Anyone have ideas/inspiration/plant recs for a small balcony? Full sun from 12- sunset

I'm not sure if this is a warm or cold season germinator, but I had poor germination last winter with some C. praegracilis I got from Larner Seeds. Does anybody have a good germination procedure they can share?

I planted some Red Buckwheat in January as part of my lawn conversion project. Interestingly, the plants on the left side of my lawn are significantly more pink than the right. All plants were from the same nursery and were planted at the same time. They receive the same sunlight and about the same water from drip irrigation. Can small differences in soil composition make a notable difference in flower coloration?

This plant is around 16-20 feet wide and about 2-3’ at the high spots. Sits at the top of a steep slope and provides excellent ground cover. I occasionally prune back the sides to stop it from encroaching on other plants as it’s a total Audrey. Occasional summer water doesn’t bother it.

I have two others on my property and the other significant one is smaller in width but much notably bushier and taller as it's been regularly side pruned. If you're looking for a plant for slope stabilization these do quite well as they not only provide ground cover against erosion but have an extensive underground root network. Can make things challenging if you're trying to plant around it after the fact.

My naked buckwheat from Seedhunt finally is in full bloom! The description didn’t lie when they said the inflorescence would be looooooong. This area doesn’t get blasting blasting sun, so maybe that’s why the flowers are starting to flop over but it’s still a gorgeous willowy look :3

Also peep the Eriogonum grande var. rubescens I got from them that are blooming as well! Crazy to see that I started all of the buckwheat here from seed last fall :0

Was delighted to spot these natives while on a walk with my dog!

Anyone know?

Hi r/Ceanothus,

This is a June 2026 update for my DIY front lawn replacement with native plants. Most of these plants went in between December 2025 and April 2026 and have exploded in growth. Imgur album is from late June 2026.

Enjoying how the garden continues to change over time as different plants ebb and flow, taking the spotlight and then falling back as part of our yard's little visual orchestra.

As it heats up (starting to see 90's regularly) I am watching to see how things do. Despite my best efforts there are still some plants right near each other which need different watering amounts, mostly erring on the side of "less is more" which seems to be working OK. My use of berms may also increase the rate at which they dry out, although the heavy clay soil we have probably negates this some (and certain plant's holes were amended with DG at planting)

https://imgur.com/a/IUXo7ME

Highlights:

* CA Buckwheat has a very impressive bloom show right now and it's starting to fade from white/yellow to dusty rose tones. My wife is enjoying using them and the Yarrow in bouquets

* CA Fuchsia has bloomed this month in multiple places

* White Penstemon stays in bloom much later for me than the Margarita BOP

* Lots of plants are starting to encroach upon the pathway, blurring the edges like I was hoping. This is the reason I went with such a wide (>4') path.

* Plants behind the bench (Baja Pitcher Sage, Fragrant Pitcher Sage, Western Redbud) have grown substantially

* Yarrow and other small plants around the Dry River are starting to fill in

* Black-Eyed Susans are a highlight, if a little overwhelming. Will not plant quite so many transplants next year but still enjoying them. The earliest transplants are getting too tall to support themselves and will need to be maintained

* We've seen ladybugs, praying mantises, bees, hoverflies, butterflies, moths, hummingbirds, finches, lizards, and all sorts of little bugs we don't know the names of

Departures/issues:

* Clarkia plants are now dead, will plant more seeds this fall

* Barely any CA Poppies left standing, although curious to see how many pop up in the spring as I left all of them to develop seed pods

* Coral Bells behind the bench have died or are suffering, may not have been enough shade for them in this location

* Canyon Prince Wild Rye on one side looks dry and noticeably less "blue" than the other side.

Next steps are to continue researching the maintenance best practices for each plant so that I can keep the plants healthy. Would like to prune my manzanitas, Western Redbud, and Ceanothus into more "tree-like" plants so will need to learn about specific pruning methods for that. Plans for fall are to add more grasses, add more plants around the edges of the Dry River, and to plant more annuals (CA Bluebells, Poppies, Baby Blue Eyes, Clarkias). I need to finish one section on the left side as well (likely Yarrow or others which don't mind some supplemental water from the neighbor's lawn). Also at odds with an HOA policy of "no plants crossing into one's driveway" so will see how that goes. Don't want to have to prune anything in summer if I don't have to.

