Resources

I have been learning a lot about native gardening and have been reading many websites and books to learn more.  These are some of my favorite resources:

BOOKS-

California Native Plants for the Garden: by Bornstein, Fross & O'Brien

This book is AMAZING.  I bought several different books about native gardening and this is the gold standard of them all.  The photographs are inspiring but it is also so well laid out and useful.  I have read it cover to cover a few times now and it is dog-eared and high-lighted.  This is my primary resource for plant selection.  I have made a compiled list of plants that we might use in our yard from this book.  Also has subsections with lists of plants that are deer resistant, drought tolerant, grow under oak, useful in erosion control, good for hedges etc.  They have done all the homework for you and just give you information and heaps of inspiration.

Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates of the San Francisco Bay Region: by EBMUD (East Bay Municipal Utilities District)

Although this book is not about natives per se, it is a GREAT resource.  The photographs and layout are exceptional- it is beautiful as a coffee table book, but it also has great info for water wise gardening and beautiful demonstrations of low water gardens that are not just rock gardens with succulents.  The book denotes natives and has charts on relative water use, but it is best for inspiration and info about irrigation practices etc.  Great book.

WEBSITES/NURSERIES:

A lot of what I have learned has been through searching the web.  For example, tearing out a lawn is not actually a very easy process.  There is plenty of info out there but a lot of it will be hard to gather together.  As I have said- this is an experiment we are doing.  I have done plenty of research but there is no user guide out there to do exactly what we want to do, so we are making informed guesses.  We don't really know how it will turn out and that is part of the excitement.  When you have done enough research to try and being work- the next step is sourcing plants.  It is often expensive and difficult if you go to traditional nurseries.  Even native nurseries are expensive.  Thankfully there are also seed suppliers!  We are currently doing all of our gardening from seed.  We will buy 4" & 1 gallons as we continue, but I am germinating a lot of seeds and enjoying it.  Check out these nurseries and seed suppliers- I have not been to any of the nurseries yet... we are on a tight budget and until I have money in pocket and a plant list in hand, it is just mean to go.

Larner's Seeds- My favorite seed source.  This is one of the only places to get many of the seeds of native grasses.  A 1 gallon pot of native grasses will cost between $8-17 (and you cannot usually get 4" pots)... but a packet of seeds will cost only around $4 and you can buy seed by the pound even cheaper.  It is fun to germinate seeds too!  They are in Bolinas and most seeds are collected in the SF Bay Area (it is always best to try and plant local varieties too- genetic variation is important to try and maintain).

Theodore Payne- A Southern California seed supplier that has many of the larger trees and shrubs that Larner does not carry.

Plant World Seeds- Hard to believe, but this seed supplier is the only place I have been able to get some CA native seeds (Shooting Stars and CA Bush Anemone).  The reason it is hard to believe is that they are in the UK...  I don't like buying from so far away, but it is, like I said, the only source for some seeds.  I could not get Shooting Stars in seed or potted form from any of the local suppliers.  I have not yet bought Bush Anemone and might buy plants instead.

Las Pilatas Nursery- (Southern California & Central CA) I have not been to the nursery yet, but their website is AWESOME!  Great resource.  Their prices are cheaper than a lot of nurseries and they have better diversity.  I am planning on making a voyage to them for Phase II and bringing a truck!

Annie's Annuals and Perennials- (Richmond) Natives and hard to find plants.  Have not been to the nursery yet, but I use their website for helping make sure that I can source plants that are on my wish list!  They have some varieties that are really hard to find elsewhere.. for example the wind poppies that are on my wish list!  :-)

Bay Natives Nursery- (San Francisco) When we actually go to plant real plants, I will try and get as many as I can from here as it is local and they list the locations where the propagates are from to help maintain local genetic diversity.  Again, have not yet been there but am looking forward to it.  They are in SF and so do not have a lot of species that require more heat.

Yerba Buena Nursery- (Half Moon Bay) They are probably the most expensive of the native nurseries but the best known locally.  They also provide consulting services and we plan on hiring a consultant to help us with shrub and tree selection/placement.  I have not been there but it has been a resource that I have used to help with some of my information gathering.

California Flora Nursery- (Fulton- Sonoma CO) Have not yet been here either but can't wait!  Since Cas' family lives in Santa Rosa, I am sure we will have plenty of trips here when we start buying plants!