The Native Guild
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The Native Guild
@thenativeguild.bsky.social
Helping Santa Barbara County turn boring lawns into buzzing habitats, one native plant at a time.
We teach you how to plant native plants, attract pollinators, and fall in love with your local ecosystem.
Less mowing, more monarchs!
#TheNativeGuild
🌾California Native Bunchgrasses

Santa Barbara’s historical grasslands were dominated by perennial bunchgrasses—plants that grow in dense clumps rather than forming a continuous sod

Adding these into your garden provides natural texture and incredible drought resilience 🌿
#GrowNatives #Bunchgrasses
December 3, 2025 at 5:40 PM
🌾 Native Bunchgrasses: Drought Heroes!

Once established, most native bunchgrasses are highly drought-tolerant 💧

If you prefer to keep them greener, a deep soaking once a month in summer is usually enough
#Bunchgrasses #NativeGrasses #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
December 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Hello, Bluesky! I just posted a new Substack article about California's Native Grasses🌾

🌿 The Golden State's Unsung Heroes: A Guide to Native Grasses in Santa Barbara County
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#CaliforniaNativeGrasses #NativeGrasses #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
🌿 The Golden State's Unsung Heroes: A Guide to Native Grasses in Santa Barbara County
The Foundation of Local Habitat: How Bunchgrasses Bring Birds, Bees, and Butterflies to Your Coastal Garden
open.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 9:50 PM
🌿California ferns are like the state’s ecological “memory,” holding onto strategies millions of years old while still fitting gracefully into today’s diverse landscapes

They’re quiet survivors that shaped California long before its modern ecosystems existed
#CaliforniaNativeFern #Fern #GrowNatives
November 30, 2025 at 4:21 PM
🌿Ferns

Some species have wild drought survival tricks

Cliff ferns can shrivel almost to nothing, desert-style, to ride out dry spells

Others, like chain ferns, thrive in constant seepage zones, adapting to ever-shifting water flow
#Ferns #GrowNativePlants #NativeFerns #TheNativeGuild
November 29, 2025 at 3:29 PM
🌿Gardening with native ferns on the Central California coast means working with the land, not against it

Give them the right light, soil, and moisture, and they’ll thrive with little more than seasonal tidying
#NativeFern #Ferns #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
November 28, 2025 at 8:37 PM
🌿Ferns are among the planet’s oldest plant lineages, predating flowering plants by hundreds of millions of years

They have withstood dramatic climate swings, wildfires, droughts, and floods—yet remain gentle, understated presences in the landscape
#Ferns #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
November 27, 2025 at 5:44 PM
🌿Ferns aren’t just beautiful—they’re soil stabilizers

Their dense roots hold slopes and stream edges, and their shedding fronds enrich the soil

In a garden facing drought and erosion, ferns are both ornament and ally
#GrowNativePlants #Ferns #TheNativeGuild #PollinatorGarden
November 26, 2025 at 3:29 PM
🌿Native ferns are particularly well adapted to the central coast’s Mediterranean climate: cool, damp winters; long, dry summers; and, generous morning fog

Their fronds create a living tapestry—softening hard edges, filling understory gaps, and offering shelter for small wildlife
#Fern #GrowNatives
November 25, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Mass Blackout starts tomorrow!💴
#MassBlackout #BlackoutTheSystem #BoycottBlackFriday
November 24, 2025 at 4:49 PM
✨Happy Monday, Bluesky! I just released a new article on Substack - All about ferns🌿

Growing Native Ferns on the Central California Coast: A Guide to Lush, Low-Maintenance Beauty
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#NativeFern #PollinatorGarden #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild
Growing Native Ferns on the Central California Coast: A Guide to Lush, Low-Maintenance Beauty
Why these ancient plants are essential allies in a changing climate
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:41 PM
🌿Why you should consider adding Dudleya to your garden:

They look like something chiseled by light and time: chalk-white rosettes, bluish spirals, silvery fans, pencil-like green leaves

