California Native Plants for the Garden

by Carol Bornstein, David Fross, Bart O'Brien

California Native Plants for the Garden is a comprehensive resource that features more than 500 of the best California native plants for gardening in Mediterranean-climate areas of the world. Authored 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.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Plants, Nature, Reference, Horticulture

271 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2005

Reviews

[Kevin Leung · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book only has niche interest, but if you happen to live in California and want to have native plants in your garden, this is the best reference. I have looked at a few different gardening books, and most of them just didn’t feel relevant for the exact plants we have.

However, as I read this book, I kept seeing references to toyons and sedges and other familiar plants. Definitely useful as a reference for caring for these plants.

[Jacquoline Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

This amazing book by three eminent California plantsmen (& woman) is now my "bible" and chief reference book as a Garden Designer, replacing my trusted Sunset Western Garden book. Not only is there a comprehensive plant profile & photo listing of natives found in nurseries, but the chapters on care and maintenance are outstanding and so useful. I highly recommend it to anyone who desires a waterwise and native habitat for their garden and recommending replacing grass ASAP....here's your guide!

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best resource for anyone wanting to plant California natives in their garden. The focus in mostly on classification and information about specific plants and plant communities. Very helpful.

[R C · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad to have had this resource. It was a great guide in planning out my garden, helping me identify a list of potential plants which I later narrowed down.

[Miguette · Rating 5 out of 5]

II would say if you were planning the garden with natives this to be the one book to buy if you’re only going to buy one book. But what gardener ever buys just one book?

[Adrian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Indispensable resource for native Californian gardeners.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some really helpful information for your garden.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book you will want to own if you are wanting to garden with native plants.

[c]

I borrowed several books from the library on native California plants for gardens, and this is the only one I found useful and had to own. It's like the Sunset Western Garden book for native California plants.

- Good photos not only of the flowers, but also of the general plant habit -- provides a sense of what the entire plant will look like.

- Detailed info on different cultivars, and good organization. For example, the section on manzanitas (Arctostaphylos) is broken into groups by size (tree-like, medium sized (4-10ft tall), and low shrubs/groundcovers. This helped me figure out which would fit into my small yard with heavyish soil.

- Good maintenance tips (when and how to prune). Good info on soil / light / water needs -- helped me eliminate / let go of plants that will definitely not work in my yard, and introduced me to many plants that will work. Info on mature size is helpful for garden planning. Info on whether a plant is particularly difficult or easy to maintain in a garden -- invaluable.

- I like knowing where plants came from originally. It gives me confidence if the plant is from near me, or at least from an area similar to mine. (San Bruno Mountain Golden Aster is on my wish list.)

- Loved the 'Recommended Plant Selections' section in the back -- list of plants for specific requirements, like hedges & screens, narrow beds, moist habitats, hummingbirds, fall foliage color, etc.

- It's not as giant as the Sunset Western Garden Book, so it's not impossible to get a handle on all the different types of native plants that are available at native garden nurseries.


I was happy by how comprehensive this was. I brought this with me to my native plant nursery, and it had information for nearly every the plant I saw. It made plant shopping much easier -- I was not overwhelmed by the myriad salvias, manzanitas, ceanothus, etc, and I feel fairly confident about all the plants I selected. Everything's in the ground now -- can't wait to see how it all looks once they fill in.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm sure if I were a better gardener and and reader (there is a lot of text in this book) I would give this five stars, I can tell it has it all. But for my purposes, getting a few good ideas and identifying plants I've seen and know I already like - it was very helpful. I'm not from California, so I am also learning about how different the planting options are for me now. This book got me on the right track.

[Cadillacrazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great resource for Mediterranean, or summer-dry, climates. Best if used in conjunction with other resources. This book gives good general overviews of plants, natural habitat info, anticdodal decriptions, and decent photos. The plant descriptions are a bit more story like than factual, so you'll need to read it rather than reference a lot of charts and graphs.

[Josh Fogelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great in-depth book for California natives with extensive descriptions. Organized alphabetically by scientific name. End of book has lists organized by color, ecosystem, use, etc. Great reference book, but not as useful as a landscape-your-own-garden book.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite garden references. Planting native gardens in California then you need this book!

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guide to native California plants. It is especially helpful in that it covers all the different climates in California, not just LA or the Bay area.

[jeffrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference book, with very helpful lists of specific uses of featured plants and suggested plant combinations.

[Susan Mazur Stommen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read so many books prepping my garden, it is hard to remember all of them.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful book about all the natives California has to offer, growing them in our area.