CALIFORNIA GREEN NURSERY SPECIALIZES IN NATIVE FOILAGE.

Byline: Peggy Hager Staff Writer

LAKE LOS ANGELES - Elementary school teachers John and Evelyn Gaspar purchased a small nursery eight years ago to specialize in native California plants.

Their own yard is planted mostly with native plants, which they believe homeowners should use whenever possible.

``To us the main advantage would be aesthetically. It would be a shame if the whole of this country looked the same,'' explained John Gaspar. ``We have this aesthetic which is almost a Disneyland kind of aesthetic.''

Just under an acre in size, the nursery - called Gaspar's - offers trees, shrubs and flowering plants, including white sage, California poppies, desert willow, two varieties of manzanita, mountain mahogany, three species of California oak, three or four species of wild buckwheat, and incense cedar.

Gaspar's offers only a few Joshua trees because they are very slow growing.

Most of the seedlings are started in a greenhouse at their home and then transplanted into pots at the nursery.

``We're doing it because we're interested in it,'' John Gaspar, who taught school in Alaska and New Mexico, said of the nursery. ``We've always been interested in it.''

Evelyn Gaspar is still an elementary school substitute teacher and also works for the Sylvan Learning Center.

California native plants' advantages including using less water and requiring less maintenance, Gaspar said.

``The problem with natives is they're very slow growing,'' Gaspar said. ``The real reason most aren't in commerce isn't because they're trashy, it's because they're difficult to grow on a large scale.''

Recently, the Gaspars have begun offering roses grown from cuttings and fruit trees they've grown themselves. All of the plants are maintained outside and must endure the normal changes of the Antelope Valley.

``Of the other plants we sell, we try to go with low water,'' Gaspar said.

Gaspar's is located at 17424 E. Ave. O and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo: (1) John and Evelyn Gaspar operate a small nursery that offers plants native to California.

(2 -- 3) Many native plants use less water and require less maintenance. A dudleya plant, above; berries from a California holly plant left.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer