Author | Lightnews

The Native Guild

@thenativeguild.bsky.social

2.2K followers 1.3K following 510 posts

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

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 2h

This weeks spotlight plant: Yarrow✨

🌿California native yarrow (Achillea millefolium var. californica) is a hardy, beautiful, and ecologically valuable perennial that’s both easy to grow and rewarding year-round
#NativeYarrow #Yarrow #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild

Young Golden Yarrow growing near purple sage and milkweed

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 1d

🌿Refugio Manzanita

Range: Endemic to the Santa Ynez Mountains - Santa Barbara County

Habitat: Sandstone soils, chaparral and oak woodland edges

Form: Tall shrub; waxy, red-tinged young leaves; cinnamon-red bark

In the garden: A striking specimen for full sun and good drainage
#GrowNativePlants

Branch of a Refugio Manzanita in the wild, displaying it's little apples

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 2d

Love this!! 🥰

1 6

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 2d

🌿Planting manzanitas isn’t just a gardening choice — it’s an act of connection

Using locally native manzanitas ties your garden to the surrounding landscape, supports local wildlife, and conserves the genetics of plants already adapted to your climate
#Manzanita #GrowNativePlants #NativeGarden

Manzanita sprig with their "little apples" glowing in the sun. Blurred background

Eastwood Manzanita in the sun, bursting with berries

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 2d

You're soooo good😍

1 2

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 2d

🌿Manzanitas reward patience

They’re sculptural, slow, and serene — an expression of time and place

Their bark glows red in low winter light; their blossoms feed bees in February; their berries feed birds through summer
#GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden #TheNativeGuild

Manzanita tree growing against a peach wall

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 3d

🌿Manzanita

Few plants capture California’s wild beauty like manzanitas

With smooth red bark, sculptural branches, and urn-shaped blooms, these native evergreens bring elegance, biodiversity, and resilience to any garden
#CaliforniaNativePlants #Manzanita #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild

Ground-cover manzanita growing near a rock

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 5d

Good Morning, Bluesky!🦋

For your reading pleasure… here's the full Substack article - All About Manzanitas✨

🌿 Manzanitas for the Central Coast: Native Beauty, Deep Roots
open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#NativeManzanita #GrowNativePlants #TheNativeGuild #Manzanita #PollinatorGarden

🌿 Manzanitas for the Central Coast: Native Beauty, Deep Roots

If you’re looking for trees or shrubs that truly belong on California’s Central Coast, start with the manzanitas.

open.substack.com

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 5d

🌿 This Week is All About Central Coast Manzanitas!

Several Arctostaphylos species grow naturally around Santa Barbara & the Central Coast

Each varies in size, form & needs—match your manzanita to your site’s soil, sun & drainage for best success
#NativePlants #GrowNativePlants #NativeManzanita

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 6d

🌿This week's focus: Manzanita in the Santa Barbara County area

“Manzanita” = “little apple” for its fruit shape

Several Arctostaphylos species grow naturally around the area

Each varies in size, form & needs—match your manzanita to your site’s soil, sun & drainage for best success
#Manzanita

Close-up of Manzanita sprig showing it's "little apple" fruit. Blurry background

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 8d

🌿Cleveland Sage

After 1–2 years, treat it like a dry-garden shrub — very low summer water💧

Only 1 deep watering/month (or just a few per summer in SoCal)

In Santa Barbara: maybe early-summer + mid-summer if stressed

🚫 Don’t over-water — too much in heavy soil can harm this native
#ClevelandSage

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 9d

🌿Drought-adapted native Cleveland Sage needs more care early on: keep soil moist but not soggy in the 1–2 yr establishment phase

Try weekly deep watering at first, taper to 1–2×/mo later

Light mulch helps hold moisture 🌱
#GrowNativePlants #ClevelandSage #TheNativeGuild #PollinatorGarden

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 9d

Thank you for what you do!!

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 9d

🌿Cleveland Sage Growing Tips:

🌞Loves full sun (6–8+ hrs); part sun okay, but less bloom in shade

Needs well-drained soil—thrives on dry, rocky slopes; avoid soggy spots

Grows ~3–5 ft tall & wide (up to 6 ft in loose soil)

In hot inland areas, give a bit of afternoon shade to ease summer stress

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 10d

🌿Cleveland Sage Pruning tips:

Best time: late fall

Young plants — cut each branch back to 3–4 nodes for a rounded shape; avoid old wood

Mature plants — just tip-prune spent blooms & shape yearly

Deadhead to encourage rebloom

If leggy, thin to strong wood—but blooms may lag next season
#Salvia

Garden tools resting on a fence with a blurry background

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 11d

🌿 Pruning tips - Cleveland Sage:

Late fall = great time!

Young plants: prune back to 3–4 nodes for bushiness

Mature plants: just tip-prune & deadhead for blooms

Avoid cutting old woody stems—they may not regrow

Deep cuts = fewer blooms next season
#ClevelandSage #PollinatorGarden #GrowNatives

Cleveland Sage sprig with blurred background

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 12d

Hello Bluesky! My latest essay on Substack is available here.

It's a comprehensive dive into Cleveland Sage for your garden.

open.substack.com/pub/ginaradu...
#ClevelandSage #GrowNativePlants #PollinatorGarden

Beautiful Cleveland Sage in Santa Barbara County

An excellent choice for your native garden

open.substack.com

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 13d

🌿Cleveland Sage is an excellent choice for gardens in Santa Barbara County

It's drought-tolerant, fire-wise, fragrant, and visually striking, while also supporting hummingbirds, bees, butterflies, birds, and other beneficial wildlife💦
#ClevelandSage #PollinatorGarden #GrowNativePlants #NativePlants

Cleveland Sage growing next to a path - blurred background

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 15d

sitting here sobbing watching this💖

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 15d

Thank you, Alberta!!🇨🇦

Reposted by The Native Guild

Hoodlum 🇺🇸 @nothoodlum.bsky.social · 15d

Truth. 👎

110 1.7K 4.6K

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 15d

So proud of my little town for showing up - bigly!!

Lots of fun, bubbles, frogs, bears, and chickens🐸🐻🐔🫧🥳

Protesters in Lompoc together to save Democracy

Protest sign reading: Chinga Tu MAGA and Fuck Ice

1 3

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 16d

Let's Go!!🗽

Protest sign reading 'No Crowns, No Clowns, No Dicktators'

The Native Guild @thenativeguild.bsky.social · 16d

wtf

Reposted by The Native Guild

💋SassyAss💋Sister🔥🔱ValkyrieQueen🔱❤️‍🔥🥷Resistance Fighter👊 📎 @sassysister27.bsky.social · 16d

🚨 On Kill List

Meet my boy Triscuit!
His is a sad story, after 10yrs of having a loving human his whole world turned upside down when his owner died
He’s alone & scared in this kill shelter
@nycacc.bsky.social will murder him

💙 Real Heroes needed to Repost & help find a foster…
❤️ Pls Repost🙏

27 17