california native garden tour

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

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2024 Virtual Tour April 6 & 7 In-person Tour May 4 & 5

Upcoming Events and News

Watch the virtual tour april 6 & 7 2024 10am–3pm, 2024 is the 20th annual bringing back the natives garden tour and green home features showcase four days of inspiration: online and in-person, tour maps, tickets & addresses, watch the 2022 virtual tour videos.

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Save time, water, and money! Convert your lawn and get paid for it, too. With EBMUD’s super rebate you can double your rebate to $1.50 per square foot of lawn removed by planting with natives. Check out EBMUD’s Lawn Conversion Rebate.

Volunteers Sought for the 2020 Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour

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2023 Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour

20th anniversary | april 15-16 spring of life.

As lawns go dry across Southern California, opportunity is knocking. Life can spring from our cities while we reduce our outdoor water consumption and strengthen our communities. Find out what this looks like on the 20th   annual Native Plant Garden Tour on April 15th and 16th, 2023. This year we are pulling out all the stops, highlighting visionary native plant landscapes across the city, and the cast of characters—people, plant and animal alike—who make them what they are.  Join us as we reorient towards an ancient, ever-changing spring—the overflowing abundance of nature. Visit nativeplantgardentour.org for more details.

The Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour is a unique adventure. Since 2003, more than 600 public and private landscapes have participated in the Native Plant Garden Tour. Ranging from coastal container gardens to modernist foothill estates to experimental urban homesteads, each unique design offers beauty and critical habitat for wildlife in one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots.

Visit archives of previous Garden Tours:  

2022    2021    2020    2019     2018      2017      2016      2015       2014       2013.

L.A.’s private gardens are springing to life. Here’s how to peek inside while you can

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In 1995, when most people considered native plants little more than weeds (if they considered them at all), desert devotee Mike Letteriello peered through a chain-link fence at a patch of bare ground and dreamed up a fragrant, vibrant tribute to California’s diverse native plant communities.

Nearly 30 years later, his dream is a lush reality, with a small waterfall, stream and pond along a meandering path bordered by a stony desert wash, thick chaparral, a flowery meadow and even native shrubs and trees from the Channel Islands bursting with blooms.

It’s still mostly viewed through a fence because it’s on the grounds of William F. Prisk Elementary School in Long Beach and reserved for students and teachers. But during Southern California’s annual season of spring garden tours, the gates of Prisk Native Garden will be open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. on March 26 and again on April 2. Admission is free, but “donations will be gladly accepted,” Letteriello said.

The Prisk Native Garden tour is the earliest of more than 16 annual tours of private gardens around SoCal that extend into May, many of which are fundraisers for nonprofit organizations. You can find a list of other tours below, but if you’ve got a free afternoon and an interest in creating native plant habitats, or just wandering through a beautiful and lovingly tended garden of more than 300 mature species of California native plants, a visit to the Prisk garden is well worth your time.

Has wildflower shaming gone too far? How to find the best blooms without the drama

The Theodore Payne Foundation’s annual Wild Flower Hotline returns March 3. Be respectful when you visit, but don’t be ashamed you want to see the bloom.

Feb. 28, 2023

It was Prisk Elementary science teacher Candy Jennings who first envisioned creating a native plant garden on 7,500 square feet of weeds and dirt at the southwest corner of the school grounds, at East Los Arcos Street and Albury Avenue in Long Beach. She sought advice from the Theodore Payne Foundation — then known as the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers & Native Plants — and the foundation staff called Letteriello, a Long Beach painting contractor, native plant enthusiast and avid volunteer.

“They basically said, ‘Mike, can you handle this gal?’ so Candy and I got together, and it was the most fateful outreach you could imagine,” Letteriello said.

“I looked through the fence at flat dirt — a huge blank palette. The only plant was one white alder — Alnus rhombifolia — and I thought, ‘How can I do this?’ I had no master plan at the time, and I’d never designed a big garden. All I’d done was take out the lawn at my house and put in native plants ... but I told her, ‘Let’s just do this and I’ll design it as we go.’”

And design he did. He and Jennings, her husband, Alan, and the Jennings’ neighbor, Frank Duroy, took on the job of transforming the dirt into the colorful quilt of habitats it is today. Duroy not only helped with physical labor, Letteriello said, but he became the garden’s benefactor too, providing money for materials, a storage shed and the garden’s “learning arbor,” a sheltered space for classes to learn outside, recently renovated by Long Beach Eagle Scout Kai Cobabe , a Prisk alumnus.

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Kyle and Claire Penn pulled out their lawn in Eagle Rock and never looked back. “We haven’t given up anything by not being able to run around on grass,” Kyle says.

March 7, 2023

Creating the garden was fairly straightforward, Letteriello said, once they came up with the theme.

“The idea was to organize the garden by plant communities,” he said, “like you’re crossing California from the ocean to the desert, through all the biomes and native plant communities — a beach, coastal sage scrub, chaparral, mountain meadow, freshwater creek and marsh, shade garden, desert wash. ... We even included plantings from the Channel Islands.”

Duroy helped pay for a lot of those initial materials, including a good-sized fish pond that he and Letteriello dug themselves. In 2017, Letteriello got a $7,000 grant from the South Coast Chapter of the California Native Plant Society to build a small waterfall and stream that runs into the pond and recirculates back to the waterfall with power from solar panels. By then, Duroy had died and Candy Jennings had retired, so Letteriello did most of that work, again as a volunteer, with his friend Joey Vanoni, who helped him lug in rocks to build the creek.

The resulting waterway looks like a natural jumble of logs and rocks created by a small flash flood, with artfully set steps hidden by a profusion of native grasses and shrubs along the banks. Letteriello got permission from state wildlife officials to bring in two dozen native arroyo chub minnows for the pond from San Juan Creek, along the Ortega Highway. The chub have multiplied heartily, but Letteriello has had to erect netting “to keep raccoons from ravaging the pond.” The pond also has one lonely frog that Letteriello hopes to socialize when he brings in tadpoles later in the spring.

