Books for the Native Plant Gardener

Many of the books listed here are available for purchase during Chapter plant sales and events.

Fundamental Books We think these are books that every native plant gardener should have. Some are available in libraries, and available for purchase during our Chapter plant sales and events.
	CALIFORNIA NATIVE GARDENING, A MONTH-BY-MONTH GUIDE. Helen Popper. University of California Press (2012). 217 pp, paperback. Helen Popper is a long-time member of the Santa Clara Valley chapter of the California Native Plant Society and was one of the first members of the chapter's Gardening with Natives group. She was the note taker at the group's early monthly meetings, and this book is a compilation of the knowledge of the group's members from those meetings. It provides a useful roadmap of the tasks that need to be covered each month to create and maintain a native plant garden. Popper has given talks about these concepts for our chapter. You can view one of them here.
	CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS FOR THE GARDEN. Carol Bornstein, David Fross, Bart O'Brien. Cachuma Press (December 1, 2005). 280 pp, paperback & hardback. This comprehensive resource features more than 500 of the best California native plants for gardening. Written by three of the state's leading native-plant horticulturists and illustrated with 450 color photos, this reference book also includes chapters on landscape design, installation, and maintenance. Detailed lists of recommended native plants for a variety of situations and appendices with information on places to see native plants and where to buy them are also provided.
	DESIGNING CALIFORNIA NATIVE PLANTS GARDENS: THE PLANT COMMUNITY APPROACH TO ARTFUL, ECOLOGICAL GARDENS. Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook. University of California Press (June 4, 2007). 352 pp, paperback. This book was created with the aim of conveying the awesome diversity and beauty of California's native plants and demonstrating how they can be brought into ecologically sound, attractive, workable, and artful gardens. Structured around major California plant communities--bluffs, redwoods, the Channel Islands, coastal scrub, grasslands, deserts, oak woodlands, mixed evergreen woodlands, riparian, chaparral, mountain meadows, and wetlands--the book's twelve chapters each include sample plans for a native garden design accompanied by original drawings, color photographs, a plant list, tips on successful gardening with individual species, and more.
Useful References
	GARDENING WITH A WILD HEART. Judith Larner Lowry. University of California Press (1999), Berkeley, CA. 252 pp, softback. A compelling investigation into the whys and hows of gardening with native plants. Its engaging style mixes personal history, botany, anthropology, and ecology, and brings it all to bear on what you could be doing in your yard. This book has inspired many to practice restoration gardening.
	SEED PROPAGATION OF NATIVE CALIFORNIA PLANTS. Dara Emery. Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Santa Barbara, CA. 115 pp, softback. An extensive table lists germination and propagation requirements of hundreds of native species.
	Growing California Native Plants, Second Edition. Marjorie G. Schmidt (Author), Katherine Greenberg (Author), Beth Merrick (Illustrator). University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. 296 pages, softback. March 26, 2012. This book is still at the top of the heap when it comes to books on native plant gardening. Written for the gardener, the book covers a wide variety of native plants, their characteristics, culture information, and estimate of garden value. This is a must-have book for beginners and experts alike.
	COMPATIBLE PLANTS UNDER AND AROUND OAKS. Bruce Hagen et al. California Oak Foundation, 1212 Broadway, Suite 810, Oakland, CA 94612. 69 pp, softback. Out of print, but available as a free download.
