Garden profiles
Get inspired
Looking for inspiration as you Rewild your garden? These local Ojai residents are going above and beyond to create habitat, restore ecosystems, and conserve water in our beautiful valley.
**Please be aware that these gardens are privately owned and are not part of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy's public preserves. Permission from the property owners is required before any visit, which is typically granted only during the annual Rewild Ojai Native Garden Tour. We kindly ask that you refrain from visiting without prior authorization.
View some of the Rewild Ojai Certified Native Gardens around the valley. From large estates to suburban yards, there is no one way to rewild. See what your neighbors are planting and get inspired. Click on the buttons below to jump to each garden.
The foothills of Valley View
Started in March of 2018, this wild-scaped garden stood out from the lingering lawns of its neighbors. The plant palette was chosen to encompass only what one would find in the surrounding hills (mostly). Inviting life from the surrounding hills back into the yard, and reflecting the changing seasons of the valley, this garden is ever changing and once again wild.
Birdsong Ranch
This property began its journey to native landscaping in the fall of 2022. Designed by Morami Studio, the formal gardens near the home slowly transition to a more wild feel as you wander further down the paths. Some of the larger, heritage trees were left, but dozens of oaks, walnut, and sycamore trees have been planted to eventually fill in the overstory.
This plant palette was chosen to specifically focus on providing native habitat for birds and promoting biodiversity. With something in bloom nearly all year round the life that can be found in this garden is a true testament as to how beautiful our local native landscaping can be. Birdsong Ranch is an inspiration for anyone looking to Rewild their land.
Rewilding invites a sense of place into our daily lives, reminding us that we share this landscape.
This garden was designed to show that the look and feel of a traditional California Mediterranean garden can be accomplished using California native plants. Working to appeal to those that want a more formal looking garden, a plant palette was chosen to reflect those aesthetics. Planted in the fall of 2022, this garden is thriving.
Always Pleasant On Pleasant
The journey began in 2016, with a vision to transform the land surrounding their home from an orange orchard into a flourishing native plant garden. As drought conditions drove up the costs of maintaining orchards across the valley, the homeowners sought a more sustainable and meaningful alternative. They embraced the challenge of restoring native plants, celebrating the innate beauty of Ojai’s natural landscapes.
Oranges to oaks
“Each jay plants somewhere in the neighborhood of 3,360 oak trees every year of its seven-to 17-year life span! It’s no wonder that jays have enabled oaks to move about the earth faster than any other tree species.”
― Douglas W. Tallamy, The Nature of Oaks: The Rich Ecology of Our Most Essential Native Trees
Urban wildland
This garden attempts the restoration of historic ranchland set within a site that encompasses chaparral, oak meadowland, and sage scrub. It relies on the serendipity of the native plants, the awakening of its dormant seed bed, seasonality, zero irrigation, and the rigorous weeding out of nonnatives. The hard-won result is a truly wild garden tamed at the edge of the buildings with a linear pool and gravel terraces—a precinct to mitigate the threat of wildfire.
In the highlands
In 2020, these homeowners made the decision to rewild their yard with two goals in mind: supporting wildlife and gardening sustainably. Watching quail and other creatures visit the space inspired them to create a habitat where local wildlife—birds, insects, mammals, and reptiles—could thrive. By replacing their traditional yard with native plants, they aim to provide food, shelter, and a safe environment for these species.
OVLC Nursery
Native plants from local seed
Native plant guide
See what we grow in the nursery
Why grow natives
Benefits