The Prisk garden is less than a fifth of an acre, but there’s so much to see, time seems to slow for visitors who get the Letteriello tour because he has a personal story for almost every plant and he’s a stickler for details. The Latin names of the plants he loves roll off his tongue as easily as his stories, which tend to drift as delightfully as his garden paths.

This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat — just not about Trader Joe’s orchids

Paul Gripp, 90, helped build the famed Santa Barbara Orchid Estate and will be there sharing tips during the International Orchid Show March 10-12.

March 1, 2023

For instance, one of the low-growing varieties of sagebrush, Artem i sia californica ‘Canyon Gray,’ was found on San Miguel Island, Letteriello said, where it adapted to the strong Channel Island winds by growing close to the ground, much flatter than Artem i sia californica ’s regular upright form. But with its feathery, silver-green foliage, Canyon Gray sagebrush makes a lovely groundcover for yards, especially since it has the same sharp, savory aroma as the taller plant, and did you know, he said, barely taking a breath, that some Southern California Indigenous peoples would weave sagebrush branches around their necks to serve as a kind of fragrant bug repellent?

Then there’s the sprawling island oak that Letteriello carried back from the Catalina Conservancy as a seedling in a gallon can, cradled in the front seat of his pickup, or the hilly area he created in the center of the garden from donated shale and other rocks — “my homage to the Vasquez Rocks,” he said, the iconic jagged rock formations near Agua Dulce in the high desert off Highway 14, made famous in numerous commercials and television shows.

Desert landscapes are what drew Letteriello to native plants in the first place. He loves wandering through desert washes, especially in the Mojave Desert, and tried to create that effect in his yard as well as the desert biome at Prisk. Many people have contributed to create and maintain this garden, but it continues to thrive because Letteriello has made it his life’s work. He doesn’t get any monetary payment as the garden steward, but when the kids run in, clambering over the stones he laid around the stream or squealing with excitement at the sight of a lizard — there are many in the garden — he said he feels well paid.

“One girl opened up her arms and said, ‘I just want to live here.’ Another boy looked at me with delight on his face and said, ‘This is my happy place.’ Those are all spontaneous things they came up with — I couldn’t solicit those comments if I tried, and when I hear them I think, ‘I’ve done my job,’” he said.

“And this isn’t just a garden, it’s a zoo, with the chub and frog and the lizards and all the birds ...,” Letteriello trailed off as a swallowtail butterfly sailed by, almost on cue, to land on a purple-blooming lupine, and he laughed in delighted disbelief. It was just too perfect.

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Feb. 1, 2023

Someday, he said, he’d love to expand the Prisk garden into the huge expanse of asphalt behind the school, to create a bigger garden and stream. But more than anything, Letteriello wants to spread the gospel of the benefits of school gardens. He’s creating a nonprofit organization called Wild for Schools to try to build more native plant gardens at schools because he thinks they bring something rare and precious to the students within.

“[Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent] Alberto Carvalho said, ‘So many kids are caught in concrete jungles; we have a moral obligation to remove them from that,’ and I’m in total agreement,” he said. “It’s therapeutic to immerse children in nature. It calms them down and gets them into the present time, not the past or future. When you get kids in nature, they become highly observational. They start asking, ‘What’s that? What’s this?’ and they’re looking at everything with intense interest. When they stare at a computer, it’s not the same as surrounding kids with aromas, butterflies and lizards, fish and moving water.”

His mission now is to convince financial backers and school leaders that these native plant gardens should be a fixture in every school. There are so many lessons that can be taught here, he said, about plants and biology, the importance of habitat, animals and drought, and how California’s native peoples used the plants around them for food, shelter, medicine and spirituality.

“It’s highly educational, and it connects us with our heritage in California,” he said. “I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to an Italian immigrant family and moved to California when I was a child. I’ve never been to Italy, and I don’t care to go now. I love our mountains and deserts. I’d rather tour California because it’s my home and I’m proud to live here. I want these kids to know we’re unique, this is part of their heritage, and I’m just beginning.”

L.A.’s 16 hardest staircases, ranked by which walks are worth the climb

Los Angeles is full of secret staircases. Here are the outdoor climbs that make great walking or running workouts (and have scenic views).

Sept. 4, 2022

Clearly, gardens can be intensely personal creations, so if you’re looking to be inspired or just want to satisfy your inner voyeur, there are lots of other garden tours throughout Southern California this spring. Here’s a list of upcoming events:

March 26 and April 2 The Prisk Native Plant Garden Open House features a free visit to the native plant garden usually closed to the public. From 1 to 4 p.m. both days at William F. Prisk Elementary School, 2375 Fanwood Ave. in Long Beach. The garden is behind the school, at the corner of East Los Arcos Street and Albury Avenue. facebook.com/prisknativegarden

April 15-16 The 20th Theodore Payne Foundation Native Plant Garden Tour features 37 gardens around Los Angeles devoted to at least 50% native plants. Ticket holders get a map for self-guided tours to gardens on the Westside of L.A. on April 15 and the Eastside on April 16, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. One ticket gets you into all the gardens on both days and provides an opportunity to see gardens for larger spaces as well as residences, including Kuruvungna & the Tongva Sacred Springs, Ballona Discovery Park, Manhattan Beach Botanical Garden, the Gottlieb Native Garden and Los Nogales wholesale native plant nursery. Participants will get a map in the mail once they purchase their tickets for $45 ($40 for members, children under 16 do not need tickets). nativeplantgardentour.org