	THE LANDSCAPING IDEAS OF JAYS: A NATURAL HISTORY OF THE BACKYARD RESTORATION GARDEN. Judith Larner Lowry. University of California Press, 2007. 292 pp, softback. Elegantly organized by season, this lyrical yet practical guide to backyard restoration gardening celebrates the beauty, the challenges, and the rewards of growing native plants at home. Drawing on her experiences in her own garden, Lowry offers guidance on how to plan a garden with birds, plants, and insects in mind; how to shape it with trees and shrubs, paths and trails, ponds, and other features; and how to cultivate, maintain, and harvest seeds and food from a diverse array of native annuals and perennials. Lowry shares the delights of creating site-specific, ever-changing gardens that can help us better understand our place in the natural world.
	THE CALIFORNIA LANDSCAPE GARDEN: ECOLOGY, CULTURE, AND DESIGN. Mark Francis, Andreas Reimann. University of California Press. 1999. 254 pp, hardcover. The beauty, resources, and natural processes of the California landscape are brought to the home garden in Mark Francis and Andreas Reimann's fine testament to ecological gardening. The authors connect history, culture, region, and design to help us understand how California and its human population have evolved historically and how individuals today can make a difference in the state's future in their own backyards. They provide essential information on native plants and wildlife, ecology and bioregionalism, landscape history and design concepts, as well as numerous examples showing how to integrate environmental principles in one's garden. This is a book for anyone seeking a garden philosophy that is environmentally sensitive, and even experienced home gardeners, landscape professionals, and horticulturists will find new and useful material here.
CLASSIC REFERENCES
	FLOWERING SHRUBS OF CALIFORNIA AND THEIR VALUE TO THE GARDENER. Lester Rowntree. Stanford University Press. 1939. One of the earliest and best written books on native plants. Worth looking for in used book stores.
		NATIVE PERENNIALS OF CALIFORNIA. Glenn Keator. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. 303 pp, softback. This out-of-print book is worth hunting for in used bookstores for its encyclopedic content.
	NATIVE SHRUBS OF CALIFORNIA. Glenn Keator. Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. 314 pp, softback. A handy reference on woody native plants. A particularly useful section is the appendix on commonly available cultivars.
NATURAL HISTORY & ETHNOBOTANY
		AN ISLAND CALLED CALIFORNIA. Elna Bakker. University of California Press. 400 pp, softback. A classic reference which connects the native flora, fauna, climate, and geography of each biotic community in the state.
	TENDING THE WILD: NATIVE AMERICAN KNOWLEDGE AND THE MANAGEMENT OF CALIFORNIA'S NATURAL RESOURCES. M. Kat Anderson. University of California Press, 2006. 555 pp, paperback. John Muir was an early proponent of a view we still hold today--that much of California was pristine, untouched wilderness before the arrival of Europeans. But as this groundbreaking book demonstrates, what Muir was really seeing when he admired the grand vistas of Yosemite and the gold and purple flowers carpeting the Central Valley were the fertile gardens of the Sierra Miwok and Valley Yokuts Indians, modified and made productive by centuries of harvesting, tilling, sowing, pruning, and burning. Marvelously detailed and beautifully written, Tending the Wild is an unparalleled examination of Native American knowledge and uses of California's natural resources that reshapes our understanding of native cultures and shows how we might begin to use their knowledge in our own conservation efforts. Tending the Wild persuasively argues that this traditional ecological knowledge is essential if we are to successfully meet the challenge of living sustainably.

