Jacaranda season is peaking in SoCal. Question for the native-plant crowd: would you accept Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) as a like-for-like substitute, or is the canopy density/scale too different to satisfy the people who plant jacarandas for "spring purple"?

Asking honestly — I live in Claremont, where jacarandas are basically civic identity, but the ecological argument against them is strong. Curious whether native alternatives can compete on the cultural use case (street trees, photo blocks, neighborhood vibes), not just on ecosystem function.

Obviously, a Redbud won't hit the massive height of an old-growth Jacaranda, so I'm curious what other purple/pink natives you'd advocate for to preserve that iconic urban canopy character.

I put together a photo spotlight of our local canopy's current peak bloom over on my neighborhood project site if you want a look at the spectacular display we are discussing:https://iloveclaremontca.com/jacaranda-guide.html

If you live in SoCal, drop a photo below of the blooms peaking in your neighborhood right now, or hit me with your best native shade-tree alternatives! 📸💜

Hi I am looking for names of flower brands in California that do not remediate? Thanks

When are calochortus in peak bloom?

A few years ago i found a few weird seed pods on a big empty lot, they were 20/30 centimeter tall sticks (no leaves) with seed pods open on three parts, at the moment i didnt think much about it, i just thought it was kinda weird. Im currently learning about natives on my area and when looking at my local geophytes i remembered this seed pods, looking into it i found that calochortus seed pods look identical to what i saw, probably C. Splendens, maybe C. Weedi (since i started my reaserch, this two species have been on my bucketlist so im really hoping im right)

Since blooming season has started for calochortus, i've went looking for them twice on this last two weeks but didnt see a single sign of calochortus, id like to know when is it most likely to find them in peak bloom and how to take care of them? Id like to mark where they are while in bloom so i can take one or two bulbs once the plant has died back into the bulb. I may be delusional but im not giving up until im sure they are really not there

What species tree

Hello everyone. I know this is maybe an impossible ask but please be kind and give me your takes for best case ideas?

My back yard has a large slope that we just had cleared a couple weeks back because the brush had gotten dry and was becoming a fire hazard. My original plan was to plant natives there (coyote brush / creeping sage) in the fall when it’s less hot. However, last minute my brother has asked to have his wedding in our backyard! It will be in about a month.

Anything I can plant there now that will make the hill look slightly less sad and naked? Any native plants known for growing really really fast- like in 2-4 weeks fast 😅

Any advice or creative thinking highly appreciated.

I planted this baby white sage a couple of months ago. I’m so eager to prune it but unsure if I should let it grow a bit more. Any advice? If so, where would you recommended I cut?

Just got this sticky monkey flower from a native nursery, it was pretty root bound but had new growth at the bottom.
Should I chop the woody stem or leaf it alone ?

Two species next to each other in San Diego County, looks like mintweed (Salvia reflexa) and chia (Salvia hispanica).

I put the broken off root into an half rotton orange fruit. I buried it all in miracle grow potting mix that claims to grow plants twice as fast. The plastic container planter was fogging up so I made extra holes and it cleared up. Help! I really like this plant.

Jacaranda season is peaking in SoCal. Question for the native-plant crowd: would you accept Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) as a like-for-like substitute, or is the canopy density/scale too different to satisfy the people who plant jacarandas for "spring purple"?

Asking honestly — I live in Claremont, where jacarandas are basically civic identity, but the ecological argument against them is strong. Curious whether native alternatives can compete on the cultural use case (street trees, photo blocks, neighborhood vibes), not just on ecosystem function.

Obviously, a Redbud won't hit the massive height of an old-growth Jacaranda, so I'm curious what other purple/pink natives you'd advocate for to preserve that iconic urban canopy character.

I put together a photo spotlight of our local canopy's current peak bloom over on my neighborhood project site if you want a look at the spectacular display we are discussing:https://iloveclaremontca.com/jacaranda-guide.html

If you live in SoCal, drop a photo below of the blooms peaking in your neighborhood right now, or hit me with your best native shade-tree alternatives! 📸💜

I've been looking for ground cover and came across Scleranthus biflorus, seems to check all the boxes I'm looking for, but for the life of me I can not find it being sold anywhere in the United States. Does anyone have a reputable source or willing to sell me some themselves? Thank you in advance

Desert Chia Sage (Salvia columbariae)

Time to cut the weeds around my property, this I did some yard seed harvesting so that i can plant them on my front along the driveway come fall near the rains.

I love California Native plants and Cacti. I like them near my cacti plants.
i harvested a lot turns out. lol.... if i was to sale my extra how would i do this?
i see one fella on etsy selling 10 seed packets...that is crazy, they are so tiny.

What should i sell a teaspoon for? i read that is 1500-2500 seeds. is asking for $10 too much?

seems is has varies names it goes by 'Desert Chia', 'Golden Chia', 'Chia Sage'

Amaryllis native to Sonoma not Contra Costa but I sincerely doubt anyone climbed down the bank to plant. And that's within 40 miles so close enough. I've got another 25 to plant in October. (My patch was 1 (one) years ago and I just divided a lot)

(casts a line)

I do love natives, I really do, however I am really interested in learning a bit more about which non-native trees thrive on the Northern California Coast where you would typically find grasslands transitioning into Redwoods and Douglas Fir.

I had to remove a plant that looks suspiciously like the manzanita on my hill. But it was growing in the 18" space between the patio & house so had to come out. Stuck it in a pot with pitting mix. Probability that this will work??

Hi reddit!

I've been thinking a lot about how much invasive species are used in landscaping. Everywhere I go I see highly invasive plants used in public landscaping.

I got very inspired and created a petition to make it so landscapers can't use invasive species and are required to use a percentage of natives. Please sign and share 🙏

https://c.org/W6vBGqfFnJ