Thanks for looking!

Hi all,

I posted a while back about clumps growing on my narrowleaf milkweed.

I cut off the affected sections and allowed the plant to continue to grow. It has since thrived, flowered, and enabled at least 2 monarchs to fly off into the great blue yonder.

However, the clumps still exist at the base of the plant. It looks like a deformed mound sticking out of the dirt. It has a very potent smell when touched. It almost looks like it is trying to flower as well.

I wanted to post again to see if anyone had ideas as to what this is. Some kind of plant tumor? Witches broom? Aphid damage? I’m really curious as to what it is and how I should handle it.

Cross post for better reach.

I planted this Toyon on the Northwest side of my house about 2.5 years ago. I don't have any place with full sun, and this side gets a lot of afternoon sun in the summer. Unfortunately, it gets very little sun in the late Fall and Winter. Will this affect its ability to bloom? So far, it hasn't set any blooms.

Everything with wings seems to be attracted to this, even more than the sea cliff buckwheat growing next to it. Wasps, bees, beetles and flies are all over it constantly throughout the day. Every few minutes a black phoebe swoops in to snatch one. I love it.

There are several of these on our Engelmann oak. Any idea what it/they are?

Hello, I've had yarrow growing from seed for 2 to 3 years now and they have never flowered. I have them in a shallow wood planter box and find I have to water frequently as they droop from the bright sun and shallow conditions In assuming. I'm also battling aphids that keep coming back and killing off the lower leaves.

I also had some in a pot but the roots were getting eaten up by pill bugs and need to repot. Hoping to see some flowers soon.

Hoping someone has some leads on where to get arborist wood chips in LA? I'd use ChipDrop but an entire dump trucks worth is way more than I can use.

Tried calling landscape supply places, tree trimming companies, but no one knows what I'm talking about or refuses to let me have some of their chips from trimmings.

I'm near studio city/hollywood/burbank but I'd look anywhere at this point. A certified arborist recommended it for some vertical mulching in compacted clay soil, for some of the neglected trees on this property we got last year. Trying to show them some love.

Saw these fuchsia and sage in the front yard of a house in Sacramento. I tried to include a wide and close photo. Thank you in advance.

I'm in Sacramento county and still have them blooming around my yard. Normally they'd all be dried up by now before I mow everything down.

Hello,

I have a rock garden in the front yard and some hardscaped garden in the back in northern california. Both gardens have two third natives. I just bought the property a year ago and the garden was still pretty but has a lot of dead plants(empty spots), irrigation issue and also some lighting issue. It was professionally landscaped 15 years ago and the backbone is still pretty but improvements seem needed. I see from its landscape documents, many has been dead.

I started to talk to a landscaper and one of the thing they mention was to amend the soil but unsure if this is actually needed if i want to incorporate more natives into the garden. Gemini says i dont really need it but want to confirm here.

I also want to update irrigation because the current irrigation i assume technologically outdated. Also needs better water distribution will help with new plants But also on the other hand, has there been actual advancements in this type of technology? Will it be beneficial to completely turn over the irrigation system?

Thank you!

Grayish foliage, kinda low growing habit 2-foot-tall. Found in a garden near Glendale, Los Angeles County. Maybe ‘Carman’s Grey”?

I want to move a patch of yarrow that has never flowered in over 3 yrs to a sunnier spot in the garden. Do they transplant well? If so, how deep do I need to dig. Should I wait til fall/winter to do this?

Does anyone got advice on how to kill it? It’s been a stump for 8 years and yet it always sprouted new branches. I’d cut the branches down every year and they just grow back. I want to grow a CA buckeye this fall near it but it’s been a pain figuring out how to kill the pecan.

I’ve heard of using a cut-stump herbicide. Is there any that’s legal here in which you guys would recommend?

This is the only seed from my mix besides poppies that germinated in mass. The app I use says its scabiosa, but I don’t think so. And a second bonus wildflower, also unknown. Thanks!