April 16 The Conejo Valley Audubon Society’s 5th Bird-Friendly Garden Tour involves self-guided tours of 15 gardens at private homes, a school and a park in Oak Park, Camarillo, Thousand Oaks and Ventura from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The tours are designed to showcase native plant landscapes and habitat gardens that support birds. The tours are free, but online registration for each attendee is required by April 7. Dogs are not permitted on the tours. conejovalleyaudubonsociety.org

The Creative Arts Group 28th Art of the Garden Tour includes self-guided tours of four gardens in the foothill communities of Pasadena, San Marino and Sierra Madre from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $40 if purchased before April 16 and $45 on the day of the tour. The tour is the biggest annual fundraiser for the group, which is entering its 63rd year as a community nonprofit. Executive Director Gwen Robertson said the tour strives to includes at least one blockbuster estate and one more modest but still inspiring homeowner-designed habitat garden. Photography, pets and children under 12 are not permitted on the tours. The Creative Arts Group Gallery will be open at 108 N. Baldwin Ave. in Sierra Madre for people who want to purchase tickets in person and view work by more than 25 local artists. creativeartsgroup.org

April 23 Claremont Eclectic: A Tour of Six Local Gardens from 1 to 4:30 p.m. around the city of Claremont, as well as two entries into the California Botanic Garden in Claremont, the state’s largest botanic garden devoted to California native plants, the day of the tour and once again in May. The self-guided tours begin at the botanic garden parking lot, 1500 N. College Ave., where ticket holders with a receipt can get their tour maps and brochures. Proceeds support the Claremont Garden Club. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased in person at Claremont Heritage in Memorial Park, 840 N. Indian Hill Blvd., or Rio de Ojas at 250 N. Harvard Ave. as well as online. claremontgardenclub.org

April 22-23 The Redlands Garden Tour , sponsored by the Redlands Horticultural and Improvement Society, features six private gardens representing a broad variety of garden landscaping, including hillside gardens, a yard filled with colorful mosaics and other repurposed yard art, a 5-acre garden where you can feed the ducks and the stately Kimberly Crest Gardens surrounding the mansion built in 1897. The self-guided tours are available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. Tickets are $15 (children 13 and younger enter free) and must be purchased with cash or check only at the Asistencia, 26930 Barton Road in Redlands. redlandsgardenclub.org

April 23 The Garden Conservancy Pasadena Open Days Tour : Explore four elaborate private gardens at historic homes in Pasadena. Tickets are $10 per garden ($5 for members) and available online only. Children 12 and under enter free with an accompanying adult. gardenconservancy.org

The Morongo Basin Conservation Assn. Desert-Wise Landscape Tour is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event features self-guided tours of five water-wise Morongo Basin landscapes in Yucca Valley, Joshua Tree and Landers, along with docent-guided visits to the Mojave Desert Land Trust and Joshua Basin Water District Demonstration Garden . Tickets are $10 ($5 for members) and can be purchased online. The website also features videos of “desert-wise” landscapes from past tours. mbconservation.org

April 29-30 The Riverside Community Flower Show & Garden Tours ’ Diamond Jubilee Festival of Flowers celebrates its 75th year with self-guided tours in nine Riverside-area gardens between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. both days, along with a free flower show at the Elks Lodge, 6166 Brockton Ave., from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. with floral displays, crafts and garden art for sale. A wristband for admission is $10, children under 16 enter free. riversideflowershow.com

The 30th Floral Park Home & Garden Tour in North Santa Ana features tours of historic homes and gardens from the 1920s to the 1950s from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days. The tour also includes a vintage automobile display, food from local restaurants, a beer and wine garden and shopping opportunities. Proceeds support community scholarships and nonprofit organizations. Tickets for the tour are $45 if purchased ahead online by April 24 or $50 if purchased the day of the event. floralparkhometour.com

May 6 The Leimert Park Garden Tour is a biennial tour of eight private residential gardens in one of Los Angeles’ most historic neighborhoods, bounded roughly by Crenshaw Boulevard, Exposition Boulevard, Arlington Avenue and Vernon Avenue. The self-guided tours run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance online or $25 if purchased the day of the event at the Garden Tour Hub at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Mall, 3650 W. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The hub will also feature artisan vendors from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children under 13 can join the tours for free when accompanied by a ticketed adult, but pets and strollers are not permitted in the backyards of the gardens. leimertparkgardentour.com

The Garden Conservancy Los Angeles Open Days Tours in Santa Monica : Explore four private gardens in Santa Monica — the Urban Wildlife Habitat, the Edna May Garden, Casa Nancina and the Adams Family Garden. Tickets are $10 per garden ($5 for members) and available online only. Children 12 and under enter free with an accompanying adult. gardenconservancy.org

The Laguna Beach Garden Club 18th Gate & Garden Tour begins at the Laguna Beach County Water District’s Bruce Scherer Waterwise and Fire-Safe Gardens at 306 3rd St. in Laguna, with special buses shuttling ticket holders to tours of seven Laguna-area gardens. Mexican fare and artisanal margaritas will be available for purchase along with free homemade baked goods. Artists will be painting canvases in several gardens and visitors wearing a “festive garden party hat” will be entered in the tour’s hat contest. Proceeds support school gardens, local scholarships and community projects; last year’s event netted more than $40,000. The tours run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, with the last entry scheduled at 2 p.m. Children are not permitted. Timed-entry tickets purchased by April 28 are $60 or $80 for entry anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. along with tickets for one food item and one drink. lagunabeachgardenclub.org

May 6-7 The Mary Lou Heard Memorial Garden Tour features self-guided tours of 43 gardens — 14 of which are new to the tour — from Long Beach to San Clemente from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. A list of the gardens and their addresses is on the Mary Lou Heard Foundation website, but plan ahead because some of the gardens are open to visitors on only one of the days. The tour is free but donation jars will be set out at the gardens to support the Sheepfold , a crisis center for women and children in Orange that has long been the beneficiary of the foundation’s annual tours. heardsgardentour.com

