Spring into the world of native plants at the L.A. Times Plants booth at Festival of Books

The L.A. Times Plants booth returns to The Times’ Festival of Books on April 20-21 with the Theodore Payne Foundation and the California Native Plant Society.

Find us in the Pink Zone at Booth 404, where we’ll be giving away our curated wildflower seed collection and stickers, as well as selling enamel plant pins. Our L.A. Times Plants Native Wildflower Mix features eight California native wildflowers: Castilleja exserta (purple owl’s clover), Eschscholzia californica (California poppy), Clarkia purpurea (winecup clarkia), Gilia capitata (globe gilia), Lasthenia californica (goldfields), Layia platyglossa (tidy tips), Lupinus succulentus (arroyo lupine) and Salvia columbariae (chia).

Experts from the Theodore Payne Foundation will fill our tent with fragrant native plants and answer questions. Pros from the California Native Plant Society will create digital lists of the best such plants for your landscape.

Festival of Books attendees sniff native plants at the 2023 L.A. Times Plants booth.

(Varon Panganiban / For Festival of Books)

Dates: April 20-21

Location: USC main campus

Booth times: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. April 20, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April 21.

Ask a Reporter session: 12:30 to 1:15 p.m. April 21 for “How to Pick the Best Smelling Native Plants for Your Yard and Bouquets” with plants reporter Jeanette Marantos and features editor Brittany Levine Beckman in Mudd Hall. Free, or $6 for reserved seats. Reservations begin April 14. Download the free Festival of Books app for more info.