Here are some good reasons to include native plants in your garden.

1. Once established, native plants require little care or maintenance.  They’re drought tolerant, and require no fertilization.
2. Native plants are pest and disease resistant.
3. Native plants are a source of food and protection for native wildlife, including pollinators like birds and bees.
4. Native plants are non-invasive.
5. Native plants give your garden a “natural” look.
6. Native plants survive cold winters and dry summers because they’ve spent thousands of years adapting to the growing conditions in your area.
7. Natural landscapes add to the overall quality of the environment by improving air, water, and soil quality.

You can start your own native plants from seed, buy them at a local nursery, or find them in the wild.  The California Native Plant Society has a great website with information on California natives: http://www.marin.edu/cnps/ .  To find books in Marinet on native plants look under the following subject headings:  Native Plants for Cultivation, Native Plants for Cultivation California, and Native Plant Gardening California.  Add some native plants to your garden this weekend and watch them thrive.