Learn which native plants are beloved of pollinator species and suitable for Bay Area gardens. Subjects include: proper planting, succession planting, annuals vs perennials, natives vs nonnatives and focus plants; local pollinators and the plants they need for nectar, pollen, seeds and reproduction.

Our Instructors

Jeff Bridge

Jeff Bridge manages Ploughshares Nursery in Alameda CA. Ploughshares Nursery is a non-profit social enterprise of Alameda Point Collaborative. Proceeds of sales of native, edible and drought tolerant plants are used to support programs for the formerly homeless residents of A.P.C. Jeff has twenty five years experience working in the best nurseries of the Bay Area including: Orchard Nursery and Florist of Lafayette, Far West Nursery of Santa Cruz and Thornhill Nursery in Oakland. As informative as that experience has been he loves the social enterprise mission of Ploughshares to better local communities offering plants which benefit the environment or produce food. Jeff will never have to sell Roundup, Neonic Pesticide or an invasive plant species again!

Tora Rocha

Tora Rocha is the founder of Pollinator Posse, a non-profit working to create Pollinator awareness and habitat throughout the Urban jungle. As a 40+ year veteren of the Oakland Parks Department, Tora managed the Lake Merritt area and the Botanical Gardeb=n where she remains co-director. Her experience with native bees, butterflies and other pollinators has Tora running around this state making sure farm land, gardens and wild habitat is pesticide free and ready for pollinator action.