Gardening in Los Angeles

Do you live in Los Angeles? If you’re living out there and the SoCal weather has you bitten by the gardening bug, the following gardening links will help you out. They are all specific to L.A. and really have tons of great information on all things LA Gardening.

The University of California has this website, which features official guidelines for pest monitoring techniques, pesticides, and nonpesticide alternatives for managing pests, including information from Pest Notes and The UC Guide to Solving Garden and Landscape Problems.

The University of California Cooperative Extension in Los Angeles County develops and implements community-based educational programs and through staff and volunteers provides and encourages the use of current research-based information in the areas of nutrition, family and consumer science; youth development; urban gardening; commercial horticulture; agriculture; and natural resources.

Orange County Gardeners features links to garden, clubs, master gardener sites, and horticultural colleges in the Orange County.

The Los Angeles Garden Club’s Facebook Page is a meeting place where garden enthusiasts and individuals interested in horticulture share their views and photos.

Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden promotes botany, conservation, and horticulture to encourage the public and the scientific community about California’s native flora. The association is dedicated to the collection, cultivation, study, and display of native California plants and to graduate training and research in plant systematics and evolution.

The UCCE Master Gardener of Orange program is part of the nation-wide university-based Master Gardener program. The program is open to individuals with gardening experience who seek to enhance their knowledge and upgrade their skills.

The Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden is a botanical garden jointly operated by the Los Angeles Arboretum Foundation and the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation and located in the city of Arcadia. The garden showcases plants from all over the world, including many rare and endangered species.

Garden Sites is a listing of gardening sites and arboreta across California.

The Daily Dish is the LA Times blog about gardening.

L.A. at Home is the LA Times blog about dry gardening.

This PDF provides basic information about drought tolerant plants and a variety of resources for gardening, specifically for Southern California’s sunshine and mild climate.

California Flowers and Botanical Gardens offers a collection photos of native plants, rare and endangered flowers and fauna throughout California.

Garden columnist Joshua Siskin gives tips on oleander growing in LA-based online newspaper.

The California Native Plant Society is a statewide non-profit organization of amateurs and professionals with a common interest in California’s native plants. The Society, working through its local chapters and statewide programs, seeks to increase understanding of California’s native flora and to preserve this rich resource for future generations.

Gardens.com features links to various gardens in Santa Ana.

This link provides many resources to various gardening meetup groups in Los Angeles.

School Garden Weekly is published in Los Angeles, California by George Pessin, LA County Master Gardener.

This website features a gardening guide sponsored by the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works Environmental Programs Division.

Pretty in Green is a feature by an LA-based master gardener – Linda Daly and has tons of great gardening information.

The California Native Plants Society website gives details about upcoming gardening related events and links to various gardening sites and environmental groups in Los Angeles and Santa Monica areas.

Mar Vista Green Garden Showcase is a web log on gardening initiatives and water-saving undertaken by Mar Vista Green Committee. Mar Vista gardens also offer the benefit of first-hand experience and the expertise of those already committed to reducing their water consumption profiles through the adoption of drought-resistant landscaping.

The Orange County Independent Master Gardeners is an association of trained gardeners devoted to sharing scientifically based horticultural knowledge for the purpose of educating communities of Orange County. It also provides information about gardening events in Orange County.

Armstrong Garden Centers serve California gardeners and are the largest independent retail nursery company. The organization specializes in the largest selection of roses, many developed and exclusive to our company. They have a panel of nursery experts to help answer any gardening questions.

The City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks manages The Sepulveda Garden Center. It is a community garden that occupies approximately 16 acres and contains approximately 420 garden plots, about ten feet by twenty feet in size.

The Green Arrows Nursery offers a full selection of annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. The staff is fully trained to answer gardening questions. The nursery also offers a landscape design service as well as a full selection of fertilizers, soil amendments, and pesticides.

The Huntington Botanical Gardens cover 207 acres, of which approximately 120 are landscaped and open to visitors. The botanical garden showcases 14,000 different varieties of plants in more than a dozen principal garden areas. Forty gardeners, a curatorial staff of seven, and more than 100 volunteers maintain the botanical collections, provide interpretive programs for visitors, and propagate plants for special sales.

The San Fernando Valley Iris Society is an organization devoted to the promotion of all forms of irises found in this large and varied group of plants. Membership is open to anybody whose common interest is gardening and who have an enthusiasm for irises. Club activities are directed towards gaining and sharing knowledge about gardening with irises.

The Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society, an affiliate of the Cactus & Succulent Society of America, was established to further the disseminate information about cacti & succulents. Membership is open to all who wants to increase their knowledge, or connect with people who share the same hobby.

Southern California Garden Club, a charter member of California Garden Clubs, Inc., was founded with the goals of stimulating knowledge and love of gardening and encouraging beautification and protection of the environment on a local and statewide basis. Regular meetings include a business session, horticulture and/or floral design workshop, and feature guest speakers on a variety of gardening subjects including native flora and fauna, floral design, horticulture and conservation.

Jannelson Landscape and Design has a web log which offers gardening tips for the Santa Cruz Mountains. The blogs also provide information for growing plants in the Santa Cruz area, and insightful advice on pest control and creating microclimates.

People for Parks works in partnership with community organizations, public agencies, nonprofits and the private sector to expand public access to greenspace in the Los Angeles area. PFP promotes environmental education, and advocates for innovative legislation and greater funding for parks and recreation, especially in the underprivileged neighborhoods.

Tree People trains and support communities to plant and care for trees. The organization educates schoolchildren and adults about environmental issues. It also operates a beautiful public park.

Green L.A. Girl is a blog by a writer devoted to writing about sustainable living and environmental issues.

The Homeless Garden Project in Santa Cruz, California, provides jobs and life training for homeless people within the therapeutic context of an organic garden. This process allows renewed relationships as community members reap the rewards of bountiful organic produce and a decreased population of homeless members.

The Mulch is an independent gardening community brings gardening experts and everyday gardeners together to share information and make a garden more successful in a new and unbiased way. Membership is free.

Los Angeles Agriculture is a website that contains web logs covering various topics related to gardening. It also includes first-hand accounts of gardeners who utilized different cultivation methods while growing plants in their gardens.

Fullerton Arboretum is a non-profit arboretum and botanical garden at California State University, Fullerton. The website provides community resource for ecological, horticultural and historical education, visitor information, maps, and plant database.

The Arboretum at UCSC is a research and teaching facility committed to plant conservation and serves both the campus and the public. It has a diverse collection, containing representatives of more than 300 plant families, provides beginning students with a broad survey of the plant kingdom. The Arboretum maintains collections of rare and endangered plants of unusual scientific interest.

The Monrovia Garden Club aims to educate members in the field of horticulture and botany, as well as the conservation of natural resources, thereby teaching an appreciation of the flora of California and all the natural beauty of the State. The club also judges the annual Monrovia Home Beautification Awards, holds plant sales twice a year and provides scholarships to local horticulture and botany students.

The Garden Pages Blog contains gardening tips, and photos of California and western native plants, which includes unique drought-resistant flowers or shrubs, succulents and cacti, composting and other green organic methods. The site also offers occasional garden news of interest or current events.