Gardening with CA Natives
Mary Wattis Brown Native Garden at the UC Davis Arboretum
While California’s native plants have graced gardens worldwide for over a century, few of the landscapes designed for our state’s gardens reflect the natural splendor for which California is famous. By gardening with native plants, you can bring the beauty of California into your own landscape while also receiving numerous benefits.
- Save Water
- Lower Maintenance
- Reduce Pesticides
- Invite Wildlife
- Support Local Ecology
Growing Natives - From the CA Native Plant Society
- Planning Your Garden
- Where to Buy Natives
- Sales & Events
- Identifying Native Plants
- Propagation
- Native Plant Resources
- Arboretums & Botanic Gardens
- Invasive Weeds & Pest Management
- Native Plant Lists
- Growing Natives Blog
UC Resources
Native and Naturalized Plants for Northern CA - UC ANR Publication 8401
UC Davis Arboretum All-Stars - The horticultural staff of the UC Davis Arboretum have identified 100 tough, reliable plants that have been tested in the Arboretum, are easy to grow, don’t need a lot of water, have few problems with pests or diseases, and have outstanding qualities in the garden. Many of them are California native plants and support native birds and insects. Most All-Star plants can be successfully planted and grown throughout California.
CA Native Garden at the UC Davis Arboretum - Plant this California Native Garden at home. The design below was developed for your home garden by Arboretum experts. The plan below is based on a 10-foot by 10-foot garden bed.
CA Natives in San Joaquin County CA Natives in San Joaquin County - Includes sample plant list, suggested books and websites.
Other Resources
Las Pilitas Nursery - A Native Plant Nursery in Southern California. Their web-site is FULL of information on growing CA Natives including planting, maintaining, designing, and native plant garden examples. They also cover CA Natives and attracting beneficials. There is also a search tool by zip code and growing specifications to find the plants that will do well in your area.
CA Native Garden Foundation - A non-profit educational, research, and resource organization that promotes gardening with California native plants. Their goal is to increase the popularity and use of California's native plants in the designed landscape.