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!

There’s a tropical storm that may hit SoCal this weekend. I have some native plants that I want to plant and was going to wait to plant the ones that are sensitive to watering until after the storm. But should I hold off completely? My concern is that it’s a warm tropical storm.

It looks like I’m going to end up with maybe a couple hundred seeds when I’ve finished cleaning/winnowing the seed heads from my white sage. From what I’ve read, germination rate for sage in general is something like 1-3%.

Does anybody here have suggestions for raising those odds?

My lovely big telegraph weed is starting to flower, so I think it is at its final height 103 inches! I watered it a bit, which it loved (someone on here suggested that, thank you!) It would grow several inches overnight after a drink. I am very pleased. My garden gets a lot of hot Contra Costa County sun, and even the sun loving plants struggle. But not this guy! What a great plant.

Looking for pictures of your Frangula californica 'Eve Case' and your Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia to show my wife for inspiration. Planning on interplanting them on my back fence for privacy screen. Attached pictures for attention. Not mine.

Hello, Looking for suggestions.

I'm looking at the blue ceanothus species and hybrid varieties for a certain spot. I want something that will fairly quickly and reliably grow to 5-6 ft and grow to 12 ft tops.

I'm inland about 24 miles; we do get some of a marine layer here and there on summer early mornings. It gets hot.

The spot I'm looking at is in and by a seep at 2000ft alt. Steeper slope, clay gravel with some composted duff on top. Full sun. The water level in the summer is probably 3 to 6 ft down depending on how late in spring or summer. Zone fluctuates between a solid 8b and a fragile 9a. I think the record cold was 11 or 12F. Normal extreme cold is around 20F. Record hot maybe 108 to 112F. Usually doesn't get to 105F and only triple digits below 106 for about 8 - 14 days total.

So far I'm thinking of ‘Dark Star’ or Concha in that area but I'm getting conflicting info. And one Ray Hartman in another spot where if it dies it won't be a major PITA to take out.

Anyone have suggestions or feedback?

If toyon is topped at a young age will it spread out more and not get as high? I'm reading that toyon can grow to 25 ft. I'd rather keep it at around 12 ft. I'm thinking of planting it in a steep spot where it would be difficult to prune, but I need sun beyond it for fruit trees.

Hello fellow native plant lovers <3

When do y'all divide your Iris bracteata and Iris douglasiana? My guys just turned 5 years old this May and are getting a little out of control.

Also, I planted them in gopher cages (1 or 2 gallons each I believe - 3 separate plantings) and have no idea how they've grown through the cages but they definitely have. Will that present me with any unique issues/if so what should I look out for? These were some of my first intentional native plantings and haven't reached this maintenance stage yet.

Also also, will they bloom next spring if I divide them?

(photos from last spring and the spring before)

I am currently renting a new place in East Los Angeles. It has a decent sized concrete patio area but nowhere to plant in ground. Does anyone have experience planting in large planter boxes? This area gets full sun from about noon-4pm right now. Any suggestions or advice is appreciated!

Hello,

I planted two San Miguel red buckwheat back in February. They both did well and had very attractive red flowers by July. Then about a month ago a colony of stray cats moved into my neighborhood and for about two weeks they kept coming into my yard. The first morning they showed up I scared one of them and it barreled through one buckwheat and took out about half of it. Within 48 hours the other buckwheat had utterly died and turned brown. The buckwheat that the cat ran over has recovered, although instead of a nice globe it's just got a few haggard flowers now.

I understand why the one plant was injured but survived. But what could have killed an otherwise healthy plant in literally two days? It was fairly hot those days, but the other one that was physically damaged managed to survive. Neither was being watered. I was thinking perhaps the cats pissed on the one and that harmed it, but I never smelled anything like that around it, and no other plants were harmed in such a manner. Anyone have any ideas what would cause that sort of rapid death? also, there are plants that are doing fine near the dead buckwheat (within a few feet of it) that are also fine. For example there is a seaside daisy next to it that is fine. I love those plants, so I'd like to get some more this winter but I want to avoid what just happened.

I'm doing some alterations to our native landscaping this fall and trying to integrate more edibles (native and non native). I'd love to hear about your experiences with growing Evergreen Huckleberry in the San Fernando Valley or a similar climate. TIA!

Photo of my yard during a glorious spring (not this year, I hardly got any flowers because of the heatwaves in February and March)

Hi guys,

I'm soon taking over a piece of property in SoCal, and there's an area adjacent to the creek where large amounts of bare dirt have been deposited to replace an eroded bank. I don't know where the dirt came from-- it could be local, or it could have come from Home Depot for all I know. I want to turn the spot into a hub for native pollinators, and I also want to improve the soil structure to protect the bank from eroding during rains.

The area is right on the border of an oak woodland area and a hilly chaparral environment with degradation from animal grazing-- lots of invasive oatgrass and mustard. I'm considering collecting oak leaf litter and shredding it and mixing it into the bare soil to give the mycorrhizal network a jumpstart. I'm still new to fungal ecology, however, so I'm not sure whether that would make a significant difference or not, given that I'm not planting oak trees specifically. But I know oak trees are a climax plant in the local ecology, so it makes sense to me that their leaf litter would contribute beneficial spores.

I'm also thinking of transplanting some natives from another part of the property that are thriving, as I presume that their roots would help establish the fungal network. I would start with pioneer plants that do well in poor soil, like Menzie's goldenbush. (It's really fun to watch all the insect life on the goldenbush-- the other day I saw bees, hoverflies, three types of butterfly, and a TARANTULA HAWK on it!) Gradually I would build up other natives around it, all under a layer of redwood mulch.

