California's Own Native Landscape Design, Inc.

05/05/2026

Our own Leo Hernandez is a master at maintaining California native landscapes. Here he demonstrates proper pruning technique with a beautiful Desert olive (Forestiera pubescens) in La Jolla, starting with a rather undefined mass of leaves. Other perennials in the bed are hard pruned to refresh them. BTW this is a perfect multi-trunked courtyard tree, topping out at 12-14’, with bark that glows when up-lit. This small tree also processes beautiful bright yellow fall color.

04/11/2026

Please join us for this 2-day native landscape extravaganza! Come learn how homeowners like yourself are changing the world by creating beautiful habitat gardens that provide homes for some of the coolest pollinators you've never seen before!

03/20/2026

Greg and Leo will be spending part of the day out at one of California's Own native landscapes in Chula Vista. Please come out and enjoy the experience and help support our local San Diego chapter of the California Native Plant Society 👍☺. We're happy to share what we've learned from science and experience. https://cnpssd.org/2026-garden-tour/

03/11/2026

So one of the many magical things that can occur when you work with native plants is this: Mushrooms! We recently completed an installation for a large slope at an HOA in La Jolla. Because we work with Shredded redwood bark (which sticks to very steep slopes BTW) the bark often carries with it the spore from its natural surroundings. This planting is now covered with Morel mushrooms! Morels, Chanterelles, Truffles, Blewits and Candy Caps are all highly edible fruiting bodies for the ectomycorrhizal fungal network that supports our native evergreen woodlands. Just another added bonus when you stop fighting against Nature, and instead invite it right up to your doorstep👍☺

02/20/2026

Leo's is offering these handmade bird bath emitters directly. Please contact [email protected] if you are interested in price and availability.

02/11/2026

So this is a garden we planted for a wonderful La Jolla client roughly 7 years ago (give or take) and which has been featured on several garden tours. Today we were on the premises applying our treatment for Argentine ants. It's so fun to watch our gardens grow!

12/10/2025

People often wonder why we charge more for our demolitions. The tree on top is the easy part! The reason we go to such trouble is that we try not to leave much organic matter in the soil. Mycorrhizae (especially endo-) work best in clean, inorganic soils! Why would you want to then muck them up with steer manure, etc.? These are not high fertility ecologies.

11/13/2025

Before and after on a large lawn conversion - they are already referring to it as "The Park". We couldn't agree more!

11/11/2025

I'll be participating in a panel discussion at The Landscape Expo in Anaheim (correction) on Thursday, November 13th, at 9:45. We'll be discussing how to better protect our homes for the next conflagration. We will also touch on Zone 0, which is the first 5" from the house, reporting on the progress of the Board of Forestry Commission's legislative recommendations, and how they may affect homeowners and contractors.

Things to See & Do at The Landscape Expo Show. Gain firsthand knowledge from industry experts, earn CEUs by attending seminars and learning about the latest landscape trend

11/10/2025

description