Member Preview: Native Plants at SB Botanic Garden

As the end of California’s rainy season nears, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Nursery offers a weekend “Plant It Forward this Spring” event featuring a larger-than-usual number and variety of native plants for sale. Garden members have first access to a large selection and wide variety of native plants for sale on Friday, March 3 from 2 to 6 p.m. Space is limited and timed-entry reservations are required.

Public shopping is Saturday and Sunday, March 4 and 5, from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Reservations are recommended.

“Native plants do best if they get in the ground before the end of the rainy season,” says Matt Straka, the Garden’s retail manager. “The Nursery is open year-round but was ready to ‘spring forward’ with an even larger assortment of species that are ready to be planted right now including unique items not always available. During this special weekend, we’ll restock almost constantly to ensure a wide variety is available no matter what time you visit.”

Located just inside the Garden’s gate, the Nursery offers a wide selection of easy-to-grow native plants year-round. Garden members receive a 10% discount on every purchase.

For this event, in addition to the expert Nursery sales staff who answer questions and make recommendations, volunteer helpers are available to assist shoppers with transporting purchases to the parking lot.

Visitors wanting to visit the Garden in addition to shopping must make an advance reservation at www.sbbotanicgarden.org/visit/hours-reservations. Visitors just shopping do not require Garden reservations; they can park in a “member” parking spot and check in at the front kiosk to receive a shopper pass.

Online shopping is also available at shop.SBBotanicGarden.org. Shoppers choose from a list of available species and pick up their purchases in the Garden parking lot at a later date. Photos and lists of suggested groundcovers, shrubs, and trees, plants for slope and erosion control, lawn substitutes, and easy-to-grow varieties can be found at https://sbbotanicgarden.org/grow/gardening-resources.