I recently attended the Golden Anniversary celebration for the Theodore Payne Foundation at Descano Gardens in La Canada, CA It was a very inspiring event and I would say a rousing success, promoting the love and respect for California’s native plant population.
“Theodore Payne was born in North Hamptonshire, England and served an apprenticeship in horticulture. He came to Los Angeles in 1893 and fell in love with the California flora, dedicating his life to its preservation.
Even in the early years of this century, native vegetation was being lost to agriculture and housing at an alarming rate. He urged the use of California native plants and lectured across the state on preserving the wild flowers and landscapes native to California.
In his own nursery and seed business, which he started in 1903, native wildflowers and landscapes were his specialty. In 1915 he laid out and planted 262 species in a five-acre wild garden in Los Angeles’ Exposition Park. He later helped to establish the Blaksley Botanic Garden in Santa Barbara, planted 178 native species in the California Institute of Technology Botanic Garden in Pasadena, helped create the native plant garden at Los Angeles’ Descanso Gardens, and advised the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Orange County.
By the time he retired in 1958, Payne had made over 400 species of native plants available to the public.” From the Theo. Payne Foundation Web Site.
The dinner celebrated his efforts and those who have followed in his footsteps, sharing their love of our beautiful native vegetation. I felt such total enjoyment with meeting many individuals who are also passionate about nature, native plants, sustainability and providing habitat for wildlife.
A Lovely Raffle Prize
It was a beautiful evening consisting of a lovely dinner, soft music and laughter. There also was a silent auction and wonderful raffle prizes as well. I managed to win two of them, an expensive bottle of wine and a framed picture that caught my eye early in the evening. It was on fabric and depicted our state flower and bird, the California Poppy and California Quail. It looks fantastic in my home and I enjoy it’s vibrant color against a wall in my kitchen.
It’s like sharing my morning coffee with a representation of what I love most and greets me with a reminder of why I chose to create my garden from California’s native plants!
