Natives & Wildflowers
California natives are an amazing way to have a beautiful, drought-tolerant, resilient garden all year, unlike a lawn, which needs a lot of maintenance, water, and sometimes pesticides. Natives stay healthy on their own. Once established, they need little water, and because they're so well adapted, most do better without any fertilizer (California Native Plant Society (opens in a new tab)). In some areas, wildflowers bloom almost all year. Natives also give habitat to native wildlife and pollinators. Consider planting native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.
Why I Grow California Natives
Almost No Care
They're adapted to our climate, so they grow on their own with basic water.
Blooms All Year
In our climate, something is in bloom nearly all year.
Beautiful on Little Water
They stay beautiful through our dry summers without much watering.
Lawn Alternatives
There are many alternatives to a lawn that needs lots of water and pesticides. Try a native wildflower garden with native trees or shrubs, alongside vegetables, herbs, and fruit. You'll attract native species, help pollinators, and feed your family too. Many California water agencies will even pay you to make the switch.
Re-Think Your Lawn: Creating Water-Efficient & Climate-Resilient Landscapes (opens in a new tab)
San Mateo Arboretum Society, San Mateo, CA
San Mateo Arboretum Society seminar (1 hr 26 min) on replacing a lawn with a water-efficient, climate-resilient garden.
Lawn Be Gone! Rebate (opens in a new tab)
Bay Area Water Supply & Conservation Agency (BAWSCA), San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Alameda counties
Up to $4 per square foot to replace a lawn with a drought-tolerant garden, plus $300 for adding a rain garden. Through participating water agencies; get a Notice to Proceed before you remove the lawn.
- Contact
- bawsca.dropletportal.com
Landscape Conversion Rebate (opens in a new tab)
Santa Clara Valley Water (Valley Water), Santa Clara County, CA
Santa Clara County's rebate for converting a lawn to a low-water landscape: a base rate of $2 per square foot, with extra from some cities. Read the program requirements before you start.
- Contact
- (408) 265-2600
Find Yard Rebates (opens in a new tab)
Save Our Water (State of California), California
Statewide rebate finder: enter your ZIP code to see lawn replacement and other water-saving rebates from your local water agency.
Natives in My Garden
Wildflowers from Mixed Seed
Something is blooming in my wildflower garden almost all year. The flowers are drought tolerant, but most aren't California natives: cosmos comes from Mexico, and black-eyed Susan and blanket flower come from other parts of North America. Of the flowers here, only the sunflower is native to California.
Check what's in a seed mix. Garland daisy came up from one of my mixes. The California Invasive Plant Council lists it as invasive in California (opens in a new tab): it escapes gardens and can form dense stands that crowd out native plants. Read the ingredient list before you sow a mix, and pull garland daisy before it goes to seed.
Where I Get Natives
SummerWinds Nursery
Good for organic vegetable starts, rare herbs, California natives, perennials, succulents, houseplants, pottery.
San Mateo Arboretum Society
Good for orchids, dendrobiums, tropicals, California natives, plant sales.
Find Natives for Your Garden
Calscape shows which plants are native to any address in California. The California Native Plant Society has chapters across the state, and many hold plant sales and spring garden tours.
Calscape (opens in a new tab)
California Native Plant Society, California
Find California native plants that grow near an address or ZIP code, with the pollinators they support
California Native Plant Society Chapters (opens in a new tab)
California Native Plant Society, California
Find your local CNPS chapter: plant sales, field trips, and garden tours across the state
Grassroots Ecology Native Plant Nursery (Foothills) (opens in a new tab)
Grassroots Ecology, Foothills Nature Preserve, 3300 Page Mill Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Grows locally native plants from seed and cuttings collected in San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Santa Cruz counties. Order by email ($50 minimum) and pick up at the preserve.
- Contact
- [email protected]