May 7 The 25th Livingston Memorial Visiting Nurse Assn. & Hospice Camarillo Garden Tour features art exhibits and demonstrations, live music, refreshments and a garden-themed boutique in addition to tours of five Camarillo gardens from noon to 4 p.m. Artists from the Pastel Society of the Gold Coast will give demonstrations at each garden. Tickets are $30 online. Proceeds benefit the association’s hospice program in Camarillo. lmvna.org

May 11 The 26th Newport Harbor Home & Garden Tour features stops at seven homes and gardens near Newport Harbor High School, along with lunch, a “boutique” of home decor and accessories vendors and an afternoon reception at Barclay Butera Interiors between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The home and garden tours are from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is a fundraiser for the Newport Harbor Educational Foundation to support academic programs and faculty at Newport Harbor High School. Tickets can be purchased online for $100 ($110 after April 28, if still available). newportharborhometour.com

May 13 West Floral Park and Jack Fisher Park Neighborhoods Open Garden Day features eight garden tours in two tree-lined neighborhoods of vintage homes in North Santa Ana, along with live music, art displays, garden talks and demonstrations, cooking demonstrations and vendors selling food and garden products from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ticket sales begin March 27 online for $20, or $25 if purchased the day of the event, at West Santa Clara and North Westwood avenues in Santa Ana. opengardenday.com

May 20 San Clemente Garden Club 2023 Garden Tour features self-guided tours and live entertainment at five San Clemente-area gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets can be purchased online before the event for $35 ($30 each if purchasing four or more). Day-of tickets are $45 and must be purchased in person, at a location that will be announced on the website after 6 p.m. on May 19. Proceeds from the tour support the San Clemente Garden Club College Scholarship and Junior Gardeners programs as well as conservation organization and civic beautification projects in the city of San Clemente. sanclementegardenclub.com

May 21 The Rossmoor Woman’s Club 19th Garden Tour features self-guided tours of six private gardens in the Rossmoor-Los Alamitos area of Orange County, just north of Seal Beach, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $20. They can be purchased online after April 15, at several area shops or, on the day of the tour, at the club’s outdoor marketplace, featuring music, food, craft and plant sales in Arbor Village, 10651 Los Alamitos Blvd. in Los Alamitos. Net proceeds from the tours support local charities. rossmoorwomansclub.org

More to Read

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April 16, 2024

This Storybook cottage’s native plant wonderland shows how gorgeous no grass can be

April 15, 2024

18 ways to volunteer with native plants in and around L.A.

April 4, 2024

5:51 p.m. March 27, 2023: This story was updated to include details about the Conejo Valley Audubon Society’s 5th Bird-Friendly Garden Tour on April 16 and the May 6 Leimert Park Garden Tour.

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Jeanette Marantos is a Features reporter focused primarily on plants, gardening and Southern California’s changing landscapes for the Los Angeles Times. She also writes the monthly L.A. Times Plants newsletter, which includes a calendar of upcoming plant-related events. Email calendar submissions or plant-related story ideas to [email protected] for consideration.

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Gardens Gone Native Plant Tour

11th annual ggn tour april 27th, 9:30-4pm 2024.

The Gardens Gone Native tour is a free garden tour featuring thirty  California native plant home and school gardens in the Sacramento region. Gardens are comprised predominantly of California native plants in the urban landscape. These gardens feature a variety of ways in which native plants can flourish in the home garden. Some are professionally designed while others are more functional and are a mix use of natives, food production, and living spaces. You will find delightful and sustainable gardens that harness water, create habitats, and add a sense of place. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask garden hosts about their choices and challenges. After registration you will receive the map and tour brochure information the week before the tour begins.

Check out links below for images of previous tours.

For further info email [email protected]

• Goody Day Sac Video
• Virtual Garden Tour

“Garden Tour Goes Virtual” SN&R article

• “On this tour, neighbors take it easy” Sac Bee article
• Ecological Landscape Alliance article
• “Be inspired by the native oaks on this Fair Oaks hillside” Sac Bee article
• “Carmichael rain garden overflows with flowers” Sacramento Bee article
• “Tour features Sacramento gardens gone native” Sacramento Bee article
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Home 2023 – Staging

APRIL 15 & 16, 2023

Spring of life.

As lawns go dry across Southern California, opportunity is knocking. Life can spring from our cities while we reduce our outdoor water consumption and strengthen our communities. Find out what this looks like on the 20 th annual Native Plant Garden Tour on April 15 th and 16 th , 2023. This year we are pulling out all the stops, highlighting visionary native plant landscapes across the city, and the cast of characters—people, plant and animal alike—who make them what they are. Join us as we reorient towards an ancient, ever-changing spring—the overflowing abundance of nature.

Tickets are on Sale!

Each ticket includes admission for a single visitor to all gardens across both days, a printed color guide with addresses and driving directions. The tour is self-guided, so you can make your own itinerary and go at your own pace.  Tickets and tour guides will be mailed starting in early March.  Children under 16 do not require a ticket. 

Beginning Saturday, March 11th, tickets will be available for purchase in-person at these select locations.  

20th Anniversary Art & Gallery Show

To capture this year’s theme, artist Kelly Malka has created a graphic novel style representation of the life that persists despite the ongoing drought, and how less can be more when it comes to saving water and restoring habitats in Southern California. 

Gallery Show: Kelly Malka | Spring of Life

Spring of Life is a visual exploration of how we as humans learn to coexist and adapt to our ever-changing natural surroundings.

Opening reception will be April 8, 2023, 4 – 6 PM, capacity is limited – please RSVP here to attend.

