Beautiful California native gardens are planned in the summer and planted in the fall. Until your dream landscape is installed, though, you'll likely have to do your brainstorming inside instead of on the patio. Luckily, it's almost Amazon Prime Day—the perfect time to pick up a new book and start planning your new landscape for this fall.
We've rounded up a handful of our favorite landscaping texts, including those specific to California native plants, as well as others with useful ideas, inspiration, and advice that pair well with them.
If you're gathering garden inspiration, honing your California native plant knowledge, or just looking for a good read to round out your library, check out our selection of the best California native landscaping books.
Our List of the Best California Native Landscaping Books Featured Below:
Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens (Glenn Keator, Alrie Middlebrook, Phyllis M. Faber)
The Drought-Defying California Garden: 230 Native Plants for a Lush, Low-Water Landscape (Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren)
Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping: The Complete Guide to Beautiful Paths, Patios, Plantings, and More (The Editors of Sunset Magazine)
The Art of Outdoor Living: Gardens for Entertaining Family and Friends (Scott Schrader)
Planting the Natural Garden (Piet Oudolf and Henk Gerritsen)
California Native Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide (Helen Popper)
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By Glenn Keator, Alrie Middlebrook, Phyllis M. Faber
If you only buy one book on California native gardens, get this book. Published in 2007, this book gives a well-rounded look at the major California plant communities that make our state so special.
Focusing each chapter on a unique plant community, the book walks readers through the beauty of each type of ecosystem to illustrate the power and beauty of biodiverse California landscapes, both natural and curated.
This book has been a significant influence on our work at Besanti Natives. We use the plant community approach to develop hyper-localized, climate-resilient designs in a way that honors and restores the land, while also meeting the needs of the household and reflecting our clients' personal style.
This hefty paperback is illustrated with detailed diagrams of actual landscape designs created around each community and 300+ photographs of native plants, natural plant communities, and residential natives. Discover in-depth guides to 600+ selected native species recommended for the garden, as well as curated plant lists to help kickstart the planning process.
We also love that each chapter includes lists of places around the state where the plant community can be observed in its natural setting, many of which are within an hour's drive of nearby metropolitan areas.
If you're just starting to get serious about California native plants, this book is an excellent segue to the next level. Designing California Native Gardens is also a wonderful resource for people who, like many of our clients, have multiple ecology zones within a single property and need some inspiration for their planning process.
Buy Now: Designing California Native Gardens: The Plant Community Approach to Artful, Ecological Gardens, by Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook, with Phyllis M. Faber (2007)
By Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren
California's dramatic climate zones are becoming more extreme with every year, and with the unpredictability of precipitation around much of the state, it's become all the more important to irrigate our properties with efficient methods.
Whereas most titles on drought-tolerant gardening center around exotic species and rarely flowering succulents, The Drought-Defying California Garden highlights 230 unique California native plants for a more water efficient garden.
In addition to plant recommendations, Rubin and Warren share advice on how to establish young plants and maintain them with minimal supplemental irrigation. Because every plant is native to California, "they are uniquely adept at managing the harsh climate," the authors write.
Each chapter provides detailed information on perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, and succulents, as well as scenario planning advice for planting and maintaining each.
This book is a terrific resource for households planning for a lawn removal rebate without much experience with California natives. Hobbyist gardeners will also love this book, as it will help them make the shift to including more water-efficient plants without sacrificing on blooms or year-round color.
Buy Now: The Drought-Defying California Garden: 230 Native Plants for a Lush, Low-Water Landscape, by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren (2006)
By The Editors of Sunset Magazine
Before you start choosing your plants, you have to plan your landscape's structure. The Western Garden Book of Landscaping takes a West Coast-specific view of landscaping to provide inspiration, do-it-yourself guidance, and design ideas, as well as functional planning and maintenance advice.
Sunset is one of the few longstanding publications that focus on the unique gifts and challenges of West Coast landscaping, gardening, and outdoor living, so their expertise is especially useful when it comes to creating a garden that suits the unique architecture and surroundings of California.
If you're just starting the process of planning your new landscape, this book offers abundant images of real residential landscapes and unique features that will spark many ideas for revitalizing or even reimagining your outdoor space.
For DIYers, this title offers step-by-step guidance on a number of common landscaping tasks, such as laying a pathway, installing a new garden bed, and enhancing your home's curb appeal.
This book does not center around California native plants, but it's a powerful resource for understanding and creating a beautiful, functional structure for your Western landscape.
