California Native Plants
Ranked #17,240 in Healthy Living, #262,378 overall
Conserve water, create habitat, and work less while gardening with native plants!
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Saving water is a good starting point on why it is important to garden with native plants, but there are so many more reasons, and most of them have to do with preserving our wildlife. Our plants and animals have evolved together for tens of thousands of years to work in concert with each other and somehow we have gotten into the habit of upsetting that balance.
// all large photographs are from my garden //
// all large photographs are from my garden //
a simple way to help the planet
"Green, for lack of a better word, is good. Green is right, green works. Green clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit."
(paraphrased quote from the film 'Wall Street')
Going green is a hot topic nowadays. One of the simplest ways to restore balance to our planet is by changing how we garden. Once a native plant garden is established after a few years, you'll use less water, no fertilizers, no insecticides, and be doing a lot less work. It will be more vibrant with activity, and you'll find yourself connecting more with nature.
I grew up like most everyone else, with one idea of what a garden is supposed to look like: some trees, some shrubs and flower beds, all tied together with an expanse of lawn. This may have seemed like a harmless thing to do as far as the environment is concerned, but we can't nickel and dime our land indefinitely. Enough damage has been done just leveling and paving habitat, without adding insult to injury by installing landscaping that is either on artificial life support: watering, fertilizing, spraying for so-called pests, etc. or else, exotic plantings that often overrun and upset the natural ecosystem. This lens is dedicated to promoting the use of beautiful native plant gardening to support our planet. Although I shall focus on my home state of California, these ideas apply everywhere.
(paraphrased quote from the film 'Wall Street')
Going green is a hot topic nowadays. One of the simplest ways to restore balance to our planet is by changing how we garden. Once a native plant garden is established after a few years, you'll use less water, no fertilizers, no insecticides, and be doing a lot less work. It will be more vibrant with activity, and you'll find yourself connecting more with nature.
I grew up like most everyone else, with one idea of what a garden is supposed to look like: some trees, some shrubs and flower beds, all tied together with an expanse of lawn. This may have seemed like a harmless thing to do as far as the environment is concerned, but we can't nickel and dime our land indefinitely. Enough damage has been done just leveling and paving habitat, without adding insult to injury by installing landscaping that is either on artificial life support: watering, fertilizing, spraying for so-called pests, etc. or else, exotic plantings that often overrun and upset the natural ecosystem. This lens is dedicated to promoting the use of beautiful native plant gardening to support our planet. Although I shall focus on my home state of California, these ideas apply everywhere.
pink-flowering currant
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(Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum 'Claremont')
bees, butterflies, & other insects
One of the most satisfying aspects of gardening with native plants is how beneficial it is to wildlife. Gardening with native plants offers the trees, plants, and flowers that our wild neighbors have evolved with. For example, insects such as our native bees can be highly specialized, depending on particular plants for their survival. Over 1500 species of native bees are found in California. Having a variety of native plants in our gardens means attracting a variety of pollinators.
Butterflies can be particular too. Besides nectar, they depend on finding particular native host plants on which to lay their eggs. In deciding which plants to grow, you can also take into account what you would like to attract with them. For instance, if you would like to attract the pipevine swallowtail, you could plant the California Dutchman's Pipe. Milkweeds bring in monarchs. This is also a great way to get kids interested in natural science. They just might take an interest in the insects and bugs they see crawling and hovering around the garden. What attracts certain insects and bugs? What are their life cycles?
It is unfortunate that many people think that 'insects' are synonymous with 'pests' when they mostly keep to themselves. Some plants at the nursery are advertised as being 'pest-free.' That's because they are exotics and they don't contribute to the life-cycle of nature. For example, I replaced a Japanese honeysuckle with a California honeysuckle, and yes, it attracts aphids each year, but that's what brings in the ladybugs. I've brought in additional ladybugs naturally by having native plants in my garden. No need to buy (oftentimes exotic) ladybugs that don't hang around anyway.
A shame would be not recognizing a beneficial insect and then reaching for the spray to kill it. A good example is the larvae of the ladybug; it also consumes aphids in this stage of development, and then of course later becomes an adult to diet on more aphids. Ladybug larvae look nothing like adults and may even look like garden pests to the average gardener. Pesticides are generalists and don't distinguish between what is good and bad in the garden, so it's best to plant for a community that can check and balance itself without the need for chemicals.
