeds"
2016 April Recap.pdf Growers Panel "Cool Plants for Hot Gardens" with John Schoustra, Lili Singer, Bob Sussman and Laura Bauer
2016 March Recap.pdf Phillip Rundel on "Floral Diversity and Conservation in the Mediterranean-Climate Regions of the World"
2016 February Recap.pdf Patricia Tsai on "Unconventional Chocolate: Discussing, Making and Tasting Chocolate Using Pre-Hispanic Methods"
2016 January Recap.pdf Tom Parker on "So Many Manzanitas, So Many Little Apples"
2015
December: no meeting this month
2015 November Recap.pdf John Schoustra on "The Who, How and Where of New Garden Plants"
2015 October Recap.pdf Designers' Plant Picks Panel Discussion with Steven Gerischer and Chris Rosmini
2015 September Recap.pdf Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet Honoring Kathy Musial
2015 August Recap.pdf Bruce Blavin on "Growing Rare and Exotic Fruit Trees in Southern California"
2015 July Recap.pdf Jim Riley on "South of the Border: the Fascinating Maritime Succulent Scrub of Baja California"
2015 June Recap.pdf Marilee Kuhlmann on "Water Harvesting in Dry Times"
2015 May Recap.pdf Laramee Haynes on "Using Art Principles in Garden Design"
2015 April Recap.pdf Karen England on :Herbs: Fresh and Dried, Sweet and Savory"
2015 March Recap.pdf John Kabashima on "The Latest on Polyphagous Shot Hole Borer, aka PSHB"
2015 February Recap.pdf Bart O'Brien on "Manzanitas for Every Garden"
2015 January Recap.pdf Steven Gerischer on "Discover Cuba: the Pacific Horticulture Tour"
2014
2014 December Recap.pdf Holiday party
2014 November Recap.pdf Geophyte Panel Discussion with Dylan Hannon, Sheldon Lisker and Fred Roberts
2014 October Recap.pdf Matt Ritter on "The Natural History of California"
2014 September Recap.pdf Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet Honoring Donald R. Hodel
2014 August Recap.pdf Lucy Tolmach on "The Ojai Vineyard Farm: New Venture in Modern Farming"
2014 July Recap.pdf Ron Rasmussen on "The El Moro Elfin Forest in Los Osos"
2014 June Recap.pdf Hartmut Wisch on "Introduction to Native Bees of California"
2014 May Recap.pdf Eric and Ann Brooks on "Gardening is for the Birds"
2014 April Recap.pdf Renee Shepherd on "What's New and Noteworthy in the Seed World: Great Unique Varieties for the Home Gardener"
2014 March Recap.pdf Randy Baldwin on "New Australian Plants for California Gardens"
2014 February Recap.pdf Joe Clements on "Designing with Succulents and Other Drought-Tolerant Plants"
2014 January Recap.pdf Brian Kembel on "Aloes of South Africa's Winter Rainfall Region"
2013
December: Holiday party PLUS Tom Nuccio on "Early Camellias and Other Winter Wonders"
November: Bernard Trainor on "Landprints"
October: Native Plant Growers Panel Discussion with Madena Asbell, Bart O'Brien and Bob Sussman
September: Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet Honoring Dave Lannom
August: Lili Singer on "Beneficial Bugs in the Garden"
July: Amelia Lima on "Roberto Burle Marx: Gardens in Brazil"
June: Ernest Miller on "The Rise, Decline and Rise of Food Preservation"
May: Scott Calhoun on "The Graphical Garden: A Bold Approach to Succulent Gardening"
April: Billy Goodnick on "Crimes Against Horticulture"
March: Bart O'Brien on "What's New with the Salvias"
February: Andrew Bunting on "Magnolias in the Home Garden"
January: Rose Panel Discussion with Tom Carruth, Steven Gerischer and Ping Lim
2012
December: Holiday party
November: Helen Popper on "California Native Gardening: a Month-by-Month Guide"
October: Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet Honoring Richard G. Turner, Jr.
September: Scott Kleinrock on "The Huntington Ranch Project"
August: Matthew Levesque on "The Revolutionary Yardscape"
July: Sam Watters on "Promoting Beautiful Gardens in America: Frances Benjamin Johnston and Garden Photography in the US"
June: Chris Rosmini on "Influential Gardens"
May: Lorene Edwards Forkner on 'Handmade Garden Projects"
April: Iris Panel Discussion with Dr. Richard Richards, John Schoustra and Bob Sussman
March: Chip Sullivan on "The Floral Imperative"
February: Zsolt Debreczy on "Conifers Around the World"
January: Wayne Armstrong on "The Fig and the Fig Wasp"
2011
December: Holiday party
November: Laura Avery on "30 Years of the Santa Monica Farmers' Market"
October: Peter Del Tredici on "The Urban Ecology"
September: Horticulturist of the Year Award Banquet Honoring Gilbert Resendez
August: Eleanor Osgood and Kara Donahue on "A Bird-Friendly Guide to Tree and Shrub Trimming and Removal"
July: Susan Heeger and Jimmy Williams on "From Seed to Skillet"
June: Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O'Brien on 'Re-Imagining the California Lawn"
May: Matt Ritter on "A Californian's Guide to the Trees Among Us"
April: Jeffrey Bale on "The Pleasure Garden"
March: Bart O'Brien on "Experiencing Guadalupe Island"
February: Kathy Musial on "Chile: From Desert to Forest"
January: Rosalind Creasy on "The New American Garden"