Gardens can provide a lot: beauty, food, a place to play, a place to relax, a place to enjoy with friends. Traditional Southern California gardens often echo those from wetter climes, and incorporate plants with high water requirements. With the current and continuing water shortage, many people are re-thinking garden design.

To reduce our landscape water requirements, we can use plants that have evolved in other areas of the world with similar climates to ours, and dozens of these useful exotic plants can be found in local nurseries. Many people have become interested in incorporating California natives as well, but California is a big state, with ecosystems ranging from sand dunes to desert to forest to shrubland to swamp.

Some of the most water-wise plants for any garden are those that have evolved naturally in the local area. Here are some lists of Claremont native trees, shrubs, annuals, and perennials for you to consider when you redesign your garden. See if you can tuck a few in among the other drought-tolerant plants you choose. All of the ones pictured here grew without any water other than what nature provided.  However,  plants are more likely to succeed if they are given some water to help them get established, and most will benefit by a monthly watering in the summer. Possible sources for these plants are the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden or the Theodore Payne Foundation and some can be found at ordinary nurseries. Let us know if you find a good source and we will post it. 

Annuals      (pdf, 543KB)

Perennials  (pdf, 883KB)

Shrubs       (pdf, 1.25MB)

Trees         (pdf, 336KB)

Vines         (pdf, 169KB)