Plant a Southern California Native Garden
Plant native species to beautify your property and enhance the habitat for beneficial native wildlife. In addition to eliminating the need for fossil fuel burning yard tools, there are many other benefits including:
- Beatifies and increases your home value.
- Saves money and reduces water consumption.
- Saves time with reduced maintenance needs.
- Eliminates fertilizers and nearly all pesticides if replacing a lawn.
- Does not require mowing and reduces air pollution - you don't even need to buy, own, and store a lawnmower!
- Provides shelter and food for local wildlife.
- Prevents erosion of soil.
- Eliminates microplastic pollution. If replacing an artificial lawn, you'll no longer be contributing to plastic pollution.
Take Action
Richard, from Gaia Nativescapes, designs, installs, and maintains native plant landscapes all over Southern California. Speaking from firsthand experience, he does incredible work!
Discover how to plant a southern california native garden where you live. Plus, get your personal climate action plan!
Why It Matters
Native plantscapes do not require nearly as much water as a lawn. This is important in drought stricken regions.
Because mowing is not needed, climate change causing fossil fuel pollution from lawnmowers and other tools is eliminated. Beyond the reduction in pollution from maintenance, native plants also remove global warming causing carbon from the air.
Furthermore, native plants are adapted to the local climate and soil conditions where they grow. They provide nectar, pollen, and seeds that serve as food for native butterflies, insects, birds and other animals. Non-native plants do not provide nearly as many benefits for local wildlife and often require insect pest control to survive.
Resources
Title | Description | Creator |
|---|---|---|
| Native Gardening | U.S. Forest Service | |
| California Native Plant Society | Details about many plants native to California. | |
| Climate Change Scenarios for Select California Native Oaks |