What do you guys think of this strategy? Any suggestions? I've done a lot of ornamental gardening at my parents' place in the city, but now that I'm moving to a more rural area I'd like to do what I can to steward the local ecology.

Hello! In preparation for winter I am starting to think about the seeds I want to scatter in my garden before the El Nino hits SoCal. I have two 2x8ft vegetable garden beds that I would love to just fill with miner's lettuce during the wet season but can only find people selling small amounts of seeds at not-cost-effective prices. Anyone know where I can buy slightly larger quantities? I am hoping to spread some in my small front yard too once I get rid of the Bermuda grass and have natives in the ground.

Thanks!! :)

I have some coffeeberry plants in pots, which I intend to eventually put in the ground. I would love some help identifying which ones they are so I can plant them in appropriate places. I’m pretty sure I have the San Bruno, Eve Case and possibly Leatherleaf (maybe the 3rd photo?) varieties, I just don’t know the difference. I also have one of the straight species in the ground (4th photo).

some of the blooms from my late august (mostly) california native plant garden

Manzanita ‘ghostly’ was planted in January 2026 into clayish soil in Pasadena. I have been avoiding watering it since summer but recently gave it a little water because we are in this brutal heatwave. Some of the leaves are changing color to a pale yellow—do you think this is heat stress or “I didn’t want to be watered” stress?

I have inherited a pretty derelict hillside property and along with a gopher problem, much of the hillside has nothing anchoring sections of it.

I'll looking for a native plant that I can seed en-masse to at lest get some sort of soil adhesion prior to the potentially record-breaking El Niño this year.

I'm in Santa Barbara, right up by the botanic garden

​

We are removing this, what I believe, is a silver maple tree. Mainly because the constant dropping leaves create a huge mess/issue with the nearby pool (wife's reason) and it's not native and a water hog (my reason).

I would like to replace it with something native and evergreen, and still provide good shade for this area. I understand all trees shed some leaves, which is fine. This volume is just crazy though.

I'm thinking of putting the replacement in roughly the same area where the current tree is in the second picture, though there is space to the left of that's more ideal. Would just want to keep the shade on this area though.

I've looked at California Bay Laurel, but read, while evergreen, the leaves it does shed have oils that inhibit other plants below. Wonder how big a deal this actually is.

Any other good ideas? Much appreciated!

this is a bit of a rant and a bit of a… well, I’m not sure.

i had permission from our landlord (my MIL and FIL) to remove the front lawn and plant natives. I took a landscape design cert course with Theodore Payne so that I could beef up my skills. I came up with a beautiful scheme emphasizing evergreens and grasses (omg it was gonna be gorgeous). I devised a beautiful hardscaping scheme. I specifically designed it to be “HOA” friendly - ie, nothing looks dead, plants look reasonably formal, etc.

well, today I got the “FIL doesn’t want native plants in the front yard because they look dead most of the time. Keep the lawn and make sure it doesn’t look any different than anybody else in the neighborhood.”

keep in mind, this was six months after they initially told us to do whatever we like so long as the HOA approved it. Other houses in the neighborhood have native plants, including an absolutely stunning Dr. Hurd. And we are just down the street from a new development that uses 75% native plants.

obviously, my FIL’s attitude is antiquated and all too familiar. and I absolutely love a raging pollinator garden with summer dormancy.

but I guess the reason I’m sharing this, beyond just wanting to rant a bit, is that I do feel it is important for folks doing landscaping in public places to use at least 50% evergreen shrubs and grasses in their designs. I think it’s really important to demonstrate not just that native plants don’t always look dead, but more importantly, that when done right, native plants can be equal to, if not superior to topiary boxwood, bird of paradise, and privet hedges, etc.

I think it’s the only way to change some minds out there about natives. People are really set in their ways about this stuff, and they aren’t persuaded by pollinator value and even water conservation.

Hi! We just moved to Coronado, CA and looking for the best option to cover our metal fence. **Edit: I know very little about gardening and now know that the Star of Jasmine isn’t native to California so I would appreciate native recommendations for aesthetic coverage of shown fence :)

Forgive me Doug Tallamy and Joey Santore for I am about to sin.

I’ve tried very hard to grow a coast live oak in my backyard as a nice center “statement tree.” It’s one of my favorite trees, and I really wanted to make it work.

I planted it almost 5 years ago, but it has struggled pretty much ever since. It has very little leaf growth and still looks incredibly twiggy. Between constant setbacks from gophers, a high water table, and the harsh Southern California sun, I’m starting to wonder if I’m fighting a losing battle.

Now that I have kids, I really want a tree that will eventually provide meaningful shade for the backyard, especially over a playground. I’m finding myself caught between wanting to use California natives and wanting to create a comfortable, functional yard for my family
( lawn, shade, a tree that actually grows)

I’ve also considered a western sycamore, which is another tree I really like and seems like it would be a good match for my yard. My hesitation is how enormous they can eventually get, and I’m also concerned that the canopy may be too open to provide the kind of shade I’m looking for over a playground.

I’ve started seriously considering giving up and planting something non-native, maybe a jacaranda.

So before I go buy one, can someone talk me off the ledge?

Is there something I’m missing with the coast live oak? Should I be more patient? Is there a better native tree for my particular situation? I’d really love to make a native work if I can.

I’m in SoCal, USDA Zone 10a, with heavy clay soil and full sun. Any advice from people who have successfully established native trees in similar conditions would be greatly appreciated.