20th Anniversary Art & Gallery Show

Gallery show: kelly malka |  spring of life.

Spring of Life   is a visual exploration of how we as humans learn to coexist and adapt to our ever-changing natural surroundings.

Opening reception will be April 8, 2023, 4 – 6 PM,  capacity is limited – please  RSVP here  to attend.

Spring of Life Art & Gallery Show

Gallery Show |   Kelly Malka Spring of Life is a visual exploration of how we as humans learn to coexist and adapt to our ever-changing natural surroundings.

Opening reception will be April 8, 2023, 4 – 6 PM, capacity is limited – please  RSVP here  to attend.

Gear Up for the Tour!

How many years does your Garden Tour t-shirt collection go back? Celebrate the Native Plant Garden Tour’s 20th Anniversary with these limited editions, collectible pieces featuring original graphic novel-style artwork by Kelly Malka.

Each ticket includes admission for a single visitor to all gardens across both days, a printed color guide with addresses, and driving directions. The tour is self-guided, so you can make your own itinerary and go at your own pace. Children under 16 do not require a ticket. Beginning Saturday, March 11th, tickets will be available for purchase in person at  these  locations.

Theodore Payne Foundation

Theodore Payne Foundation inspires and educates Southern Californians about the beauty and ecological benefits of California native plant landscapes. The Native Plant Garden Tour is our premier outreach event, showcasing the region’s most spectacular gardens.

As lawns go dry across Southern California, opportunity is knocking. Life can spring from our cities while we reduce our outdoor water consumption and strengthen our communities. Find out what this looks like on the 20 th annual Native Plant Garden Tour on April 15 th and 16 th , 2023. This year we are pulling out all the stops, highlighting visionary native plant landscapes across the city, and the cast of characters—people, plant and animal alike—who make them what they are. Join us as we reorient towards an ancient, ever-changing spring—the overflowing abundance of nature. 

2023 Artwork

To capture this year's theme, artist kelly malka has created a graphic novel style representation of the life that persists despite the ongoing drought, and how less can be more when it comes to saving water and restoring habitats in southern california., featured gardens.

This year we were honored to collaborate with three gardens to take a deep dive into a range of subjects dear to the heart of our mission: Elements of a Garden (water, earth, wind, fire, heart), Lawn Removal, and Rare Plants.

Carthay Rewinding & Renewal


Dive into a five-episode podcast hosted by TPF Executive Director Evan Meyer with guest Dr. Alex Hall, UCLA Climate Scientist and designer/caretaker of Garden 06. The first episode of Elements of a Garden drops on March 31st!

Jack’s Garden

Learn how to remove your lawn with Sophie Pennes of Urban Farms LA. This video documents the transformation process from grass to a drought-tolerant habitat garden. Stay tuned for video!

Bonfigli & Hessing


Meet artists and designers Karen Bonfigli and Andreas Hessing to learn more about their garden of rare and mature native plant specimens. Stay tuned for video!

A Container Garden for Wildlife

Barbara Chung shares her secrets on how to create an amazing wildlife habitat on a shoestring budget in the heart of the city.

Tales from the Field

Thanks To Our Sponsors

Local agencies, businesses, and organizations make the Theodore Payne Native Plant Garden Tour possible. We encourage you to follow the links below to learn more about our sponsors, and the great work they do. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, click the button below.

OAK SPONSOR

REDBUD SPONSOR

SAGE SPONSORS

BUCKWHEAT SPONSORS

FUCHSIA SPONSORS

POPPY SPONSORS

Visit the Garden

Home About Visit the Garden

Southern California Native Plant Garden Tours

While the Gottlieb Native Garden is located at Susan and Dan Gottlieb’s private home in Beverly Hills, their mission is to make the garden available to nonprofit partners, research institutions and public tour groups as frequently as possible.

One of the best ways to see the garden is through the  Theodore Payne Foundation Annual Garden Tour  that happens each spring.

Private Garden Tours

Private tours of the garden can be scheduled when possible for groups and individual scholars, researchers, nonprofit leaders, journalists, artists and others. If you want to arrange a private tour, please fill out and submit the form below.

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Hours 9am-7pm daily

Plan an excursion through our urban oasis of cultivated gardens and nearly wild, natural landscapes. Set aside a smidge of extra time for unexpected garden secrets and delights along the way!

Come to Descanso Gardens to experience, learn, and expand with an activity, class, program, or event designed to inspire.

Discover our world-class botanical and horticultural wonders and how we care for them.

Dive into a wellspring of opportunities for kids and adults to learn, observe nature, and participate in the garden.

As a non-profit public garden, we welcome you to join us in supporting our mission through membership and giving. With you, we grow in gratitude!

At Descanso Gardens we connect people with nature and one another. Read about our rich history and future plans to preserve the beauty and heritage of the gardens.

All visitors who aren’t members must buy a general admission ticket

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9am–7pm daily

The train is currently closed for repairs.

1418 Descanso Drive La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 818.949.4200 Get directions

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After-hours and daytime events with programs designed to connect garden visitors of all ages to nature. Join us for festivals, immersive installations, music, workshops, tours, and more.

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Spring Bloom Tours

April 22 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm.

Join us for a guided walking tour and see our California native blooms. This tour is offered daily, April 22-27, from 11am–noon.

Meets at Center Circle. Free with admission, no registration required.

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Earth Day Native Blooms Display

IT IS OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

Join us in celebrating the beauty and diversity of San Diego’s native gardens. You will enjoy exploring a vibrant palette of landscape designs in Poway, La Jolla, Del Mar, and Solana Beach, each garden teeming with native plants and the wildlife they attract.

Our 2024 theme is “Planting Animals,” highlighting the ties between native plants and the animals that rely on them. Planting California natives is the starting point for the web of life connected to our gardens. This includes us too!