Where to Buy Native Plants

Local Perennial Native Grasses

by Sally Casey, April 1999

Gardening with Natives Resources and Handouts

• Calscape.org - CNPS's searchable guide to California native plants and butterflies. The best resource for native plant garden planning.
• Where to Buy Native Plants
• Where to Buy Native Plant Seeds
• Native Plant Professionals
• Public Gardens of Native Plants
• Butterfly Gardening
• Native Trees for Landscaping
• Local Perennial Native Grasses
• Hummingbird Plants
• Gardening With Natives Email List
• Books for the Native Plant Gardener
• Berries for Birds
• Leaf Burn Times (link to Las Pilitas plant list with fire resistance information)
• Wildflower Promotion

Here are links to some of our popular handouts.  Free to download.

• Krzysztof Kozminski's Planting Method for California Native Plants (AKA: Mud Planting Method)
  • Krzysztof Kozminski's video demonstration of the Mud Planting Method
• Berries for the Birds
• Brush Piles
• California Native Hummingbird Plants
• Local Perennial Native California Grasses
• Seasonal Color With California Bulbs
• The Wildflower Top lO

Butterfly Gardening

calscape.org: CNPS database of native plants and associated butterflies and moths (both host and nectar plants). Searchable.

California Plants as Resources for Lepidoptera: a document that lists many moth and butterfly species and their host & nectar plants

BUTTERFLY GARDENING: SELECTED REFERENCES

Arbuckle, Nancy and Cedric Crocker (eds.). 1991. How to Attract Hummingbirds and Butterflies. Ortho Books.

Caldwell, Jeff. Notes on Larval Food Plants of Some Bay Area Butterflies. 3pp.-xeroxed

Garth, John S. and J.W. Tilden. 1986. California Butterflies. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Stewart, Bob. 1997. Common Butterflies of California. Point Reyes Station, CA: West Coast Lady Press.

Stokes, Donald, Lillian Stokes and Ernest Williams. 1991. The Butterfly Book: An Easy Guide to Butterfly Gardening, Identification, and Behavior. Little, Brown and Company.

Tekulsky, Mathew. 1985. The Butterfly Garden. Boston: The Harvard Common Press.

Xerces Society/Smithsonian Institution. 1990. Butterfly Gardening. Sierra Club Books.

Locally Native Trees for Landscaping

Our locally native trees are beautiful and easy to grow--they are well adapted to our climate and soils. Native trees offer special values for wildlife as well. 

The valley oak and coast live oak, two beautiful species, grow fairly quickly and are easy to cultivate. While ancient trees which grew to maturity under summer dry conditions may resent irrigation, young oaks adapt to garden watering. Indeed, under garden conditions oaks may reach 25 feet in ten years--they actually grow faster than many commonly planted trees! Our native oaks deserve to be planted far more often than they are. There are smaller oaks if you do not have space for a large tree -- the scrub oak is a beautiful little tree that stays under 20' while providing the same habitat benefits as its larger relatives.

Our California laurel becomes a stately tree. It is slow growing, but well-situated specimens are a fine gift to future generations.

The madrone is one of the world's most beautiful broadleaf evergreen trees. It can be challenging to establish, but if you like a gardening challenge, try this treasure!

The California buckeye has interesting fruits, spectacular flowers and exquisite spring foliage. It is the first to drop its leaves after the end of the rainy season, revealing its lovely structure as the deciduous leaves turn brown. Its flowers have pollen that is somewhat toxic to the non-native honeybee, but no flowers have more value to butterflies and native bees. In bloom this tree is often festooned with butterflies.! The tiger swallowtail, mourning cloak, California sister, California tortoiseshell, spring azure and many others visit this tree. It is easy to grow.

Blue elderberry has summer fruit that attract a wider range of birds than any other tree. Songbirds favor it highly for food and nesting. It is easy to grow and very fast. A stump-sprouter, it is amenable to pruning.

If you have space, big-leaf maple is a very attractive species, and also fast growing--it deserves a place in more landscapes.

Native Trees of San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties

Hummingbird Plants

California Native Hummingbird Plants

Originally by Ellie Gioumousis (revised 8/18/2019)

Hummingbirds seem to favor red flowers, possibly because bees tend to avoid red flowers resulting in more nectar in them. They also prefer flowers with tubular shapes, which are a perfect fit for their long beaks and tongues. Hummingbirds do not rely on nectar alone though; a significant percent of their diet comes from insects and arthropods, so leave the bugs for the birds.

Aquilegia formsa (Western columbine)

Will take sun or shade but takes more water in sun. It blooms in spring with delightful red and yellow hanging flowers.

Arctostaphylos (Manzanita)

Many species; blooms from January to March and is drought tolerant. Part sun to light shade. Berries provide food for other birds.

Chilopsis linearis (Desert-willow)

This small tree grows by washes and oases in the desert so does need some water. It has beautiful rose- lavender flowers and needs heat to bloom.

