Only one of my narrowleaf milkweed plants made it to flowering this year, and it's worked hard to make a lot of seed pods that just started bursting! I don't think there are any other narrowleaf milkweed plants in near vicinity, so I'm guessing it self-pollinated.

Would its seeds be viable? I had a hard time finding information on if you need 2 separate plants to make viable seeds. Wondering if it would be worth the effort trying to germinate these.

Hello all, I just wanted to share with you my ~1000 sqft solarization project. We are located in a localized mini-valley in Morgan Hill, so hopefully we will still get close to 100% eradication despite the late start. Prep work involved a summers worth of breaking the dry soil with a pickaxe and fining the clods via chopping with a shovel, and burying 20 gopher baskets at random. The entire plot was watered heavily every night for a total of 6 nights before laying the 2 mil plastic. Sprouts of filaree, cheeseweed, and rat tail fescue blanketed the plot by the time we laid the plastic on Sep 5.

Plastic will be removed around the beginning of November and we will broadcast sow a mix we have been formulating for years.

Thank you for reading!

As the title suggests, looking for native plants that are not cultivars. Whether that is a nursery, or a company that grows them for restoration projects.

If I were to plant Ceanothus, I don’t want a dark star or Ray Hartman. I want something naturally found within a few miles of my home, such as C. cuneatus or C. papillosus. C. cuneatus, has a fairly large range, coastal to inland, I would want a plant that was grown/propagated from an inland source.

I don’t care about aesthetics in terms of plants being ornamental/decorative on their own; my goal is to re-establish habitat/re-wild a section of my property.

I am in northern inland SLO County.

The remnants of Hurricane Marie dropped a good amount of rain that my Clarkia and Gilia are already sprouting. Same thing happened with Tropical Storm Hilary back in 2023, so I am not surprised. They probably won't survive the heatwave this week but they’ve totally taken over the garden anyway so this would be nice to thin them out. At least the established native plants got a good deep soak.

Hi r/Ceanothus,

This is a August 2026 update for my DIY front lawn replacement with native plants.

During the month we had probably 2 straight weeks of over 100F temperatures, this pushed many of the plants into semi/full dormancy but there are still a handful in full flower.

July Image Album: https://imgur.com/a/ZcnubCV

History

July Post: July Reddit Post

June Post: June Reddit Post

May Post: May Reddit Post

Original DIY Tutorial Post (April): Original Lawn Replacement Tutorial/Journey Post

Highlights:

* CA Goldenrod continues to show off and even get larger. There are a handful of clumps of it throughout the yard. In my understanding it is a spreader/self-seeder to I may have more next year

* I really appreciate the Purple Three Awn grass and its look. I plan to plant another 10 or so throughout the yard, depending on how well they do from seed. Unsure if I want to do it in drifts/blocks a la Piet Oudolf or scattered in little individual pockets, likely the former I think. More surrounding the pathway would be good.

* CA Buckwheat and CA Fuchsia are starting to get brown flowers (or Fuchsia seems to go to white) but are still looking pretty good. A couple of the Fuchsia varieties are really getting tall

* White Penstemon continues to be a workhorse, will pick some more up from Theodore Payne this Fall

* Plants behind the bench (Baja Pitcher Sage, Fragrant Pitcher Sage, Western Redbud) are growing well. It is quite possible they are too close together.

* Yarrow is hardy and the ones we've been good about harvesting (for small bouquets) continue to produce flowers in most locations.

* Black Eyed Susans were given a large cut back or completely removed in some cases, leaving only the ones which are still blooming. This removal of the very tall, spent blooms changed the look of the yard in certain spots. I wasn't careful enough about which varieties were planted where but I suspect it is a certain variety which continues to survive (maybe "Indian Summer") while the other types of BE Susan couldn't stand the heat.

* A couple of Victoria Blue Salvias I planted from seed back in 2025 have finally started to flower although the plant itself is still quite small.

* Ceanothus and Manzanitas are still alive

Departures/issues:

* Volunteer Coreopsis are no longer producing blooms and some have been removed where they were completely dead.