This year, we feature the gardens of three visionaries: Dennis and Pamela Mudd in Poway and Jim Smith in Del Mar. Together, they created Calscape, a must-have online tool for the home gardener. Their designs embody Calscape’s mission: “To restore nature – one garden at a time.”

 The 10th Anniversary San Diego Native Garden Tour is a celebration of beautiful landscapes and all the life that depends on them. As gardeners and lovers of native plants, we’ve been given an opportunity to help nature thrive. Let the beauty of San Diego’s native plant gardens inspire you to strengthen your relationship with the natural world.

ABOUT THE GARDENS

The tour gardens are situated in two distinct areas within San Diego County—one along the coast and the other inland. Each area is open for visitation on separate days, and your ticket allows access to both.

Saturday, April 6, from 9AM to 4PM: Explore gardens in Rancho Bernardo, Poway, Miramar Ranch North, and Scripps Ranch.

Sunday, April 7, from 9AM to 4PM: Discover gardens in La Jolla, North Clairemont, UTC, Del Mar, and Solana Beach.

Tour Tickets

Regular Price Tickets: $40 – Available through April 7th, 2024.

Free Entry for children aged 17 and under!

Every ticket includes a tour booklet that will be mailed to you in early March and serves as your access pass for both days. People who have purchased tickets after March 1st will be able to pick up their booklets at the March 20th CNPS San Diego chapter meeting or Will Call gardens during the tour.

BUY REGULAR PRICE TICKET HERE

CNPS San Diego Native Garden Tour Special Price Tickets Available

Horticulture/botany students

Group tickets packs of 4 or 10

SPECIAL TOUR EVENTS

Saturday, April 6

Take the family on a docent guided tour of the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center demonstration garden representing local plant life from 2,000 years ago. Explore the trails, native huts, grinding holes (metates) and the culture of Poway’s First People. 13104 Ipai Waaypuk Trail, Poway RSVP at ARansom@poway.org or call 858-668-4781. Space is limited. 

Sunday, April 7

Enjoy coastal native garden views on a guided tour of Native Del Mar Garden by founder and creator Tyden Chinowsky . This garden began as his Bar mitzvah project and has expanded with help from fellow students and family. Truly beautiful! April 7th, 11 am. 130-210 S Camino Del Mar, Del Mar

GARDEN TOUR FAQS

Ticket Refunds and Purchase:

Refunds for tickets are not available; however, you can transfer them to a friend or family member.

On-the-day tickets are possible if the tour hasn’t sold out. You can obtain them at Will Call gardens or the CNPS San Diego Bookstore.

Garden Tour Details:

Gardens are open on specific days: Inland gardens (Poway area) on Saturday, April 6th, and coastal gardens on Sunday, April 7th.

You may visit 5-8 gardens comfortably in a day out of the 12-15 open. Use the tour booklet to choose preferred gardens.

The tour is self-guided. Before the tour date, you’ll receive a Google Garden Tour Map link and a Tour Booklet PDF to plan your route.

Accessibility and Attendees:

Most gardens have full or partial disabled access, indicated in the tour booklet.

Children aged 17 and under have free admission. Families are encouraged to explore the gardens together.

Restrictions and Facilities:

Pets are not allowed on the tour, except for service dogs with clear identification.

Restrooms aren’t available in the gardens. Seek nearby public facilities in restaurants, parks, coffee houses, or gas stations.

ARTIST VENDORS AT THE TOUR

Select gardens will host an artist vendor showing a variety of California native–inspired artwork. All work will be available for purchase. From pottery, garden art, fine art paintings, and more, there will be something for everyone.

Artists listed by garden numbers on our tour map

01 Legendary San Diego visual artist, muralist and sculptor, Mona Mills will display her larger-than-life fine art oil paintings.

03 & 22 Andrea Wagman-Christian’s one-of-a-kind “Tree and Window Jewelry” pieces are handmade creations respecting nature by honoring the elements of sun and wind in our homes and gardens   etsy.com/shop/NatureBlingStudio

05 Choose from planters, hanging garden decor, bowls, mugs and more, all handmade by Carol Gross on her potter’s wheel.

06 & 17 W ear a little nature with Ashlyn Craig ’s beautiful handcrafted polymer clay jewelry. ashlyncraigart.com

07 & 18 SoloBee Shelters made with recycled wood by Candace Vanderhoff .  solobee.com

08 & 25 Margaret Gallagher will share her fine art watercolor illustrations and paintings inspired by nature. Margaret-gallagher.com

09 & 15 Beautiful upcycled one-of-a-kind clothing and nature inspired watercolors created by Ainara Calahorra Romillo.   muxucreations.com

11 & 30 Certified naturalist and artist, Amanda Smith ’s fine art giclee and colorful nature stickers show nature’s beauty. @laisnotadesert

13 & 16 Debbie Prince brings her California themed acrylic paintings, photography and graphic art to be enjoyed in the home. imageprince.com

14 & 23 Kyla Chinowsky, native plant watercolor artist, uses her artwork to raise money for the Native Del Mar garden. nativedelmar.org 

EcoArts Kids Children’s Art: local school children’s colorful artwork inspired by native plants and animals will be featured at select gardens. ecoartskids.com

SPECIAL TOUR MEMBERSHIP PROMOTION

Join CNPS as a first-time member for just $30. It’s 40% off the regular price of $50! As a member, you’ll receive the beautiful Flora magazine, filled with native gardening tips, inspiring interviews, and photo essays. You’ll also be connected with your local CNPS chapter for field trips, workshops, volunteer opportunities and more! This offer is good through midnight on June 30, and does not apply to current or renewing CNPS members.

CALLING ALL GARDEN TOUR VOLUNTEERS!

