Designing A Native Garden, Part I: Planning (Read, study, research - and dream!)

Last fall, I wrote a little bit about the beginning of one of our latest projects, converting our 1,000+ square foot front lawn from a mosaic of Bermuda grass and weeds into a native plant garden.  I'm happy to say that since breaking ground on this project in October, we have made good progress and are already enjoying our first season of manzanita blooms!


It's been quite the process, and I hope to use a few blog posts to walk you through the steps we took to turn a large patch of Bermuda grass into a beautiful native plant garden.

The first step is planning.  I started dreaming about and planning for this project years ago, though planning in earnest only began a year ago (last winter) when we realized we would be purchasing this particular property.

Step 1.  Read, study, research - and dream!

I'm sure some folks shudder at the thought of doing research for a garden.  But not me!  I love this part of the process; I love reading, studying, taking notes, making lists, gleaning information...  I love knowing as much about the process as I can before getting started.

This first step is all about amassing information, whether you clip newspaper articles and magazine photos, pin items on Pinterest, or collect stacks of books to read and take notes on.  I began my planning process a couple of years ago by reading The California Native Landscape, by Greg Rubin & Lucy Warren and making lists of my favorite plants.  This valuable book has carried me through the entire process, from researching and dreaming to planting and maintaining.

Books are always my first go-to resource.  Visit your local library and check out as many books on native plants as you can.  Maybe even purchase a few used copies on Amazon.

Here are my top recommendations, books I have in my own library and turn to over and over:

California Native Plants for the Garden, by Carol Bornstein  (The closest thing to a Sunset Western Garden Book for natives that's been written, to date)

The California Native Landscape, by Greg Rubin & Lucy Warren  (This was the first native gardening book I bought, and I followed its guidelines almost to the letter when I installed my own landscape.)

The classic and indispensable book, Growing California Native Plants, is available in two editions.  They are different enough to warrant at least reading (if not owning) both the first edition, from 1980, and the second edition, from 2012.

Native Treasures, by Nevin Smith  (Delves into a few of the more popular genera in cultivation, such as the manzanitas, ceanothus, and buckwheats.)


The California Wildlife Habitat Garden, by Nancy Bauer  (Describes how to create a garden that will be attractive to wildlife, including birds, butterflies and other pollinators.)

California Native Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide, by Helen Popper  (A good guide to walk you through your first few years as a native plants gardener, as you discover the rhythms and seasonal routines of gardening with natives.)


I also recommend that you scour the internet for additional information.  Join Facebook groups dedicated to native plants and ask the generous and knowledgeable people there your questions.  Browse sites full of plant lists and photos.  Even take virtual tours of other native gardens!  Here are a few of my favorite online resources.

California Native Plant Society  An excellent place to start!  Browse through this site at your leisure; you will find a wealth of information - and gorgeous photos!

Calscape  Powered by the CNPS, this tool lets users search for plants native to their area based on zip code or address.  This is a truly indispensable resource for discovering plants that comprise(d) your specific local plant community.  While natives from other regions of the state will probably work in your yard too, it should be a goal to incorporate as many local natives as possible.

Las Pilitas  A retail nursery based in Santa Margarita, Las Pilitas also offers an impressive and in-depth website abounding in information.  I have spent countless hours wandering and blissfully gleaning information inside the labyrinth of Las Pilitas' website.  I recommend clicking on the "Selected Native Plants" tab as a starting point, and going from there!

My Native Plants  Created by Las Pilitas, this is an excellent tool for discovering which plants will thrive in your garden.


Browsing through these resources, you'll begin to gain an understanding of what a native plant garden is, how it functions, and what that might look like on your own property.  Take some time during these rainy winter days to plan ahead and dream about your future native plant garden!

Stay tuned for Designing a Native Garden, Part II: Analyzing Your Site!

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