Buy Now: Sunset Western Garden Book of Landscaping: The Complete Guide to Beautiful Paths, Patios, Plantings, and More, by The Editors of Sunset Magazine (2015)
By Scott Schrader
We bet you're a lot like us, in that you love to entertain and enjoy the company of loved ones—ideally outdoors.
California's own Scott Shrader is an exterior architect who is a master at creating calm, vibey gardens that help bring together communities in sublime settings.
These lush green designs are not centered around Calfornia native plants, but they do feature prominently in many designs, so if you are seeking inspiration for your Pinterest-perfect outdoor living space, this book will serve as a delightful resource in your planning process.
We especially love this book for the various entertaining and relaxation scenarios that we frequently encounter in our own work, including private pools in lush courtyards, bedrooms that open out into the backyard, and intimate seating by the outdoor kitchen.
This book provides glimpses around the grounds of twelve dreamy properties that embrace the indoor-outdoor lifestyle. These luxe outdoor spaces demonstrate how the landscape can be an extension of the home and its creature comforts.
By incorporating interior decor into the outdoor living areas, he creates a natural, stylish flow throughout each property. For those starting to plan their landscapes, he gives great advice to help you consider how each outdoor space will be used, as well as how to plan ahead for each scenario of dining, playing, and cozying up from day to night.
The featured gardens range in style from Hollywood Regency to Modern Moroccan, and are accompanied by meditative essays on Sustainability, Lifestyle, and Pathways, as well as the ways our gardens act as dynamic spaces that shift in purpose and mood throughout the day and over the years.
Buy Now: The Art of Outdoor Living: Gardens for Entertaining Family and Friends, by Scott Schrader (2019)
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By Piet Oudolf and Henk Gerritsen
As the pre-eminent leader of the "New Perennial" movement, Piet Oudolf is one of the most influential landscape professionals in the world.
If you don't know Oudolf's name, you probably know his signature style of plant compositions arranging bold herbaceous perennials and grasses in drifts, chosen as much for their structure as they are for their color. His world-famous landscape designs include the New York High Line, the Lurie Gardens at Chicago's Millennium Park, and the entry of the Toronto Botanical Garden.
Oudolf is from the Netherlands, so his designs often incorporate a more European-inspired list of plants rather than California natives; however, his methods of working with rich textures and sophisticated color palettes are often referenced by California native landscape designers today.
This text emphasizes not only the beauty of plants, but also their ecology, explaining how plants behave in different scenarios and climates, the processes that each plant goes through seasonally, and how to choose good companion plants.
His work emphasizes emotional resonance and spiritual nourishment with his densely planted gardens, which is a significant inspiration for our own work, as is his influential support for biodiversity.
If you are seeking ideas for a garden with plenty of movement, seasonal interest, and sustenance for the wider ecosystem, this edition will be a beneficial companion for your planning process.
By Helen Popper
For those with a newly installed or a more established native garden, this text is a helpful guide to managing and maintaining your landscape throughout the year.
The month-specific resource provides careful guidance on numerous species that are commonly found in California native gardens. Whether you are doing the work yourself or hiring assistance, we find that it's important for our clients to understand the unique seasonal rhythms of our native plants, which oftentimes do not follow the typical cycles of plants from outside the state.
The book begins in October, when the dry season begins to break around most of the state and summer-dry plants exit dormancy. Each month’s chapter lists gardening tasks, including repeat tasks and those specific to each season.
Popper offers planting and design ideas, as well as explains core gardening techniques such as pruning, mulching, and propagating.
Beyond maintenance schedules and methods, she also shares how to use native plants in traditional garden styles, including Japanese, herb, and formal gardens. She also recommends places around the state where you can view native plants in their natural habitats.
Ready to step up your landscape with native plants, but unsure where to begin?
Book your consultation online now with one of our Certified California Native Plant Landscapers and start making your dream of a lush, personal oasis into a reality.
About Us
Besanti Natives is a landscape design consulting firm in Los Angeles specializing in bespoke outdoor spaces inspired by the natural wonders of the Golden State. Our Certified California Native Plant Landscapers offer a refreshing, holistic approach to your landscape to help you cultivate more meaningful connections to nature, your loved ones, and yourself.
Our team is dedicated to preserving the unique character of each property while providing modern solutions to enhance functionality and beauty. To order any of the plants listed on this page, learn more about our services, or to schedule a consultation, visit our online booking page.
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