An Ojai native plant is a species that naturally occurs and evolved within the upper Ventura River Watershed.

Other plants, including "California Natives", may not actually be native to Ojai. When the native range of a plant is defined too broadly (the entire State of California, for example), the benefits of planting native species begin to be lost.

Planting our local, native species allows co-evolved local fauna to thrive and preserves biodiversity throughout the valley!

Ojai native plants are uniquely evolved to live and thrive in our valley. They are better equipped to handle our climate conditions and adapt to a changing climate. Most importantly, these plants support our local wildlife and biodiversity. In addition, these plants are recognizable as Ojai, making our local landscapes recognizable as home.

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Ojai residents have made great strides in removing thirsty lawns and non-native plants from their landscaping, but more remains to be done if we are to meet the water challenges of the future. California native plants don’t just “tolerate” drought, they evolved with it. It’s in their DNA. And speaking of DNA, when you buy watershed-specific, hyper-local plants (like those grown in the OVLC Nursery), you are conserving our specific local genetics, something you can’t get anywhere else.

We have around 200 bird species, 64 bee species, and 168 moth and butterfly species, all of which depend on native plants for survival. 90% of plant-eating insects are specialists, meaning they need the native plants that they co-evolved with to survive4. Without insects, we have no birds, and without birds…well, who wants to live in a world without birds? Creating habitat in our gardens connects us to our surrounding wild landscapes and increases the likelihood of survival for our precious local fauna.

The Calscape Garden Planner is a great place to start. Enter your zip code and you can explore hundreds of beautiful native plant options that are appropriate for your specific microclimate. Calscape Garden Planner

If you’re in Ojai, check out our list of what we grow in our nursery to see what is native to our watershed. We collect all our seed on our preserves, so you can be sure you’re preserving local genetics and getting plants that are best adapted to our area.

The OVLC Nursery uses best practices to collect local native seed. Plants are available at our bi-annual plant sales. For orders of 100 plants or more, we offer contract growing, reach out to rewild@ovlc.org for more information.

Other local native plant retail nurseries

Theodore Payne Foundation, Sun Valley CA

Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

Matilija Nursery, Moorpark CA

We don’t currently have the capacity to do garden consultations. We are working with the Theodore Payne Foundation to certify Native Plant Landscapers here in the valley, so stay tuned for our first cohort graduating in March 2024.

If you are looking to do a large-scale restoration project on private land, reach out to rewild@ovlc.org.

Yes! Check out our Rewilding Resources page. From free garden designs to garden care, learn more about how to rewild here.

If you have questions not answered in our resources, please stop by our Rewild Office Hours: 8am-10am at the OVLC Nursery on the last Wednesday of every month.

Native plants prefer to be planted a specific way for best root development and water infiltration. Watch this video from the Theodore Payne Foundation for a quick look at the best practices for planting your new native plants.