Butterflies can be particular too. Besides nectar, they depend on finding particular native host plants on which to lay their eggs. In deciding which plants to grow, you can also take into account what you would like to attract with them. For instance, if you would like to attract the pipevine swallowtail, you could plant the California Dutchman's Pipe. Milkweeds bring in monarchs. This is also a great way to get kids interested in natural science. They just might take an interest in the insects and bugs they see crawling and hovering around the garden. What attracts certain insects and bugs? What are their life cycles?
It is unfortunate that many people think that 'insects' are synonymous with 'pests' when they mostly keep to themselves. Some plants at the nursery are advertised as being 'pest-free.' That's because they are exotics and they don't contribute to the life-cycle of nature. For example, I replaced a Japanese honeysuckle with a California honeysuckle, and yes, it attracts aphids each year, but that's what brings in the ladybugs. I've brought in additional ladybugs naturally by having native plants in my garden. No need to buy (oftentimes exotic) ladybugs that don't hang around anyway.
A shame would be not recognizing a beneficial insect and then reaching for the spray to kill it. A good example is the larvae of the ladybug; it also consumes aphids in this stage of development, and then of course later becomes an adult to diet on more aphids. Ladybug larvae look nothing like adults and may even look like garden pests to the average gardener. Pesticides are generalists and don't distinguish between what is good and bad in the garden, so it's best to plant for a community that can check and balance itself without the need for chemicals.
birds: flowers, berries, etc.
And then there are the birds. All of the insects that you are allowing into your garden are sure to entice them. Besides insects which are attracted to the flowers, you can plant large shrubs whose flowers become plump berries such as the toyon and the blue elderberry which are important wildlife mainstays in the garden.
You can also use plants with nectar producing flowers which attract hummingbirds. Native sages, currants, and gooseberries have flowers that bear the nectar that hummingbirds love, and when their flowers fade, will either go to seed or produce berries which will attract other birds. Manzanitas, huckleberries, and native honeysuckles are also examples of plants that serve such double duty.
Native plants attract several times the amount of insects that non-natives do. Variety is key; a coffeeberry, for example, attracts all kinds of different bees, wasps, and flies. A book about California insects might be called for to figure out all the new critters that you'll be seeing.
Native oaks are hubs of wildlife activity, and if you are fortunate to have one in your yard, you can build a community around it. Forsake the lawn, and start planting the kinds of native understory plants that thrive under its canopy. There are many whose soil and water requirements match those of our native oaks. There are many wonderful books available now that describe how to put together plant communities whether you have oaks or not.
You can also use plants with nectar producing flowers which attract hummingbirds. Native sages, currants, and gooseberries have flowers that bear the nectar that hummingbirds love, and when their flowers fade, will either go to seed or produce berries which will attract other birds. Manzanitas, huckleberries, and native honeysuckles are also examples of plants that serve such double duty.
Native plants attract several times the amount of insects that non-natives do. Variety is key; a coffeeberry, for example, attracts all kinds of different bees, wasps, and flies. A book about California insects might be called for to figure out all the new critters that you'll be seeing.
Native oaks are hubs of wildlife activity, and if you are fortunate to have one in your yard, you can build a community around it. Forsake the lawn, and start planting the kinds of native understory plants that thrive under its canopy. There are many whose soil and water requirements match those of our native oaks. There are many wonderful books available now that describe how to put together plant communities whether you have oaks or not.
more beautiful photos
Here are more photos found on Flickr. Click to enlarge and learn additional information about these photos and all the others from Flickr, and about the talented and patient photographers!
tours and imagining your garden...
get ideas from gardens that already use natives
Depending on where you live, there are annual tours that let you visit gardens that already incorporate natives.
Note that it's not as if you have to go all or nothing with natives, especially in the beginning. You can start with just a part of your garden, perhaps a part that is farther away from the house and prone to neglect. You can still have your other favorite plants that require more care closer to the house, but use natives, especially large shrubs and trees, in the outer reaches.
Here are a few links to websites of native plant garden tours throughout the state. These sites have plenty of photographs to look at, whether or not you can physically attend a tour!
