Proud Member:	All sorts of wildlife visit, breed, eat, and live at Barrel's & Branches retail plant nursery in Encinitas, CA.  Check out this pair of hummingbirds, in their nest:
	Backyard Wildlife Habitat Program Barrels and Branches’ property has been certified by the National Wildlife Federation as an official Backyard Wildlife Habitation site, providing the four basic habitat elements needed for wildlife to thrive:  food, water, cover, and places to raise young.

Community Fundraisers/Raffles/Silent Actions that Barrels & Branches has been involved with:

San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy, “Birds of a Feather” Silent Auction 2006, #39 For the Green Thumb,

Garden Clubs:  (Encinitas, Olivenhein, Fallbrook, New Comers)

Del Mar Spring Home/Garden Show 2006

San Diego Wild Animal Park

California-Friendly Plant Sale, Cuyamaca College

Downtown Encinitas Park Project

Barrels & Branches maintains this park in downtown Encinitas.  It is a certified wildlife habitat, where there is a lot of native plants and water conscious planting.  It is closed to the public, provided to the leasors of the attached building.  Certainly everyone can enjoy the corner park in the urban setting.  A little bit of grean patch adds life to the downtown atmosphere of Encinitas.

Paul Ecke Central Elementary beautification project

Barrels & Branches was involved with installing a new garden at a public elementary school in Leucadia, CA.  We worked with other members of the neighborhood, and parents from the school to renovate the perimeter of the property.  This project helped to renovate a community icon, the Paul Ecke school.  Public schools are under-funded.  We wanted to support the cause of Public Schools, volunteering our time in the community by building a water conscious garden. We want to thank the members of the community for there hard work, and labor.  The Farmer's Market is held here on Sundays, so enjoy some fresh produce.

School Landscape Improvements

Rosie Daley's Food Pairing Demonstration and Book Signing at Barrel's & Branches

Chef to the Stars, Rosie Daley came to Barrels & Branches for a book signing and food demonstrations.  She hosted an event for a garden club, demonstrating the use of herbs and items in the garden for cooking in the kitchen.  She recently wrote the Book, Healthy Kitchen, and In The Kitchen With Rosie: Oprah's Kitchen.

Culinary Art 101 with Rosie Dailey book-signing/food demonstration,

Encinitas Magazine

Links

There are a lot of great schools, societies, botanical gardens and nurseries in California.  The following links are some of those that Barrels and Branches’ staff recommend.

Schools

The horticulture industry is so fun to study, and unfortunately there aren’t many schools that offer horticulture programs.  Mira Costa College has a great horticulture program offered at both of their North County campuses:  Oceanside and Cardiff (just one mile south of Barrels and Branches Nursery).

Another school in San Diego County offering a horticulture program is Cuyamaca Community College.  Located on site is the Water Conservation Garden, a public garden devoted to water conservation education.  A tour of the garden is offered as well as information on xeriscaping.

One of the better schools in Northern California is Santa Rosa Junior College.  Located 1 hour north of San Francisco in Santa Rosa, California, their horticulture program is awesome, and definitely worth investigating.  The campus alone is worth a visit.

Clubs and Associations

San Diego Master Gardeners
A hotline for answering your questions on home gardening and pest control

San Diego Horticultural Society
Promoting the enjoyment, art, knowledge and public awareness of horticulture.

CNPS San Diego Chapter (California Native Plant Society)

Pacific Horticulture & the Pacific Horticultural Foundation

Botanical Gardens

Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas features rare bamboo groves, desert gardens, a tropical rainforest, California native plants, Mediterranean climate landscapes, etc.

The University of California Botanical Garden
Features one of the most diverse plant collections in the U.S., famous for its rare and endangered species.

The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Dedicated to research, education and conservation, and display of California native plants.

San Francisco Botanical Garden
Mediterranean gardens at Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park

Quarry Hill Botanical Garden
"Advancing the conservation, study, and cultivation of the flora of Asia."  An extensive collection of unusual Asian varieties, including numerous Chinese medicinal herbs located in Glen Ellen, CA.

List of U.S. Botanical Gardens

Environmental Consciousness

Working with appropriate plants for our local climate and being conscious of the resources we consume is important to the Barrels and Branches team.  Here are some links worth paying attention to.

Be Water Wise.com
Tips on waterwise landscaping, rebates, programs, classes, tips, etc.

Watering Calculator
T tool that estimates the right amount of water to give your landscape or garden every week.

Watering Index
Scientifically-based guide to help adjust watering schedules for landscape irrigation controllers (also commonly known as "timers")

Nifty 50
50 Plants for California-Friendly Landscapes

Care2, Make your computer carbon-neutral (free).
Green Living, Human Rights and more - 7 million members!

Why I Adore Decollate Snails, by Deborah Lee Baldwin

Landscaping with Natives in San Diego, by Greg Rubin

Nurseries

Horizon Herbs
Native medicinal plants of the world.  Highest quality seeds and great medicinal plant experts.  Many seeds collected on-site.  Awesome catalogue.

Larner Seeds
Native Californian seeds, wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, trees and vines.  Ask the experts about the benefits of native plants.

Seeds of Change
Good resource for permaculture and urban gardening, including fruit and food gardens.  Loads of seeds and links.

Western Hills Nursery
Rare and unusual plants in an incredibly beautiful atmosphere. Occidental, CA.

Sonoma Horticultural Society
Extensive rhododendron and azalea collection surrounding a peaceful pond suitable for picnicking.  Sebastopol, CA.

California Carnivores
A must-see for carnivorous plant enthusiasts.  Widest variety of carnivorous plants in the U.S.  Enormous selection, humorous themes, and a warm retreat during cold Sonoma County winters. Sebastopol, CA.

Bamboo Sourcery
A magical rendezvous among 8 acres of bamboo awaits you!

Searchable Plant Libraries

Monrovia Growers

Native Sons Nursery

Gardeners give their take on winners, losers of Big Freeze
Big Freeze from Union Tribune

Hot plants: we asked Southern California nursery pros what they're crazy about this summer. In a word: foliage
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_/ai_n30905666?tag=artBody;col1

Robert Maclochlainn Photography
http://robert-maclochlainn.blogspot.com/2006/06/new-fiore-bello-postcards.html

Visiting nurseries makes a colorful day trip (page 81)
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:aDowEpxN4g4J:www.elcamino.edu/administration/board/agendas/2008/October%25202008..pdf+%22samantha+owens%22+encinitas&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=10&gl=us
http://www.elcamino.edu/administration/board/agendas/2008/October%202008..pdf

Mission Hills Garden Club talk:  How to Use Striking Containers as Focal Points in Your Garden
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:zJnHUWBA-jsJ:www.missionhillsgardenclub.org/my_files/Late%2520Summer%2520Issue.pdf+%22danica+hirsch%22+san+diego&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=5&gl=us

Interesting Blog: The Fern and Mossery


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