Frequently Asked Questions

When you plant California native plants in your garden, you are helping to restore natural ecosystems
that are fast disappearing. If everyone planted 50-70% of their gardens in native plants, that could
restore our fast-declining bird and insect populations.
Plants do best when they are planted in areas close to where their parent seed or cuttings came from.
This strategy preserves the local genetic makeup of the plants, keeping diversity within species to a
maximum so that they are able to adapt to diseases, pests, and other natural and human influences.
Local natives also provide food, habitat, and shelter for the local animals who evolved with them.

Lots more info at this link:  California Native Plants Society.

Every plant you purchase at the Native Here Nursery directly supports conservation of California native plants. We are a non-profit organization whose dedicated volunteers work hard to provide native plants for local park restoration projects and home gardens. After nursery expenses are covered, all proceeds from plant sales support the programs of the East Bay California Native Plant Society (EBCNPS), e.g., research grants, conservation and restoration projects of local lands. To learn about current projects, go to https://ebcnps.org.

Check out our Resources section. Also look at the Calscape Bay Area Garden Planner.

We sell our plants all year round online and during opening hours. We often have a table of rotating 1/2
price plants as well.

Please check our online plant inventory to see what we currently have available. If you don’t find the exact
one you want, we usually have other similar plants that would be happy in your garden.

Though many local native plants are drought resistant, we offer plants from all types of local native habitats, including those near creeks, lakes and marshes. Some examples include seep monkeyflower (Erythranthe guttata), nutsedge (Cyprus eragrostis), and western rush (Juncus occidentalis). These plants will require the same moisture that they are used to having in their native habitats.

Check the information section for each plant (in the nursery or on our website) to find out how much irrigation each plant requires.

Note: Even the most drought-resistant plants require regular watering during the first year or until they are established in your garden.

Unfortunately, deer will browse a variety of plants, even nibbling ones that are on some deer-resistant plant lists. They change their diets from year to year. The best strategy is to protect the plants with cages or netting until the plants get large enough to withstand grazing.

Three reasons: scope, natural variability, and timing. First, our mission is to propagate and sell plants that are native to Alameda and Contra Costa County, which is the boundary for the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (EBCNPS). California is a large state and has a huge diversity of native plant habitats. Your list of California native plants may include plants that are native to coastal southern California, the Sierra Nevada mountains, or northern California forests, and not native to the East Bay.
Second, we collect seeds and cuttings we find growing each year, and in some years certain plants don’t produce much seed. Annuals, especially, vary from year to year in their numbers, with some not emerging at all in certain years. Also, we have variations in propagation success. Some years seeds produce many plants. Other years certain seeds don’t emerge well or get eaten by critters or killed by disease.
Third, we sell plants when they are ready to thrive in a garden. Bulbs are usually sold only in early spring. Many annuals are sold in the spring. Plants that are dormant in summer are sold in fall or winter, after they break dormancy. Some slow-growing plants spend several years in our growing areas before they are big enough to sell.
Check the Shop to see what’s currently in stock.

We are very serious about preventing Sudden Oak Death (Phytophthora ramorum) here at the nursery. To learn more about prevention, visit our webpage Best Practices for Phytophthora Management.

Because we’re located in a county confirmed to have Phytophthora ramorum, the pathogen that causes Sudden Oak Death, we cannot sell plants destined for counties that don’t already have this pathogen (counties outside the quarantine area). 

We CAN sell to the following quarantined counties:  Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Trinity.

• All prices include sales tax.
• We accept cash, checks, and credit cards at the nursery, and credit cards online. 
• We offer a 5% discount to active members of the California Native Plants Society. We offer a 15% discount to CA C27 licensed landscapers, or 15% off any order over $500 (no license required). 
• Orders are subject to prior sale. We do our best to keep our online inventory up to date, but plants may be sold or culled between the day you order them and the day we prepare online orders. We will notify you if this happens, and you may choose a substitute or receive a refund.
• Some specialty plants have quantity limits. 
• We cannot offer refunds on plants once they leave the nursery due to phytosanitary reasons. Please inspect your plants before accepting delivery. We will be happy to offer refunds at that point. After that, it is the customer’s responsibility to keep them alive and healthy.

We do not ship plants. If you are unable to pick up your order during our regular hours, we may be able to schedule your pickup during another time when volunteers are at the nursery. Email us.

If you live within the phytophthera quarantine zone (Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, Sonoma, and Trinity counties), we can sell to you. But check out local nurseries for native plants from your specific area. Calscape is a great resource.

Sorry, we do not sell seeds.

We are a small, volunteer run nursery, and we do not bid on commercial projects. However, you are welcome to buy plants for your project. We offer a 15% discount to CA C27 licensed landscapers, or 15% off any order over $500 (no license required).

Email us with the details, and we will let you know.