Cirsium occidentale (California thistle)

This is the cobweb thistle, a native. It has white foliage and a brilliant red flower and is not invasive. It grows in open woodlands in this area. It is an extremely good source of nectar.

Cynoglossum grande (Hound's tongue)

This is a native forget-me-not that is found in open woods and blooms in March. It is fairly drought tolerant when established, going completely dormant in summer.

Delphinium cardinale (Cardinal or Scarlet larkspur)

Beautiful brilliant red flowers on 2' to 5' stalks blooming from May to June. Needs good drainage, partial shade and regular water while growing. Goes dormant in summer.

Diplacus aurantiacus (Sticky monkeyflower)

This 4 foot shrub is covered with orange/yellow flowers in the spring and early summer. Both hummingbirds and butterflies love it.

Epilobium sp. (formerly Zauschneria) (California fuchsia)

Several varieties, but all have bright orange flowers which bloom in late summer and fall and are excellent nectar sources. They are hardy and extremely drought tolerant.

Gambelia (Galvezia) speciosa (Showy island snapdragon)

Bright red snapdragon-like flowers. It is tender to frost but grows back quickly if wellmulched. Produces flowers almost all year. Can be cut back in late February.

Keckiella cordifolia (Heartleaf keckiella, Climbing penstemon)

Native to southern California, this plant is works well next to fences or at the base of a tree or next to a large shrub. Bunches of red tubular flowers from May through July.

Lonicera hispidula (California honeysuckle)

This is a vine that is happy both as a ground cover or climbing up a tree or fence.

Lonicera involucrata (Twinberry)

Known as Twinberry because of the flowers and fruit that grow in pairs, it is easy and quick to grow but prefers some shade and needs regular moisture.

Malva (Lavatera) assurgentiflora (Island mallow)

This Channel Island native will grow 10 feet in one year. It blooms nearly all year with pretty rose- pink flowers that are valuable as a nectar source for hummers.

Monardella macrantha (Hummingbird monardella)

This small perennial has long red tubular flowers from June through October. It grows well in pots and rock gardens.

Penstenmon

Like the sages, there are many different species and all like full sun and are drought tolerant. They usually require good drainage.

Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum (Red-flowering currant)

Many selections with beautiful pink pendulous blossoms in early spring. Light shade to part sun and some water. Berries are attractive to other birds.

Ribes speciosum (Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry)

Bright red fuchsia-like flowers in early spring. Light shade and some water.

Salvia (Sage)

There are many native species that are good sources of nectar. They are drought tolerant and take full sun.

Salvia spathacea (Hummingbird Sage)

This sage deserves a special mention as it’s one of the few that likes shade and spreads by rhizomes. It has spectacular tall magenta spikes. An excellent groundcover under oaks.

Silene laciniata (Fringed Indian pink or Catch fly)

This is a pretty little plant that is unfortunately very attractive to snails as well as to hummers. It can be grown in hanging baskets to protect it from the snail's depredations.

Trichostema lanatum (Woolly blue curls)

Striking shrubby blue-flowered perennial native to the southern coastal ranges. It requires good drainage and no summer water. Has a long blooming period.

More information available on calscape.org

Public Gardens of Native Plants

These gardens provide opportunities to see a wide variety of native plants throughout the year. 

Parks, Arboreta and Public Gardens

Lake Cunningham Native Plant Garden, 2305 S. White Road, San Jose (https://maps.app.goo.gl/3qdV4Zu14ReZu3q27) .This Native Garden covers a 2 acre swath between the southeastern end of the lake and the adjacent dirt parking lot. Founded in 2002, the garden is filled with California native wildflowers, perennials, and shrubs.

Native Plant Garden in Kirk Park

Jeffrey Fontana Park, intersection of Meridian Ave and Oakglen Way, San Jose. Across the street from 1278 Oakglen Way, San Jose. A beautiful selection of mature and new native plant gardens. Many of the plants are labelled.