Some appear frosted with moonlight; others glow in afternoon sun
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden
November 23, 2025 at 7:04 PM
🌿Dudleya-Live Forever

They grow in sculptural rosettes, sometimes solitary, sometimes forming impressive clumps over decades

Their flowering stalks emerge annually from the base, rising dramatically above the foliage before setting seed
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
November 22, 2025 at 11:00 PM
🌿Despite their toughness, Dudleya need one thing above all: excellent drainage

Their natural cliffside habitats shed water fast, and in heavy soil or overwatered pots, their roots can rot

When in doubt, think *cliffside* — that’s the vibe they thrive on
#GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #Dudleya
November 21, 2025 at 10:53 PM
🌿Dudleyas are masters at clonal growth

They can reproduce through seeds or through their pups that form off the base of the plant
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
November 20, 2025 at 8:10 PM
🌿Dudleya

Built for scarcity: water-filled leaves, protective farina, and summer survival tricks like shrinking or retreating underground

🌦️Then winter rains return—and they glow back to life

Leaves plump, colors deepen, and tall stalks lift blooms of yellow, white, red & pink 🌵✨
#GrowNativePlants
November 19, 2025 at 3:29 PM
🌿Dudleya

California’s rocky cliffs hold a quiet magic—life thriving where it shouldn’t

Among the survivors is Dudleya, the “live-forevers”: resilient, beautiful, and vital to local ecosystems

Responsibly sourced, they make stunning additions to any garden ✨
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants
November 18, 2025 at 2:36 PM
🌿Good Monday, Bluesky! Check out my latest Substack article about California's Dudleya succulent

Dudleya: California’s Living Sculptures and Why They Belong in Your Native Garden
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#Dudleya #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild #PollinatorGarden
Dudleya: California’s Living Sculptures and Why They Belong in Your Native Garden
A Guide to Growing, Protecting, and Appreciating California’s Native Dudleya
open.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 4:42 PM
Beach aster is a coastal survivor 🌊🌼

It thrives on cliffs and dunes where most plants give up

Thick, silvery leaves reflect sun and hold moisture, and tiny leaf hairs trap salt and cut evaporation—letting it flourish in wind, sand, and salty spray
#BeachAster #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden
November 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM
🌿Beach Aster

The flowers may be small, but they appear in abundance, creating cheerful splashes of color that draw the eye and invite pollinators from near and far

Sow from late fall through early spring, on the surface of a well-draining soil to establish roots before summer drought
#GrowNatives
November 15, 2025 at 3:47 PM
🌿Planting Seaside Daisy is like bottling a bit of California’s coastline and bringing it home

It’s tough, timeless, and joyful — a reminder that the most resilient beauty often comes from the edge of the world
#SeasideDaisy #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #BeachAster #TheNativeGuild
November 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
🌿Why your garden needs Seaside Daisy / Beach Aster:

🐝 Pollinator paradise - butterflies, bees, ladybugs, etc

💦 Erosion control - good for coastal slopes

🔧 Low maintenance - thrives on neglect

🦌 Deer resistant

🔥 Fire-wise - resistant to flame
#PollinatorGarden #GrowNativePlants #SeasideDaisy
November 13, 2025 at 6:38 PM
🌸Seaside Daisy / Beach Aster

As a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae), Seaside Daisy brings the familiar charm of a classic daisy but with a tougher, more weathered beauty — like a flower that’s learned to live by the ocean
#GrowNativePlants #BeachAster #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild
November 12, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Reposted by The Native Guild
Ahead of Veterans Day, I was honored to welcome a flight of veterans and their families as they arrived in DC.
November 11, 2025 at 1:08 PM
🌿Seaside Daisy / Beach Aster / Beach Fleabane (She has a few names😜)

This beauty adds soft color to rock gardens, coastal meadows & containers—perfect cascading blooms for a natural look

Pair with drought-tolerant natives for a resilient, low-water garden full of coastal charm
#GrowNativePlants
November 11, 2025 at 3:58 PM