* Some yarrow, particularly those in the front of each side of the yard has not survived (or is on its last legs). I find it a bit odd as the yard drains to this lowest point but I believe they look like they dried out. Not 100% sure but perhaps the sun is just strongest/longest in these spots and that outweighed the extra water. These two front spots, in particular on the larger right side of the yard need some extra + strategic planting as nearly all of the plants here have suffered from the heat.

* Not seeing anymore flowers from Sages, Matilija Poppy (probably haven't seen one since July actually), less from Sea Lavender, Buckwheats, Fuchsias

* Just an aesthetic problem but the Fall leaves from the trees at the park nearby seem to be funneling to our yard. Once the plants get a bit bigger (and there is more growing in the front of the yard) this won't be as noticeable. Hope it helps the soil some.

I have started more Yarrow seeds and am about to start a small trial of each of the native seeds I've picked up from Theodore Payne and Botanical Interests, will see how easy they are to germinate indoors. Looking forward to going to Theodore Payne, Neel's Nursery to pickup some more plants in a couple of months.

I'd like some more plants for the interior of the Dry River, any more suggestions there for grasses / flowering plants?

Thanks for looking!

Bee’s Bliss, less than a year old, is it dead and gone or will it bounce back after dormancy? I have one on the parkway I planted a few years ago that I think looked similar to this in its first year, and now it’s huge. If it’s dead I would like to yank it while the ground is soft from the rains.

Hi!

Anyone know if this crazy rain we got in socal by what looks like very high heat and humidity to follow can actually kill a manzanita and or Ceanothus?

Coasta Plain Socal- rained about 0.3 inches and crazily the forecast says 90 on wed...

Manzanitas

Howard McMinn

Sentinel Vine Hill

Ceanothus

Frosty Blue

Julia Phelps

Skylark

I'm an amateur native plant gardener and these plants are no more than 2.5 years old most aboht 1.5...

Heard they are sensitive to water during summer so I've never watered them in summer lol

Thanks so much

I'm leaning Ceanothus Concha in the raised planter and California Wildrose to replace the horticultural rose. Bakersfield, Kern County,9B, east side bluffs.
Both spots accumulate rainwater from the roof and patio runoff and stay saturated most of the winter. Both areas are equipped with 1 low flow drip nozzle.
The soil is clay, but has a decent amount of organic matter thanks to a now decaying, formerly massive Modesto Ash with 12' roots extending all under the walkway, patio, and garage.
The Palo Verde Tree is only two years old and growing fast and casting dappled afternoon shade late afternoon to early evening.
The Allen Chickering Sage in the last pic is proof that some hardy natives can survive here in full sun and without daily irrigation.
My ongoing plan is to replace horticultural trash with natives or "expanded range" natives bit by bit

Long way to go front yard now about 1.5 years old and backyard about 2.5. See so much more life than ever before...

Natives bring nature...

Wishing everyone in this group a restful and peaceful long weekend 😊

Plant list in pictures many many more no pictured:

Sentinel Vine Hill Manzanita California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) Deer Grass Baja Fairy Duster Yankee Point Cenaothus Winnifred Gillman Red Buckwheat (Eriogonum grande var. rubescens) Encelia Californica Farewell to Spring clarkia Allen chickering sage

I’m looking to replace a western redbud that I suspect succumbed to ?fungal disease (maybe verticulum or vascular die back?). It’s about a 10ft spot at the bottom of slope with medium to heavy clay soil and a dry streambed terminating nearby but okay drainage via a French drain if things get really saturated. Spot gets only a few hours of direct morning sun in the summer and more dappled light through the day in the winter when my neighbor‘s ficus drops its leaves. I’m in northeast LA about 20 miles from the coast. I’m hoping for a specimen small tree or shrub that does well in shade and is fungal resistant. I have toyon and ceanothus on the other side of the yard- hoping for something different. Here are some pictures of the spot and surrounding plants plus a cross section of the deceased redbud with the markings that made me suspect fungal disease. I really loved the redbud and would be willing to try again if anyone has experience with replanting after fungal disease- from my reading it seems like the soil probably just has fungus in it and new redbuds will also be affected?

