Drought-Tolerant

Gardening Resources

The following lists of useful links provide comprehensive information to help you learn how to get started on your own drought-tolerant gardening project, and inspire ideas for transforming your own yard into a water-saving, pollinator paradise.

The companies and agencies listed below are independent from the City of Pleasanton, and the City does not endorse any particular entity. We are providing this information as a service to our residents and businesses.

Informative Websites:

Alameda County Master Gardeners – This site offers a list of outstanding plants for Alameda County. You can download a PDF copy of this list and/or view pictures of these plants on this site, http://groups.ucanr.org/ACMG/Outstanding

%5FPlants%5Ffor%5FAlameda%5FCounty/

Bay-Friendly Gardening and Landscaping – “Bay-Friendly” refers to a holistic approach to landscaping that works with the natural conditions of your garden. This site offers a great deal of information for residents, including how to find a qualified “Bay-Friendly” landscape professional, http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=8

Bringing Back the Natives – This website’s section on “gardening info” provides useful native gardening information from hands-on learning opportunities to articles and resources listing plants that are great for attracting specific pollinators – such as butterflies and hummingbirds, http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/useful.html

Plant Right – This organization provides information on invasive plants (vigorous species of plants that can easily “escape” from your garden and invade open landscapes). You might be surprised to find that some commonly sold plants are actually considered invasive. They also offer alternative plants for your yard if you want something that looks similar to an invasive species you were thinking of planting, but does not come at a cost to the environment, http://www.plantright.org/

Drought-Tolerant Model Gardens/Tours:

Bringing Back the Natives Garden Tour – This very popular, free, yearly tour showcases native gardens throughout the bay area, a number of which are located nearby in Livermore, Castro Valley, and San Ramon. The tour takes place in early May each year and provides a great opportunity to inspire ideasfor your own yard, http://www.bringingbackthenatives.net/

Bay-Friendly Garden Tour – A yearly, one-day spring tour featuring “bay-friendly gardens” found within Alameda County, including Pleasanton homes and locations. These local gardens are examples of drought-tolerant gardening (not necessarily native plants), http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=617

Alameda County Master Gardeners Drought Tolerant Demonstration Garden – This garden is located next to the Martinelli Center in Livermore Valley. It features “water wise” plants that can be used as alternatives to traditional garden plants, http://groups.ucanr.org/ACMG/East%5FCounty%5FDemonstration%5FGarden/

Alameda County Water District Demonstration Garden – Located in Fremont at the ACWD headquarters, http://www.acwd.org/wc_garden_maps.php5

Contra Costa Water District Demonstration Garden – Located at the CCWD center office in Concord, open every day. This garden features fruit trees along with drought tolerant plants, http://www.ccwater.com/conserve/demogarden.asp

East Bay Regional Botanical Garden, Tilden Regional Park – Located in the Berkeley hills, this botanical garden features native California plants. The botanical garden offers classes and events, including plant sales, www.nativeplants.org

Stanford University Demonstration Garden – Located on the Stanford campus on Raimundo Way. In addition to water wise plants, this garden also features an area with several lawn alternatives, http://grounds.stanford.edu/points/waterwise.htm

Workshops Offered Locally:

Stopwaste.org – Offers a Bay-Friendly gardening workshop series each spring covering a wide verity of topics, as well as compost training. The Bay-Friendly gardening approach is to work with nature to reduce waste and protect the San Francisco Bay watershed, http://www.stopwaste.org/home/index.asp?page=162

Los Positas College Community Education – A seasonally dependent, native-gardening class is offered through the community education division, http://www.laspositascollege.edu/communityed/index.php

Ruth Bancroft Garden – Located in Walnut Creek, they offer a workshop series to the public, plant sale events, and are open for free docent led garden-tours, as well as self-guided tours, http://www.ruthbancroftgarden.org/

Local Nurseries that Carry Native/Drought-Tolerant Plants:

Alden Lane, Livermore – Ask a member of the staff to point out their drought-tolerant/native plant section, http://www.aldenlane.com/

East Bay Wilds Native Plant Nursery, Castro Valley – By appointment only. They provide a plant list of available plants online,

http://www.eastbaywilds.com/

Mines Road Natives, Livermore – By appointment only, (925) 371-0887

The Watershed Nursery, Berkeley – Specializing in native plants genetically adapted to specific regions of the bay area. Check their website for their hours of operation that are open to the public, www.thewatershednursery.com

Western Garden Nursery, Pleasanton – They carry a number of Mediterranean-climate adapted plants. Ask members of their knowledgeable staff to help you locate these plants within their nursery,

http://www.westerngardennursery.com/

Lawn Information

How to Grow Great Grass While Conserving Water – If you have not read it already, check out this article from the City of Pleasanton’s Water Conservation website. Following the watering guidelines outlined on this article will help ensure you are appropriately watering your lawn areas with limited water waste.

Lawn Alternatives – This article written by Agi Kehoe, provides useful information on how to convert areas of lawn to non-turf. It also provides the names of various species of grass plants that work well as lawn alternatives in spaces without much foot traffic. Reprinted with permission from the California Native Plant Society.

For answers to questions regarding the information covered on this page or other drought-tolerant landscaping questions, please contact the City of Pleasanton’s Water Conservation Coordinator: rdicandia@ci.pleasanton.ca.us or 925-931-5513.

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