Note that it's not as if you have to go all or nothing with natives, especially in the beginning. You can start with just a part of your garden, perhaps a part that is farther away from the house and prone to neglect. You can still have your other favorite plants that require more care closer to the house, but use natives, especially large shrubs and trees, in the outer reaches.
Here are a few links to websites of native plant garden tours throughout the state. These sites have plenty of photographs to look at, whether or not you can physically attend a tour!
- Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour
- This tour covers the East Bay Area on both sides of the Caldecott Tunnel.
- Going Native Garden Tour
- This tour covers the Santa Clara Valley & Peninsula of the San Francisco Bay Area.
- Theodore Payne Native Garden Tour
- This tour covers the Los Angeles area.
finding native plants
Being that gardening with native plants is a way to help preserve the beauty of California, it is important not to damage any native plant populations by taking them from the wild.
Part of the fun and shared experience of gardening with natives is in obtaining your plants. As gardening with natives has grown in popularity, so have sources for obtaining plants become available.
There are nurseries that sell natives. You can purchase plants, bulbs, and seeds by mail order. Native gardening tours often offer plants at selected locations. You can visit local botanical gardens to see native collections and perhaps purchase plants. I have even found many of my plants at the local community college, whose horticulture department holds plant sales in both the spring and the fall.
Here is a selection of places that sell native plants, but there are many more:
There are nurseries that sell natives. You can purchase plants, bulbs, and seeds by mail order. Native gardening tours often offer plants at selected locations. You can visit local botanical gardens to see native collections and perhaps purchase plants. I have even found many of my plants at the local community college, whose horticulture department holds plant sales in both the spring and the fall.
Here is a selection of places that sell native plants, but there are many more:
- California Native Plant Society
- Certain local chapters of the California Native Plant Society hold annual sales of native plants. Go to the main site, click on 'Local Chapters,' then look for the Chapter in your area.
- Yerba Buena Nursery
- A premiere nursery that specializes in California native plants! Over 600 varieties. If you are fortunate enough to be able to visit its location in Woodside (on the peninsula near Palo Alto), its grounds are renown for their beauty. Walk-in customers only, no mail order.
- Las Pilitas Nursery
- This is a website with a wealth of information, in addition to selling plants by mail order. They also have two locations if you are able to visit in person: Santa Margarita (Central California, between Atascadero and San Luis Obispo) and Escondido (Southern California, east of Oceanside).
- Theodore Payne Foundation
- Here is a wonderful source for mail order seeds, as well as plants at the nursery. You may also recognize the name from one of the Native Garden tours.
- Larner Seeds
- Judith Larner Lowry is a collector of seeds, and the author of two books that I highly recommend, 'Gardening With a Wild Heart' and 'The Landscaping Ideas of Jays.' Mail order.
- Annie's Annuals
- And Perennials. Click on 'Totally Useful Plant Lists' in the left column, then on 'California Natives.' Mail order, plus 2.5 acres open to the public at its location in Richmond.
- Far West Bulb Farm
- A treasure of native California bulbs, Far West Bulb Farm only sells its bulbs during one short span of the year, so keep an eye on their website! Mail order.
- Telos Rare Bulbs
- Featuring hard-to-find bulbs from around the world, be sure to shop in the Western USA category at the upper left of the home page. Wonderful assortment. Mail order.
- forestfarm
- Although located in Oregon, here you will find all kinds of trees and shrubs, including California natives. Mail order.
more great ideas
Check out the following websites to see how firms that specialize in native plants design their gardens. You'll get to see even greater possibilities for your garden, and if you decide that you would like professional expertise, these are good companies to consider.
- California's Own Native Landscape Design
- This is one of the first sites I learned of when I became interested in native plants. Servicing the greater San Diego region, pay particular attention to the page: Native Ecology: Fire Safety. They have not lost a single home due to the wildfires!
- east bay wilds
- servicing the san francisco east bay area, east bay wilds designs bay friendly landscapes using native plants grown in their very own nursery.
- MIddlebrook Gardens
- Alrie Middlebrook is co-author of the book, 'Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens.' Middlebrook Gardens is located in San Jose. Look for the Eye on the Bay video clips on the home page.
