Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Did you know you can access the Native Plant Information Network with your web-enabled smartphone?

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Wednesday - October 08, 2014

From: La Quinta, CA
Region: Southwest
Topic: Seed and Plant Sources
Title: Looking for source of wildflower seeds in Southern California
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I'm looking for a source of wildflower seed--a mix of annuals and perennials--for my desert location of La Quinta, CA

ANSWER:

Visit our Suppliers page and click on "List All Suppliers" in the blue box called SEARCH SUPPLIERS. Once the suppliers (1300+) list comes up you can then enter "La Quinta CA" in the Enter Search Location (City, State or Zip) and then hit the orange "GO" button. This will give you four lists of companies near you that specialize in native plants and seeds. The four lists are Nurseries, Seed Companies, Landscape Professionals and Environmental Consultants. Here are two companies from the list that would have a selection of native perennials and annuals for your area. Most of the companies have webpages and sell seeds to be shipped to you:

Theodore Payne Foundation in Sun Valley (Los Angeles County)

Moosa Creek Nursery in Valley Center (San Diego County)