Plant puns, snacks, and social hour.
Those are three things Christine Zuhlsdorf enjoys about being a member of the Lompoc Valley Botanic and Horticultural Society (LVBHS).
“Plant people tend to be pretty happy people,” the nonprofit’s president told the Sun. “Unless you get someone going on gophers.”
Or deer, another sore subject for gardeners, which ate Zuhlsdorf’s tomatoes recently.
Deeply rooted
The next Lompoc Valley Botanic and Horticultural Society meeting is on Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. and held at 201 S. H St. in Lompoc. To join the society and see future events, visit lvbhs.org.
The Burton Mesa Chaparral Garden is located at the Allan Hancock College Lompoc Valley Center, 1 Hancock Drive, Lompoc.
LVBHS has fostered a community of plant people since it was founded in 1977 to care for the Burton Mesa Chaparral Garden. The preservation site, located at the Allan Hancock College campus in Lompoc, is filled with native plants. It represents a small remaining part of the original habitat, which has been reduced by human development. Endemic species—those that only grow naturally in one specific area—are also found in the chaparral, like the Lompoc monkey flower.
Today, the garden still embodies an important aspect of the society’s mission. Society volunteers lead garden tours with students and community members and trim plants to keep the trails clear.
“I really like the society. I really enjoy the nature of it,” Zuhlsdorf said. “There’s almost a pun there.”
LVBHS is deeply rooted in Lompoc history and used to hold an annual plant sale as a fundraiser. Seed companies donated flower seeds to the society, and it sold them at a discounted rate to the public. Now, the club’s only revenue is earned by collecting dues from members.
The club is laid-back, Zuhlsdorf explained, with only five meetings per year. It’s run completely by volunteers and has about 50 members who can be as involved as they want in club activities. Anyone is welcome to join.
One of the main goals is for members to exchange information about plants. If one member has a question, there’s a good chance another member knows the answer.
“There’s so much knowledge, and everybody has a different thing,” Zuhlsdorf said. “I think what everybody wants to do is just share information about plants, whether it’s for food, for decoration, for conservation.”
Each meeting features a demonstration or talk by a community member. Some are technical, but others apply to everyone in the group. Zuhlsdorf remembers talks about using herbs for cooking and medicine, propagating cacti, and raising worms, which was her favorite.
Along with ideas, members often exchange home-grown produce and books about plants. Plus, there’s always time for snacks and socializing at the end of the meetings, too.
The society’s next gathering is on Sept. 21 at 2 p.m. Members will learn how to make their own self-watering moss poles for plants to wrap themselves around, increasing stability. The pole only needs to be filled with water about once a month, Zuhlsdorf said, so it’s a low-maintenance solution for anyone who thinks they “can’t keep a plant alive.”
In the future, the society is looking to reboot its plant sale and plan fundraisers to fund educational grants for schools.
“We’d like to move forward and grow more,” Zuhlsdorf said.
This time, no pun intended.
Highlights
• This year’s final Downtown Fridays in Santa Maria is planned for Sept. 26 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The family-friendly festival includes local food and wine vendors, kids activities, and live music in English and Spanish. Admission and parking are free. Email event promoter Ed Carcarey, edcarcarey@yahoo.com, for more information.
• The Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce hosts free Build Your Business breakfast meetings every Friday from 8 to 9 a.m. Attendees will hear testimonials from various professionals and get the chance to network with chamber members in the business community. Individuals can attend twice before becoming a member of the chamber. Meetings are hosted at Simple Café, 3546 Skyway Drive, in Santa Maria.
Reach Staff Writer Madison White at mwhite@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 18 – Sep 25, 2025.
Good to see that Dr Charlie Blair is still amusing the multitudes!