Digging Deeper
Maintaining your landscape
Practices for
long-term health
With a little love and the right information, your native garden can be a joy to maintain. We’ve learned a lot about how to avoid mistakes and keep our landscapes healthy — and the learning never stops. Read on for helpful tips and a few important cautions.
Compared to introduced plants, locally native California plant species are likely to be less troubled by native “pest” organisms because they have co-evolved to thrive in California’s unique climate and conditions.
Join your native plant community!
Hot topics
To prune, or not to prune?
Learn when and how to prune to keep your landscape healthy and looking great!
Keep pests in check
Keep pests in check by allowing natural predator populations to control the problem for you.
Managing weeds
Keep weeds under control by applying mulch and minimizing artificial irrigation.
Don’t plant an invasive!
Keep invasive plants out! They threaten California’s native biodiversity and ecosystems.
Propagating properly
Learn how to clean seeds, and propagate your own California native plants.
Clean nursery practices
CNPS supports clean nursery practices. See helpful guidelines and resources from our phytopthora committee
Garden Q&A
See answers to common native gardening questions from our horticulture experts!
