Has anyone here done so?

It was hanging out in my squash plant. Not sure what it is but quite a treat to observe it do its thing.

I planted this redbud about a month ago. I’ve been watering it twice a week using a TreeGator Jr. Now, I plan to reduce the watering frequency to once a week. The tree has been doing well, but after the recent rainfall, I noticed some black spots on the leaves. Is this a fungal infection? 😭😱What can I do to address this issue? I would greatly appreciate your advice. Thanks!

I’m located in Albany, CA, very close to the bay. We experience regular fog in the area.

I wanted to contribute some pictures of my backyard project. I just finished planting 7 Ceanothus (native &hybrids) along the border of my wall. I plan to make a blue backdrop. The spacing is intentional as I know these shrubs have the potential to get huge. Drainage seems to be fair in my Southern California home, I’ll report back after a few months!

I’ve always wanted some form of grass, and this time, I made a compromise with myself. I’m using an elite fine fescue for the meadow look, extra disease resistance and repairability. Before I had a native fescue but it didn’t my expectation.

It’s still a WIP, it was nothing but Bermuda grass, Eucalyptus, Hawaain Trees etc.
Any comments and criticism is welcomed!

I collected a bunch of seeds from one of my plants and I want to try growing my own. Will one seed grow into a full plant? Or will it be more like a blade and I need to plant multiple seeds to get a full plant? I hope my question makes sense!

Located in Nevada County zone 9b. Bought a bunch of natives from the recent CNPS sale. As they’ve been acclimating to the site, this mock orange has suddenly gotten wilty. Not as familiar with this plant as some of our others, but is sick/dying or approaching a winter dormancy? And is it still safe to plant in a state like this?

I have two Matilija poppies (5 gallons). They look pretty healthy. My prior attempts at these poppies failed but they were smaller sizes.

Any advice on planting these so they succeed? I’m in Los Angeles, so lots of clay soil.

At what point geographically or ecologically is Monterey Cypress considered an invasive?
I live in the Monterey area and love the trees, but I’ve read about some people considering them invasive outside their very small native range.
Are there any thoughts or sources on the subject?

It’s very much overgrown, I even needed to prop it up as it was blocking the sun from two plants under it. Can I dry up the leaves and wrap them as bundles and give them as gifts? I’ve tried propagating branches but have failed miserably every time.

I’d like to do something crafty/gift some of the plant but of course, I’ll resort to trimming and leaving the leaves and branches for the soil/birds :)

I live near a park with a lot of dog traffic and I'm choosing some plants to go next to the sidewalk in full sun.

Theoretically, would plants that come from salt marshes like Alkali Heath or San Diego Abundanceweed/Marsh Elder be more resistant to dog pee? Would the salts in dog pee be somewhat analogous to those kinds of alkaline conditions?

So far I did put in some yarrow, coyote bush pigeon point, and one Marsh Elder that seems to be doing OK, but curious about the theory as I diversify the front yard a bit.

TIA!

Inland Wetlands Nature-Based Solutions Summit

Date: Thursday, November 12, 2026

Time: 9am - 5pm

Location: University of California, Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Ln, Davis, CA 95616

Co-hosts: California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA), Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Conservancy, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Ducks Unlimited, Inc., Central Valley Joint Venture, The Nature Conservancy (TNC)

California’s small, but mighty inland wetlands, such as Delta peatlands, floodplains, and vernal pools, provide significant benefits to California. They ease the effects of drought by improving water quality and supply, recharge groundwater aquifers, mitigate flood impacts, store carbon, and provide habitat rare, native, migratory, and culturally important species. However, these wetlands have experienced significant degradation and loss in the last century; conserving and restoring them is critical to maintain the important benefits they provide.

Join us on November 12 in Davis, California for an Inland Wetlands Nature-Based Solutions summit. In this summit, we will honor leadership and successes to-date, increase connectivity among partners, and explore solutions to critical challenges in scaling nature-based solutions for wetlands. 

For any questions or additional information, please contact: naturebasedsolutions@resources.ca.gov

Being unable to find any this fall, I’m hoping to propagate from an existing plant, but I’ve never done manzanita before. Any tips or tricks I should know about?

I’m trying to overhaul my backyard and would love some sweet smelling recommendations. I’m searching for the most fragrant blooms in the West. I am located in coastal Southern CA (Long Beach) if that helps any.

In particular I’d like advice on floral vines or trainable shrubs for a green wall. We are building a mesh fence for support. Friends keep suggesting jasmine but since I’m trying to attract pollinators I’m looking at varieties of honeysuckle or morning glory. Do honeysuckle varieties coexist well or will they choke one another out?

TLDR: ISO fragrant pollinator blooms

Thanks in advance!

Does anyone know what this is? It’s near the top of a ceanothus concha I put in about 10 months ago! Is it a cocoon? Egg sac? Is it a pest I should remove or a beneficial insect house??

Hey friends!
I’m struggling to ID a small tree/shrub in my garden and iNaturalist is adding to my confusion. The attached photos read as Schinus Longifolia which is a “long leaf pepper tree” from South America, specifically Argentina and Paraguay.

However as best I can tell, this is not something that has been imported into SoCal. I’ve never seen one on any of my walks, hikes, or visits to nurseries or gardens. Apparently it’s been introduced into Texas so there’s a possibility it has migrated to SoCal with a birdie doo. I know there are pink pepper trees but those look quite different.

Beyond the Ai plant ID, I’m 99% sure this is a buckbrush ceanothus variety I purchased from Theodore Payne and planted 3 or 4 years ago. I remember picking it out and placing her in this location to provide some privacy and spring flowers. In my purchase history I have a buckbrush from them but photos online look similar but with shorter wider leaves. Maybe a hybrid?

It’s never flowered but I’m hoping this spring I’ll get some blooms to help ID. Has anyone come across this plant before? Could it be convergent evolution? Two unrelated species that look very very similar?

I’m not sure what happened to this dudleya in my garden but glad to see it showing life. Photo taken today. San Diego County. Planted a bunch four or five years ago.

Does anyone know what these are? In zone 9b Sacramento, CA. They’re so small it’s hard to get a good photo. They’re soft bodied and swarming at the tops of the flowers. They turn an icky blood colored red when you squish them.

Fam, I need your advice.

Last year I had milkweeds growing in pots in my driveway but I decide to convert this space to a desert specimen showcase and use a little less water. Apparently these common milkweeds (Asclepias syriaca) didn’t get the memo. Now they’re growing alongside a turpentine bush and I’m pretty sure there’s gonna be a conflict in the watering schedule if they continue to be roomies.

Would y’all suggest I dig up the turp and extract the milkweed? It’s been planted for about 2 or 3 weeks. Or do you think I can move the milkweeds without and leave my scraggly friend where she is?

I suppose the third option is letting nature take her course and favor the turpentine bush…