Did you know native plants are plants that have grown naturally in a particular region for hundreds or even thousands of years? These plants provide the foundation of basic ecosystem services that all life depends upon, including air, water, food, and shelter. Despite the vital role they play in sustaining a livable environment, native plants are currently facing increasing threats from habitat loss, changes in climate, and the introduction of non-native species.
One of the ways Rivers & Lands Conservancy is working to meet these challenges is by creating California native plant gardens within our built communities and public spaces in locations such as city parks and pedestrian walkways. Our vision is to weave a patchwork of micro gardens into a larger quilt of restored habitat while also working to beautify areas in need. Thanks to generous funders, we’re thrilled to share our multiple garden sites are currently providing beneficial blooms for local residents and wildlife, especially pollinators, such as the monarch butterfly.
Check out our garden projects below!
Martha McLean-Anza Narrows Park Garden
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About the Garden:
Situated along a key access point to the Santa Ana River Trail at the northwest corner of Martha McLean – Anza Narrows Park (located at 5759 Jurupa Ave, Riverside, 92504), this unique site hosts our most established California native plant garden! In 2015, we launched efforts to transform a dirt hillside into a thriving garden with our project partners at the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department. Since 2015 we’ve hosted annual community events and engaged hundreds of volunteers who’ve helped to install drip irrigation, spread mulch, remove weeds, and plant over 1,000 California native plants. We’re excited to say we’ve observed a variety of wildlife using the garden, including birds, bees, butterflies, beetles, lizards, snakes, and rabbits!
Sycamore Highlands Park Garden – Site 1
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About the Garden:
You can find this garden (along with great views of Sycamore Canyon) at the “top” of Sycamore Highlands Park (located at 5777 Fair Isle Dr, Riverside, 92507). We started working with our project partners at the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department in 2021 to incorporate California native plants into an already established garden site. This is a great example of a transitioning garden with a combination of co-existing native and nonnative plants. Many thanks to our community volunteers for helping us plant!
Sycamore Highlands Park Garden – Site 2
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About the Garden:
We’re excited to share we expanded our California native plantings to an additional section of Sycamore Highlands Park (located at 5777 Fair Isle Dr, Riverside, 92507) starting with a community volunteer planting event in fall 2023 and again in 2024! You can find this garden site on the western edge of the Park, near the entrance to Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park. Thanks to our project partners at the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department for continuing to collaborate with us on our ongoing efforts to restore native plant habitat while simultaneously beautifying community spaces and public parks. Stay tuned for more progress pics and volunteer opportunities to come for this site!
Bryant Park Garden
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About the Garden:
This recently established California native plant garden was planted at Bryant Park (located at 7950 Philbin Ave, Riverside, 92503) in the Arlanza neighborhood. We jointly identified this area in need with our project partners at the City of Riverside Parks, Recreation, and Community Services Department. Thanks to help from community volunteers, we broke ground on this garden in the fall 2022 and have completed annual planting and maintenance events since then. What was once a neglected corner of the park with dying turf and weeds is now an impressive patch of native plant habitat full of year-round blooms. With an abundance of native milkweed plants spread throughout the garden, this site is a magnet for monarch butterflies. Swing by to see if you can spot monarchs or monarch caterpillars and check out our interpretive signage we had installed in 2025!
Riverside Main Street Garden
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About the Garden:
Achieved in collaboration with the City of Riverside Mayor’s “Beautify Riverside” Initiative and our project partners at City of Riverside Public Works Department, this California native plant garden effort take place along the pedestrian walkway of Main Street in Downtown Riverside between Mission Inn Avenue and 6th Street near the Downtown Apothecary store. Community volunteers helped complete our first planting event in spring of 2023 and again in 2024. We’re excited to share a fence was recently installed to help protect the plants as well as an interpretive sign to help raise awareness about the value of native plants!
Gardening Makes Life Better!
- Research from around the world during the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates that people who garden had positive impacts to their physical and mental health.
- Gardening with native plant species provide habitat for birds, bees, butterflies, lizards and other wildlife.
- Wild spaces (even native plant container gardens) connect us to nature and give us a sense of place.
YOU CAN HELP!
By choosing to grow native plants, you have the power to create a space that celebrates our region’s natural heritage, supports the health of local ecosystems, contributes to water conservation, and welcomes important pollinators, such the iconic monarch butterfly.
A California native plant garden can take shape in many forms – from landscaping a big backyard to planting containers on a small patio. Even a single plant in a windowsill makes a positive difference.
From majestic oak trees to prickly cactus to delicate wildflowers, California is home to 6,500 different types of native plants – that’s more than any other state!
Want to grow your own California native plant garden? Check out our guide!
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