Soap and other native blossoms

Lovely 3 minute walk in California Botanic Garden in Claremont with David Bryant. He highlights 5 natives, most of which we have in our own yards. Following our orders from CDC, he makes soap from Ceanothus blooms and washes his hands with it.  Not bad when we are in a pinch in the garden.  Or...fill a bowl with blooms and keep it by the sink.  It works.

Our native Ceanothus species (we have two in YLP, one know as Buckbrush), are beginning to bloom. The blossoms contain saponins, which make them an effective soap. I am headed out to my yard to try it. ​