We are very proud of our Red Buckwheat which we grow from a very pure seed that produces the truly red flowers and a nice compact form. Red Buckwheat is native to the Channel Islands and has red flowers that bloom throughout the summer. This attractive buckwheat is compact and mounding with small leaves and brings welcome color to the landscape in the summer and fall. Some Red Buckwheat found in the trade are from hybridized seed that produces a paler colored flower and a more straggly form when mature. Red Buckwheat is versatile and is useful on slopes, in borders, in rock gardens or as an understory plant to larger native perennials. Red Buckwheat is very attractive to butterflies so be sure to include it in a butterfly garden. Cut back the dead flowers to encourage more blooms and prune back one third after flowering season to encourage healthy growth the next spring

When visitors to Old Town State Historic Park come through the Park's west entry at Taylor and Congress Streets, they leave the 21st century behind.
Their path toward Old Town Plaza leads under native California trees - willows, sycamores, cottonwoods, elderberries and native oaks. The lower part of the landscape also has clusters of Juncus textilis, the weaver's rush that grows near streams and rivers, since this was once where the San Diego River ran to the Bay.

A little higher, small meadows of native deer grass also support narrow-leaf milkweed and evening primroses, and on the upland knoll where the Native American village of Cosoy stood, agave and yuccas, and another thirty species of plants that were used for people's daily needs, are grouped and thriving. These plants were useful for food, fiber, medicine, shelter, tools, instruments, or as habitat for the animals that were also part of native people's living environment.  Modern visitors may soon be able to learn these crafts when workshops are hosted in the Landscape.

The Old Town Native Plant Landscape was designed and developed with funding from a bequest left to the San Diego Chapter of CNPS in 2006 by Rita Delapa, a former member. It has been sustained by annual infusions of $500+ from CNPS that allows the chapter to add more plans, prune trees, add signage, and repair irrigation. The Landscape is tended by the grounds maintenance staff of the Park, and by volunteers at work parties. The work parties are held the second Saturday of every month, 1 to 3 PM, under the guidance of several current members of CNPS San Diego. Newcomers are always welcome!  

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