- Four Dimensions Landscape Company
- Leaders in the emerging field of sustainable landscaping, restoration and native plant horticulture, located in Oakland.
ladybug on coffeeberry
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(flowers are of Rhamnus californica)
summer dry, winter wet
California has a unique climate that is known as a Mediterranean climate, one which is found in only a few parts of the world: around the Mediterranean; in southwestern Australia; at the southern tip of Africa; central Chile; and of course, California. From region to region, these climates do vary, but in general, they are characterized by long, dry periods that continue for most of the year after the Spring rains, and are then followed by very wet Winters. That is why many of the exotics that fare well in our climate without much additional care come from these climates.
Traditional gardening typically requires a process of proper soil preparation, taking the soil that naturally exists on a site and then changing it to suit each plant. I used to dread the prospect of adding soil conditioner to the clay around my property, particularly if I had to remove the layer of rock that we have over much of our grounds. It's a labor intensive process, and really destructive to the microscopic organisms that exist in the ground. Now I don't mix soil conditioner (or anything else) into the ground, saving both time and money.
One of the most wonderful things about the process of gardening with native plants is you are matching plants to the soil! There is no damage to the natural soil structure from 'preparing' soil by mixing in additives, and the life (including our precious network of microorganisms) that goes on underground is left alone. Depending on the plants chosen, supplemental water is rarely necessary.
It may seem a bit odd to think about, but the natural California landscape survives without supplemental irrigation. Looking out the car window one day, I did wonder one day about the flourishing landscape that I was driving by; the oaks, pines, and other plant-life didn't need extra watering. They've evolved to not just be drought-tolerant, but to flourish with the summer dry, winter wet climate that we have. Extra water and fertilization actually damages native plants, which is why they can't just be plopped into regular garden situations and survive.
There are beautiful plants that are native to each area of California, and native creatures that depend on them. It's not an all or nothing choice for the California gardener: a good approach would be to focus on natives in the garden first and foremost, particularly trees and shrubs (best for birds, insects, etc.); then there are the Mediterranean-type plants that don't demand much care and water such as the lavendar, rosemary, and grevillea; and finally, the other plants that may have particular personal meaning such as a mother's love for double-impatiens - these plants may demand more attention, but they can also be kept in containers near the house and are easy to water. Just make sure not to use any invasives! Like invasive animals, invasive plants are very costly economically as well as environmentally.
Traditional gardening typically requires a process of proper soil preparation, taking the soil that naturally exists on a site and then changing it to suit each plant. I used to dread the prospect of adding soil conditioner to the clay around my property, particularly if I had to remove the layer of rock that we have over much of our grounds. It's a labor intensive process, and really destructive to the microscopic organisms that exist in the ground. Now I don't mix soil conditioner (or anything else) into the ground, saving both time and money.
One of the most wonderful things about the process of gardening with native plants is you are matching plants to the soil! There is no damage to the natural soil structure from 'preparing' soil by mixing in additives, and the life (including our precious network of microorganisms) that goes on underground is left alone. Depending on the plants chosen, supplemental water is rarely necessary.
It may seem a bit odd to think about, but the natural California landscape survives without supplemental irrigation. Looking out the car window one day, I did wonder one day about the flourishing landscape that I was driving by; the oaks, pines, and other plant-life didn't need extra watering. They've evolved to not just be drought-tolerant, but to flourish with the summer dry, winter wet climate that we have. Extra water and fertilization actually damages native plants, which is why they can't just be plopped into regular garden situations and survive.
There are beautiful plants that are native to each area of California, and native creatures that depend on them. It's not an all or nothing choice for the California gardener: a good approach would be to focus on natives in the garden first and foremost, particularly trees and shrubs (best for birds, insects, etc.); then there are the Mediterranean-type plants that don't demand much care and water such as the lavendar, rosemary, and grevillea; and finally, the other plants that may have particular personal meaning such as a mother's love for double-impatiens - these plants may demand more attention, but they can also be kept in containers near the house and are easy to water. Just make sure not to use any invasives! Like invasive animals, invasive plants are very costly economically as well as environmentally.
ladybug larva on woolly blue-curls
72.jpg)
(protect these in the garden!)
native plant books
Here are several great books to help get you started...
'California Native Plants for the Garden' is a beautifully photographed reference of the native plant palette for the California garden.
'Growing California Native Plants' presents excellent information for a great variety of California native plants.