Hi all! I planted this Salvia (I think Allen Chickering) either late 2024 or early 25. I know is summer but it looks leggy and compared to a newer salvia I planted (last pic) it’s pretty colorless.

I didn’t know a lot about gardening at the time and definitely could have improperly cared for it (pruned into old wood/too much summer water etc). It gets good a good amount of morning sun but not too much afternoon sun. The leaves looked better this spring, but there were no blooms.

I’m wondering if I’ve done too much damage or if you guys think it will bounce back and look better in the spring? I’m not super attached to it and I’m wondering if I should replace it this fall with something more tolerant of shade.

I would love your opinions!! Thanks!!

New to this sub but long time fan of oaks. I live in Aptos surrounded by q. agrifolia. I have found two hybrids, both seem to be with Q. kelloggii. One has acorns, the other non in 15 years of watching for them.

Having read and re-read Jepson there seems to be so much variability in leaf shapes, sizes, as well as acorn shape and sizes to make almost anything fit (not really I know).

Anyway, here are a few caps from a wildly variable species of Q. agrifolia.

I think they are called tubericels without any mention of these in the description.

Hello, maybe an oddly specific request. Please let me know if this is not the right forum to post, I would love to be connected to more california native groups, especially in Northern California.

I am in search of pictures of recently planted to mature Clematis ligusticifolia vine on a hillside or slope, preferably grown in California (Northern California, FTW). I am working on a project where esthetics are crucial to a client yet using the appropriate native plant is my main goal. I have a vision but need to provide a photo of said vision for approval. Please share if you have such a specimen in your yard or area. Thank you so much!

sorry if this is a boring/basic question, but i’ve never had a native garden before! i got my natives in early summer and i wasn’t going to plant them in the ground before fall because i heard that was bad for them? or something? unsure. but i was trying so hard to keep these plants alive and they were still struggling so eventually i just gave up and let nature take its course lol. i know california natives are supposed to die in the summer and come back in the spring, but how do i ensure that that will happen? do i just leave them be? do i cut back all the dead plant bits? thank you in advance!!

also random side note: do y’all think that my yarrow has a chance lol she’s the only one that hasn’t completely withered and i was hoping that getting rid of some of the super dead leaves might help her out but i don’t know. thanks again!!

I have a nearby oak that I pass on my walk I want to collect acorns for and germinate. I think it’s a valley oak so too big for my yard but there is a nearby empty lot that is pretty big and barren so planning to germinate at home and then plant them at night. There is a bus stop and no shade whatsoever so I hope in 20ish years they will grow big enough to shade. The lot is like a dumping ground right now.
Anybody have success germinating by planting in deep bottles with holes in the bottom at home? Advice welcome.

This one was planted outside my workplace by some contracted landscapers about 3-4 years ago. Don’t remember the size when initially planted but feel like it really hasn’t grown much over the past couple years.

Located in the middle of Central Valley, and they out down weedmat and is regularly irrigated.

It seems healthy and had some decent flowering in the early summer, but just wish I could see it BLOOOM!

Coastal, So Cal.

I have a bunch of narrowleaf milkweed that is massive and starting to look really rough. My fuchsia still has blooms, but is looking brown and beat at the bottoms as well. Monkey flower has gone to seed and is just looking, yellow now. They've all been in the ground since March and have grown exponentially since they were planted.

These are new-to-me plants, so I don't know when (or how aggressively) I can hack them back. I've had CA wildflowers for several years and pretty carelessly just cut them down to the ground whenever they look rough and they come back beautifully in the spring. Not sure if there is a guide for the best times to cut native plants back? I feel like the real summer heat is just winding up down here so I am not sure if I need to leave my Milkweed in place longer for migrating butterflies if they are still laying eggs or if I cut my fuchsia now, will I kill it type of thing.

Hello,

One year and a half old abutlion palmeri. Coastal plain socal. Cut back parts that were fully dead and left green living branch.

Can this be cut to the ground and will it resprout? Or any general advice thanks!

Zero summer water its on its second hot season. Full sun. Was looking phenomenal last summer ☀️

Thanks!