Identifying the hundreds of marvelous native plants in Southern California and finding professional landscaping advice can both be achieved through books. Although I can’t address all the wonderful books on the topic, the following is a sampling of some of the best books on native plants:

The California Native Landscape by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren. As residents of San Diego the landscaping advice in this book is spot-on. Their follow-up book is The Drought-Defying California Garden. With plant lists, real landscape designs you can replicate, and sound advice, these landscaping guides are invaluable.

California Native Plants for the Garden by Carol Bornstein, David Fross and Bart O’Brien. This beautifully photographed book goes into depth about a wide range of native plants for your garden.

Landscaping with Native Plants of Southern California by George Oxford Miller.  This guide to native landscape plants is richly illustrated with photos and great information about plant care, water-saving, and more.

Southern California Native Flower Garden by Susan Van Atta and Peter Gaede is a fun guide to 164 flowering plants that are divided into sections and you flip through to match up precise illustrations of plants by sun and water needs, origin, etc.

Designing California Native Gardens by Glenn Keator, Alrie Middlebrook and Phyllis Faber.  Structured around California plant communities this book is for use throughout California.

 San Diego County Native Plants by James Lightner. This is a favorite native plant identification book. Don’t go out on a hike without it.

Gardener’s Guide to California Wildflowers by Kevin Connelly. This gem is a book for reading. Connelly leads you through site preparation, plant selection, and the nuances of specific plants in charming prose.

For hardcore identification guides, here are some classics: The California Chaparral: An Elfin Forest by W. S. Head, Mushrooms and Other Common Fungi of Southern California by Robert T. and Dorothy B Orr., Early uses of California Plants by Edward K. Balls, A Field Guide to the Common and Interesting Plants of Baja California by Jeanette Coyle and Norman Roberts, Introduction to California Soils and Plants by Arthur Kruckeberg, and lastly a book that helps you tell if  your weeds are native or not, Natural History of Vacant Lots by Matthew Vessel and Herbert Wong.