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Fostering transformative connections between people, place, and nature through native horticulture.

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About Us

California Native Horticultural Foundation (CNHF) is a public nonprofit corporation that promotes the proper use of California native plants in climate resilient landscaping and restoration, operates propagation and production nurseries, conducts scientific research in the field of native plant horticulture, and provides education and resources to the general public and the horticultural industry.

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Our Vision

PROMOTE

Promoting the Proper Use of California Native Plants
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RESEARCH

Conducting Scientific Research in the Field of Native Plant Horticulture
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PROPAGATE

Operating Propagation and Production Nurseries
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EDUCATE

Providing Education and Resources to the General Public and the Horticultural Industry.
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“Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets, but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how. To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet; one need only own a good shovel.”

—Aldo Leopold

Our Team

John Michael Evans

President

Mike is a Nurseryman, native plant horticulturist and is the founder and president of the Tree of Life Nursery in San Juan Capistrano, which became the largest native plant nursery in California. Tree of Life, which will close in 2025, propagates and sells nearly 400 varieties of native plants, holds regular educational workshops and seminars, and sells a broad selection of books on the California outdoors.

Mozelle Sukut, Ph.D

Vice President/Secretary

Dr. Sukut is a gardener, garden designer, and active local leader and volunteer who advocates for and creates programs that promote and maintain healthy Southern California ecosystems. She is especially interested in expanding public awareness of the role of gardens, gardening and nature in human wellness.

Leon Baginski, MD

Treasurer

Dr. Baginski is a board certified OB/GYN and Master Robotic Surgeon who has sat on more than ten hospital boards or committees, given more than 400 lectures in the U.S. and around the world, and published in peer reviewed medical journals. Dr. Baginski is also an accomplished naturalist, an expert horticulturist in native plant gardening, and an authority on creating garden habitats for native pollinators and wildlife.

Michelle Matthews

Executive Director

Michelle Matthews is a dynamic nonprofit executive with a career dedicated to connecting communities with natural spaces through innovative environmental programming. As the Executive Director and only full-time staff member of Arlington Garden in Pasadena from 2017-2024, she transformed the organization from a volunteer-led initiative into a thriving, mission-driven nonprofit.
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