Be a part of this year’s garden tour by volunteering! We need garden docents to assist with a variety of tasks to make this a wonderful experience for visitors. The perks include making new friends, garden previews, complimentary tour tickets, and more.

Save the date for the volunteer training sessions: Wednesday, March 20th and Saturday, March 23rd in the morning.

OUR SPONSORS

A heartfelt thank you to our generous sponsors.

PLANTING ANIMALS

Explore the stories of our six plant-animal ambassador pairs.

Native plants and animals have evolved together in a dance of give and take. In some cases, survival of one species depends on the survival of the other. When we plant natives, we are also planting the animals that depend on them, and together they help maintain a healthy biodiversity in our neighborhoods.

Sometimes the dramas between species are hidden from view. To help tell their stories, we have selected six ambassador plant-animal pairs from six different San Diego County habitats to examine in detail. Chloe Van Loon will explore these special relationships, crafting short stories that will bring them to life. We will be releasing these stories in the upcoming weeks to inspire as many people as possible to consider these pairs when designing their own gardens. We will also provide lists of companion plants for each pair. Planting these will help establish a more complete habitat in your home garden.

It’s a fact that native plants attract more wildlife. We encourage you to plant as many as possible and to be on the lookout for your own plant-animal stories!

Blossoms and Butterflies

The everlasting connection of california buckwheat and behr’s metalmark.

Pollinator Perfection

The close relationship between yellow-faced bumble bee and white sage.

Branches of Joy

The lively partnership between engelmann oak and acorn woodpeckers.

Blooms and Whistles

The captivating connection between chuparosa and costa’s hummingbird.

Riverside Romance

Western tiger swallowtail’s lifelong affair with arroyo willow in san diego.

Symbiotic Splendor

The monarch and narrowleaf milkweed.

Coming soon!

TOUR ARTWORK BY CARLY LAKE

Carly Lake, an acclaimed painter, art educator, and fiber artist exploring natural dyes from her home near the San Gabriel Mountains of California, generously contributed her talent to help us create the promotional material for the tour, including the artwork for the illustrations for our planting animals theme.

Lake works as an illustrator, creating vibrant imagery for stories, print, murals, and more. Her debut picture book,   Waa’aka: The Bird Who Fell in Love With the Sun (Heyday Books), is a retelling of an origin story of how the sun got up into the sky by Tongva author and professor, Cindi Alvitre. Lake also leads classes on natural dyes, sharing ethnobotanical histories, artistic techniques, and learning with others about our shared urban ecology. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and minor in Native American Cultures from California State University at Long Beach.

Her portfolio can be found at carlylake.com.

Instagram: @sea.lake

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Garden tour in Poway, coastal communities to highlight ‘Planting Animals’

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More than 30 landscape designs filled with native plants and the wildlife they attract will be featured in the California Native Plant Society’s 2024 Native Garden Tour.

Poway and coastal San Diego areas are the settings for the San Diego chapter tour, scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7.

The inland and coastal communities will show a contrast of native plants — some that thrive inland and others that grow well in communities such as La Jolla and Del Mar, said Christine Hoey, a CNPS volunteer and Native Garden Committee co-chair.

The tour is celebrating its 10-year anniversary, and in that time more than 200 private and public native gardens have been opened for viewing, Hoey said.

This year’s theme is “Planting Animals,” which promotes an image that when a native plant is added in a garden there are animals that will visit that plant, Hoey said. One example is the narrow leaf milkweed, a flowering perennial that is a food source for monarch butterflies.

It can be a good native alternative to tropical milkweed from the East Coast that can be a source of bacteria detrimental to butterflies, she said.

“We’re trying to broaden the concept about saving water but also show the ecological benefit to birds and butterflies and other animals that use them for food and shelter,” said Hoey, the garden tour’s coordinator. “It’s another way of saying we’re creating habitat, meaning that includes all the animals that depend on the plants for food and shelter.”

Altogether, 31 private gardens and four public native parks are scheduled for this year’s tour. On Saturday, 14 gardens will be open in Poway and on Sunday, 17 gardens will be open along the coast, including a few “showstoppers” designed by native plant contractors, Hoey said.

One of the parks participating in Poway is the Kumeyaay-Ipai Interpretive Center at 13104 Ipai Waaypuk Trail. Tours are scheduled on Saturday only at 10 a.m., 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., but registration is required beforehand by calling 858-668-4781.

Special garden hosts included in the tour are Poway residents Dennis and Pamela Mudd. The couple joined Jim Smith in creating Calscape, a website application used for researching native plants that grow in California. By entering a Zip code, the online tool generates a list of native plants that grow specifically in that particular area.

Moosa Creek Nursery of Valley Center, which specializes in native plants of California, sustainable and wildlife friendly landscaping, will be at the Mudds’ garden.

Poway residents Michael and Criselda Yee, who are both California Native Plant Society members, will showcase their front yard and back yard gardens during the tour.

Michael Yee said the front yard contains all native plants. One benefit of natives is once they are established, they only need to be watered once a month in the summertime and the plants will still look good, he said.

“Native plants help the environment, they help wildlife and they save water because summer water can be cut back,” Yee said. “They provide food and shelter for wildlife, birds especially, so we have a lot of birds, particularly hummingbirds.”

The backyard has a more natural landscape, which attracts quail, orioles and hawks because it has a water feature and is adjacent to open space, Yee said. The backyard evolved gradually, with a couple of plants installed five years ago, then several more were added each year since then, he said.

The backyard contains native milkweed, an ocotillo plant, white sage and a wildflower mix that was added this year.

“The front yard is more manicured to resemble traditional landscaping and the back yard is turning into a more natural landscape,” Yee said.

Other features of the Native Garden Tour will be garden artists stationed at select gardens where they will sell nature and native plant-themed artwork. Garden docents will also be at some of the gardens to share the owners’ plant lists and educational materials.

