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OJAI MAGAZINE | SPRING 2022
HUMMINGBIRDS, BUMBLE BEES, AND BUTTERFLIES ALL FLUTTER BY AMONG THE AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS CURATED AND CULTIVATED BY JO O’CONNELL, OWNER OF AUSTRALIAN NATIVE PLANTS. Located on N. Ventura Avenue, O’Connell’s growing grounds are filled with rare plants from both Australia and South Africa, making her collection the largest selection of Australian native plants within the United States. Knowledgeable, passionate, and an Aussie herself, O’Connell offers not only plants, but consulting, contracting, and growing tips for each species she cultivates. The beautiful pink hues and deep purple tones of the grevilleas intermix with the vibrant oranges and reds of the kangaroo paws, who all in turn echo off the deep, varying shades of green from the banksias
Banksia ericifolia
JO O’CONNELL and her
Australian Eremophila (emu bush)
Grevillea pink midget
Banksia praemorsa yellow
and leucadendron. Together, the plants all appear in a propagated mosaic, reflective of the diversity of Southern California and Ojai itself. Each individual bud showcases its personality among a sea of living color. Jo O’Connell first came to Ojai in 1989 to work on the Taft Gardens, a 252-acre preserve of California-native Open Space located in the foothills of Ojai near Lake Casitas. Shortly after, O’Connell moved to Ojai with her husband Byron Cox and established Australian Native Plants. With a mission to provide plants that are hardy, drought tolerant, and birdattracting, O’Connell quickly gained popularity throughout Ojai, curating
by GRANT PHILLIPS
