Get to know what kind of plants grow best in a SoCal garden.

The first of four free gardening classes begins March 18, as part of the Santa Margarita Water District’s Operation Conservation program. The series called Home Gardeners Workshops are open to SMWD customers to help them learn about reducing outdoor water usage.

The March 18 class will be from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and will feature an in-depth discussion on California Native Plants. SMWD’s California Friendly and Native Plants Workshop hopes to help participants take the guess work out of gardening with native plants. The workshop introduces attendees to 25 common and useful plants that are drought tolerant, and will provide an in-depth look into which plants work best in the garden. Selected clippings of various plants will be on display, and a book with useful information about each of the plants will be available.

The other dates for the evening classes held at the same time here on out are April 15 (Topic: landscape sprinkler systems), June 3 (Topic: soils, watering and filtering) and July 15 (Topic: efficient irrigation) all include a slide presentation, hands-on demonstrations, displays and exercises at the District’s office at 26111 Antonio Parkway in Las Flores. Refreshments will be provided and classes are limited to 50 attendees. To make a reservation, please call Tina Trotta at (949) 459-6645 or email martinat@smwd.com.