Whether you're converting your grass to a new water wise garden or simply looking to add color to an existing one, we've got the plant for you!
Low-water plants
Our favorite plants hand-picked by EBMUD LAC for their ease and success. (Print PDF or Interactive Top 100). Use filter for cooler or warmer climates and to see native plants for the super rebate.
Discover the perfect CA native plants for your garden and designs that fit your landscaping style. Personalized plant lists are customized based on your location and microclimate.
100 "All Stars" were field-tested by UC Davis Arboretum and found to thrive even under difficult growing conditions.
Master Gardeners highlighted these beautiful plants that perform well, attract wildlife, and reduce the need for pesticides.
Download a Bay-Friendly Plant List for your specific needs: lawn alternatives, butterfly plants, hedges, plants that don't need shearing, and more.
Let EBMUD's award-winning plant book inspire you! Order a copy here or from a local bookstore.
Design resources
Starting a native plant garden doesn’t have to be complicated. This easy guide takes the guesswork out of which plants to use where. (Printer friendly version here).
Eight contemporary front yard plans are available for various styles, and can be scaled for landscapes up to 2,500 square feet. Templates are courtesy of the Sonoma-Marin Saving Water Partnership.
You don't need to live in San Lorenzo to use this book: it includes four garden design for various lot types, illustrations, plant lists, estimated costs, and how-to guidance.
Research tools
Discover the water needs of your plants. This database catalogs water use of over 3,500 plants. Applying for a rebate? Make sure your plants are specified as "low" water use in WUCOLS!
Quickly identify low-water use plants native to your location, use advanced search to narrow results based on your garden conditions, and filter by local nurseries! Exportable results.
WaterWonk is another way to search WUCOLS for the water needs for any of your plants. You can also find plants that need no summer water, and create plant lists that can be saved, printed or downloaded.
Click on the map, and search for low-water use or shade plants. Calflora uses soil, climate, and elevation factors to generate a complete planting list for you. Exportable results.
Nearby nurseries with low-water plants
Some of the greatest nurseries in the world are just down the street. Below is a list of local nurseries with dedicated low-water use plant sections. If we are missing your nursery, please let us know! Also visit Stop Waste to check out Bay-Friendly Partner Nurseries and nurseries featuring California native plants.
| Ace Garden Center, Grand Ave. | Oakland |
| Cactus Jungle | Berkeley |
| Curious Flora Nursery | Richmond |
| Evergreen Nursery | San Leandro |
| Encinal Nursery | Alameda |
| McDonnell Nursery | Orinda |
| Orchard Nursery |
Lafayette |
| The Ruth Bancroft Garden and Nursery |
Walnut Creek |
| Sloat Garden Center |
Concord |
| Spiral Gardens Nursery | Berkeley |
| SummerWinds Nursery | Dublin |
| Watershed Nursery | Richmond |
| Berkeley |
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Oakland |
Plants to avoid
Some plants aggressively spread beyond the garden and into neighboring open spaces, negatively impacting the local ecosystem. Learn what to avoid, and what to plant instead!
Invasive Garden Plants and Alternatives
Plants may be invasive in some regions of California, and not invasive in others. Use this map and list to identify the best choices based on where you live.
Don't plant a pest, plant this instead!
Find beautiful and hardy alternatives to common invasive plants in the Bay Area. This list is updated regularly by the California Invasive Plant Council.