Event Dates: October 06, 2013

On the first Saturday in October, the Alta Peak Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) offers a wonderful educational and horticultural opportunity for the public with their annual California Native Sale. The plant sale is held in the backyard of the Three Rivers Arts Center on North Fork Drive in Three Rivers, California. Members of the Chapter are on hand to help people choose plants for their particular garden location and conditions.

A large variety of California native plants will be for sale, including trees, shrubs, and perennials, provided by CAL Natives Nursery in Porterville and Intermountain Nursery in Prather. Local horticulturists, Cathy Capone of CAL Natives Nursery and Melanie Keeley, of Sequoia National Park, will be on hand to help you with your plant selections and native plant gardening questions.

In addition to their natural beauty, incorporating native plants into your own garden offers many benefits for both you and our environment. They provide water-conserving, drought-tolerant and sustainable garden design choices. Once established, many native plants need minimal irrigation beyond normal rainfall. Low maintenance landscaping methods are a natural fit with native plants that are already adapted to the local environment. Look forward to using less water, little to no fertilizer, little to no pesticides, less pruning, and less of your time.

Native plants have developed their own defenses against many pests and diseases. Since most pesticides kill indiscriminately, beneficial insects become secondary targets in the fight against pests. Reducing or eliminating pesticide use lets natural pest control take over and keeps garden toxins out of our creeks and watersheds. Native plants, birds, butterflies, beneficial insects, and interesting critters are “made for each other.” Research shows that native wildlife prefers native plants.

The California Native Plant Society offers much advice for how to start a native plant garden. Before planning your native garden, there are a number of important questions to address about your particular site and location. Taking the time to evaluate your site conditions by working through these questions [in this helpful article] can help you avoid planting natives that won’t thrive in your particular soil or climate conditions. Walk around your site as you go through the questions, and be sure to record the answers to use in your search for the right plants for your garden.

Native vegetation evolved to live with the local climate, soil types, and animals. This long process brings us several gardening advantages, exemplifying the benefits of native plants.
1.  Save Water
Once established, many native plants need minimal irrigation beyond normal rainfall.
2.  Low Maintenance
Low maintenance landscaping methods are a natural fit with native plants that are already adapted to the local environment. Look forward to using less water, little to no fertilizer, little to no pesticides, less pruning, and less of your time.
3.  Pesticide Freedom
Native plants have developed their own defenses against many pests and diseases. Since most pesticides kill indiscriminately, beneficial insects become secondary targets in the fight against pests. Reducing or eliminating pesticide use lets natural pest control take over and keeps garden toxins out of our creeks and watersheds.
4.  Wildlife Viewing
Native plants, birds, butterflies, beneficial insects, and interesting critters are “made for each other.” Research shows that native wildlife prefers native plants.
5.  Support Local Ecology
As development replaces natural habitats, planting gardens, parks, and roadsides with California natives can provide a “bridge” to nearby remaining wildlands.


Beautiful natural landscapes in California, including the scenic National Parks here, display authentic California flora. Your garden can too. 

The Alta Peak Chapter Native Plant Sale coincides with the Green Faire, part of the Three Rivers Environmental Weekend, which is held inside the Arts Center on the same Saturday.

Three Rivers has several public native plant gardens, inititated and created by the local Redbud Garden Club. Take time to visit the gardens when you come to the plant sale. They are all within a few miles of the plant sale location.

The Alta Peak Chapter is named after Alta Peak, the second highest mountain in Sequoia National Park, part of the Great Western Divide (11204 ft). The Chapter celebrates and supports the native plant communities in Tulare County, serving the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains and Foothills.

Admission Fee (if any): Admission is free.

Ages Festival is Appropriate For: All ages are welcome.