'Native Treasures' presents a series of beautifully written and personal essays describing favorite California plant groups.
'Designing California Native Gardens' is a comprehensive guide to gardening with the major California plant communities.
'Bringing Nature Home' is an excellent book that tells how we can preserve and save our environment through refocusing our gardening practices towards natives. Although this book presents examples from the Eastern United States, its principles apply everywhere. Mentioned in USA Weekend, March 20-22, 2009 issue, in Spring Home & Garden Report 'Go native.'
'California Native Plants for the Garden' is a beautifully photographed reference of the native plant palette for the California garden.
'Growing California Native Plants' presents excellent information for a great variety of California native plants.
'Native Treasures' presents a series of beautifully written and personal essays describing favorite California plant groups.
'Designing California Native Gardens' is a comprehensive guide to gardening with the major California plant communities.
'Bringing Nature Home' is an excellent book that tells how we can preserve and save our environment through refocusing our gardening practices towards natives. Although this book presents examples from the Eastern United States, its principles apply everywhere. Mentioned in USA Weekend, March 20-22, 2009 issue, in Spring Home & Garden Report 'Go native.'
helpful links
- Lose The Lawn!
- A useful list outlining the benefits of native plant landscaping versus maintaining a lawn.
- Get recognized...
- How to create a Wildlife Habitat, certified by the National Wildlife Federation.
- Invasion of the Land Snatchers
- A very interesting article describing the importance of preserving our native flora, not just for the local fauna, but for us! Look for the economic costs that are mentioned.
- Colonies in Collapse
- An in-depth article examining what's causing massive honeybee die-offs.
wild hyacinth
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(Dichelostemma multiflorum)
California native plants in the news
This is a topic that seems to reach its peak whenever there is a drought, but it is always interesting to see the information that is available on the Internet. It's a wonderful time to live in when news and information is made so available with the click of a mouse!
- Expo Line Landscaping Lunacy
- It is essential that phase two of the Expo Line be landscaped solely with California native plants. The tragedy is that many people, including those at the MTA, seem to think that native landscaping is a small cosmetic issue. It is not.
- Books tell us how to go native ---- with plants, that is
- In recent years, George Miller's "Landscaping With Native Plants" and "California Native Plants for the Garden" by Carol Bernstein, David Fross, and Bart O'Brien, have been two mainstays for native plant aficionados. Two new books are out that you may ...
- Sage advice: Spice up landscape with these aromatic mainstays
- California's sages belong to a genus of about 900 species, taking up a whopping 2 percent of the world's collection, according to "California Native Plants for the Garden." Still, that small share looms large in the wilds of San Diego County, ...
- A World in Small Works
- By Libby Motika, Senior Editor One would think that after 30 years hiking in the Mineral King Valley in Sequoia National Park, Joan Keesey would have accumulated a complete life-list of California native plants. And yet, season after season, ...
western redbud
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(Cercis occidentalis)
a couple more great books
'Gardening with a Wild Heart' is a classic that is heartwarming and filled with thoughtful observations of the natural California landscape.
'The Landscaping Ideas of Jays' follows 'Gardening with a Wild Heart,' taking us through the seasons of California (yes, California has seasons!).
'The Landscaping Ideas of Jays' follows 'Gardening with a Wild Heart,' taking us through the seasons of California (yes, California has seasons!).
a video on YouTube
reader feedback
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a_willow
Jan 12, 2009 @ 4:00 pm | delete
- You are one of November graduates! Come by and answer few questions to show the way to those who will follow! Wish you many, many more great lenses!
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a_willow
Nov 18, 2008 @ 3:14 pm | delete
- Great start on Squidoo! Welcome to Fresh Squid group! Glad to have you aboard!
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naturegirl7 Nov 10, 2008 @ 6:41 pm | delete
- Oh, I forgot to say that I lensrolled your California Native Plants to my Gardening with Native Plants. I'm from the south and you're from the west, so pretty soon Naturally Native Squids will have the whole country (and some of the British Isles) covered in the native plant department!
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- Welcome to the Naturally Native Squids group. Don't forget to add your lens link to the appropriate plexo and vote for it.
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by Arthur_R_Chan
Hi, my name is Arthur and thank you for visiting my lens!
I've always loved gardening and when I learned about gardening with native plants, suddenly...
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