Capitancillos Drive Native Plant Demonstration Garden, intersection of Capitancillos Drive and Oak Canyon Place. Extensive collection of chaparral shrubs and plants. Plants are labelled.

Ulistac Natural Area, Lick Mill Boulevard, Santa Clara. This 40-acre site was saved from development in 2001 and is the only dedicated natural open space in the City of Santa Clara.

Berger Native Demonstration Garden, 1553 Berger Drive, San Jose, CA 95112. The always-open Berger Native Demonstration Garden showcases a range of drought-tolerant California native plants. It's a great example of what a lawn-replacement project might look like. The garden was created in Fall 2013. 

Native Garden Wheel at Emma Prusch Farm Park. 

Master Gardeners Parcel at Martial Cottle Park, , 5283 Snell Ave, San Jose, CA 95136. This 4 acre parcel includes a a thriving Native Garden.

Master Gardeners San Carlos Native Plant Habitat Garden, 610 Elm St, San Carlos, CA 94070 (Between the San Carlos Library and San Carlos City Hall). This 8,000 square foot demonstration garden is filled with native California plants that were chosen to create a diverse community that provides food for wildlife, attracting birds, butterflies, and other pollinators. Started in 2019.

Master Gardeners Palo Alto Demo Garden, 851 Center Dr, Palo Alto, CA 94301 (Eleanor Pardee Park). The Water Wise Garden (always open to the public) includes many California native plants.

Bol Park Native Garden, This public garden is in a Palo Alto park, Cornelis Bol Park. The overall design of the garden is to maintain a wildlands look and to provide wildlife habitat. It includes a large area of hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea), California Buckeye, Western Redbud Fremont's Cottonwood and many others.

Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden, 1431 Waverley Street, Palo Alto CA 94301. This garden includes a .3 acre parcel that features water-wise California Native Plants, including many Pacific Coast Iris hybrids that bloom in late winter.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto Native Demonstration Garden, 505 East Charleston Road, Palo Alto. This very appealing garden is in front of the Unitarian Universalist Church; part of the garden was done in 2014 and contains mature plants, the other part was done in 2018 and contains much younger plants. The garden was designed with wildlife habitat in mind, and attracts various birds.

Primrose Way Pollinator Garden Collection, Primrose Way at Embarcadero Road, Palo Alto. On the area of about 20 by 200 feet, a couple dozen of carefully selected species of low-growing shrubs (e.g., Salvia "Bee's Bliss", CA buckwheat, ceanothus "Skylark", perennials (e.g., lilac verbena, milkweed, yarrow, goldenrod, bee plant, CA fuchsia, rosy ans saffron buckwheats), and various annuals (e.g. poppies, clarkias, baby blue eyes), coexist in harmonious arrangement.

Stevens Creek Trail, Mountain View. New landscaping is all natives. Plants include ceanothus, iris, fremontodendrons, elderberry, sages, native roses, buckeye, alder, and sycamore. Landscaping starts at La Avenida (off Shoreline, where there's a trailhead), then follows Stevens Creek for about a mile south to Central Expressway.

Portola Valley Town Center, 765 Portola Road, Portola Valley. Native garden next to the Historic Schoolhouse.

Centennial Park, El Camino Real at Floribunda, Hillsborough. Mixed planting of drought tolerant species includes many California natives.

City of San Carlos Native Plant Garden, 600 Elm Street, San Carlos. This big, well-designed, and well-labeled native plant garden by the San Carlos City Hall is right between the library parking lot and the dog park. One area has a focus on hummingbird-attracting plants and includes hummingbird sage, manzanita, and monkeyflower. A second area is for pollinators and includes coyote mint, yarrow, and milkweed. A part-shade area shows off ferns and native iris.

Woodside Library Garden, 3140 Woodside Road, Woodside. The garden (in the back of the library) is composed entirely of California native plants. It is open to the public during library hours: Mon-Thu 11-7; Fri-Sat 11-5. It is maintained by the Woodside-Atherton Garden Club. There is a brochure with a map of the different plants.