Some plants on the tour will have plant ID stakes next to them so people can see the names of the plants.

Last year, roughly 1,200 visitors attended the tour, and this year the organization is hoping to exceed that number, Hoey said.

“We are passionate about native plants,” she said. “The more people learn, they will know we can lower our water bills and provide habitat for migrating and resident animals.”

Tour tickets cost $40 per person but children younger than 17 can attend free. Tickets can be purchased online at cnpssd.org/events/2024/4/6/2024-cnps-san-diego-native-garden-tour . Once purchased, the tickets and 64-page booklet with a tour map and QR code for a Google map will be available for pickup at the CNPS San Diego Chapter meeting from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 19.

The meeting is held in Balboa Park at the Casa del Prado Room 101. The tour booklet will also be available online so attendees can see which garden sites on the tour will have tickets for pickup.

California Native Plant Society was founded in 1965 and has grown to 36 chapters in the state. The San Diego chapter was established 52 years ago and has since expanded to more than 4,000 members, Hoey said.

For more information, email [email protected] .

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CNPS San Diego Native Garden Tour 2024

It’s our 10th Anniversary! Join the California Native Plant Society, San Diego chapter in celebrating the beauty and diversity of San Diego’s native gardens. Explore a vibrant palette of 33 different landscape designs in the Poway area and Coastal San Diego - each garden teeming with native plants and the wildlife they attract.

Our 2024 theme is 'Planting Animals’, highlighting the ties between native plants and the animals that rely on them. Planting California natives is the starting point for the web of life connected to our gardens. This includes us too!

We are also featuring the gardens of three visionaries: Dennis & Pamela Mudd and Jim Smith. Together they created Calscape, a must-have online tool for the home gardener. Native plant sales, garden artists and the CNPS Bookstore will also be at select gardens.

ADMISSION: Special student and group prices available on the website

For those still in need of tickets on Sunday, April 7, you may buy your tickets at that day's starting point which is 4234 Tacoma St, 92117.

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Growing Natives Garden Tour – Santa Clara Valley Chapter

April 13 - april 14.

Growing Natives Garden Tour (GNGT) is a free, self-guided tour of gardens located throughout Santa Clara county and part of San Mateo county featuring a large majority of California native plants that are beautiful, water-wise, low maintenance, with minimal or no chemical use, and habitat havens for birds, butterflies and pollinators. California’s native plant gardens increase wildlife corridors in fragmented habitats, preserve our natural ecosystem, and promote biodiversity in our built environments.

North: Sat, Apr 13, 2024, 10:00am to 4:00pm South: Sun, Apr 14, 2024, 10:00am to 4:00pm

The tour is free, but registration is required:  https://gngt.org/

Organized by the  California Native Plant Society (Santa Clara Valley Chapter)  in association with UCCE Master Gardeners of Santa Clara County .

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Native Plant Garden Tour

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Presented by SacValley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society at Participating Gardens , Sacramento CA

The Gardens Gone Native tour is a free garden tour featuring thirty plus California native plant home and school gardens in the Sacramento region. Gardens are comprised predominantly of California native plants in the urban landscape. These gardens feature a variety of ways in which native plants can flourish in the home garden. Some are professionally designed while others are more functional and are a mix use of natives, food production, and living spaces. You will find delightful and ... view more »

The Gardens Gone Native tour is a free garden tour featuring thirty plus California native plant home and school gardens in the Sacramento region. Gardens are comprised predominantly of California native plants in the urban landscape. These gardens feature a variety of ways in which native plants can flourish in the home garden. Some are professionally designed while others are more functional and are a mix use of natives, food production, and living spaces. You will find delightful and sustainable gardens that harness water, create habitats, and add a sense of place. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask garden hosts about their choices and challenges. After registration you will receive the map and tour brochure information the week before the tour begins.

Video 2023 tour.

FB/insta: gardensgonenative

ADMISSION INFO

*Tour brochure will be emailed to you after registration.

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.sacvalleycnps.org/gardens-gone-native-tour/

INDIVIDUAL DATES & TIMES*

• Apr 27, 2024 at 09:30 am - 04:00 pm (Sat)

Sacramento, CA 95817

Accessibility Information: Currently, no accessibility information is available for this event.

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Campus celebrates Native American Garden

First large gathering features song and dance

UC Riverside’s Native American community celebrated the new Native American Garden on campus with music and dance in the first large gathering in the space since the project opened. The grand opening celebration on Tuesday, April 9, featured the Mountain Cahuilla Bird Singers, who danced and sang in the sand circle at the center of the garden to a large crowd gathered around them. The event was sponsored by Native American Student Programs. The 20,000-square-foot garden, located in the upper mall outside the Highlander Union Building, features a variety of trees, plants, and vegetation native to the region and its tribes – the Cahuilla, Tongva, Luiseño, and Serrano peoples. The project was planned with a working group that included campus leadership, students, staff, faculty, and Indigenous community representatives. “To have this garden in this very central location on campus is important,” said Wallace Cleaves, associate dean and director of the University Writing Program. He and other speakers said the garden serves as not only a gathering place but also provides an opportunity to highlight the region’s Indigenous history and the responsibility of institutions like UCR in honoring that tradition.

Gerald Clarke, Jr., a professor of ethnic studies and special advisor to the chancellor on Native American affairs, described it as a “living classroom.” He and others said they look forward to more gatherings at the garden. “A community that sings and dances together is a healing community,” Clarke said. Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox noted how a respect for places is an important part of Indigenous traditions. “We hope this Native American Garden shares that respect for place,” he said. The garden opened to the campus last fall with many of the plants now blooming in spring. A final piece of the project, a mural by River Garza, a Los Angeles-based Native American artist, was installed last month. Garza said the tradition of basketweaving inspired his design.

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