Regional Parks Botanic Garden. Tilden Park, Berkeley. The largest collection of California native plants in the world, with plenty to excite the native gardener.

Strybing Arboretum, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. Contains a section devoted to California natives, the Arthur Menzies Native Garden.

UC Berkeley Botanic Garden, Strawberry Canyon, Berkeley. 200 Centennial Drive, #5045, Berkeley, CA 94720. (510) 642-0849. 13 acres of California natives.

UC Santa Cruz Arboretum, Empire Grade, UCSC Campus, Santa Cruz. Large sections devoted to plants from California, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa, and a "Natives Come First" Garden.

Overfelt Gardens, Educational Park Drive (at McKee), San Jose. A section of this city park called "California Wild" is devoted to California natives.

Colleges

West Valley College. 14000 Fruitvale Avenue, Saratoga. California native plants dominate the grounds at the West Valley College campus in Saratoga.

Native Hill at Foothill College. Foothill College, 12345 Moody Road, Los Altos Hills. Begun in 1982 by former faculty member Robert Will as a teaching aid for students, this small patch of land grew to house 170 species within one acre of land. .

Cheeseman Environmental Study Area. De Anza College, corner of Stelling & McLellan (inside the campus), Cupertino. Over 300 species of native plants representing 12 natural communities.

Duncan Hall Botanical & Habitat Garden. San Jose State University, San Salvador St (near 4th St), San Jose. Planted in the mid-1980s, this 4,000 sq.ft. area is landscaped with natives such as lemonade berry, Brewer's saltbush, spice bush, coffeeberry, and toyon, and home to a variety of species of birds, bees, squirrels, and lizards. It was maintained by the Natural History Club. [No longer there - link has been retained since there is useful plant information there]

Mission College. 3000 Mission College Boulevard, Santa Clara. New plantings of natives.

A California Native Garden at Stanford. Stanford University, Palo Alto. Designed by Meg Webster and installed in 2002, this garden replaced a lawn that was surrounded by redwoods, giant sequoias and coast live oaks.

Schools

Gardens associated with schools may not be open to the public. Please contact the school for information about visiting.

Cherry Chase Elementary School. 1138 Heatherstone Way, Sunnyvale. (408) 522-8241. A small native plant garden is located on a piece of land right next to the street.

Osborne Nature Area at Peterson. A 2-acre site planted in 1970 with native plants from eight biotic communities. Peterson Middle School, 1380 Rosalia Way, Sunnyvale. 

Hacienda Environmental Science Magnet School. A 1-acre site planted in 1971, contains redwood forest, oak woodland, chaparral, grassland, streamside and pond habitats. Hacienda Environmental Science Magnet School, 1290 Kimberly Drive, San Jose.

Others (outside Santa Clara Valley)

Forrest Deaner Native Plant Botanic Garden, Dillon Point Rd, Benicia, CA 94510. The garden covers 3.5 acres in the Benicia State Recreation Area. The Garden is an ideal setting for learning about native plants and how they may be used in home gardens and other landscape projects. 

Larner Seeds Demonstration Garden. A 1-acre site planted in 1980 with plants from several biotic communities. Definitely worth a visit. 235 Grove Road, Bolinas. Tue, Thu 10-2, Sat 12-4.

Pacific Grove Museum Of Natural History, 165 Forest Avenue, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. (408) 648-3116. Winter home of migrating monarch butterflies.

Asilomar Conference Grounds,
800 Asilomar Boulevard, Pacific Grove, CA 93950. (831) 372-8016. Worth a visit for the dune restoration project. The plant nursery includes a 960 square-foot greenhouse, which grows more than 400,000 plants, representing 25 native species for transplantation on the grounds.

Send your comments and suggestions to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

This page originally compiled by Arvind Kumar with input from Bracey Tiede, Tanya Kucak, and Wendy Winkler.