Native Plant Extravaganzas 2026 (rain or shine!)

Shop in-person on Saturday, April 11, or shop online at native plant nurseries on Saturday or Sunday April 11 or 12, and a percentage of your purchases will go to support the Tour.

Be sure to include our own, local keystone plants in your garden; they are the best for wildlife, and include:

Best plants for sunny areas: Oak, holly leaf cherry, California lilac, lupine, manzanitas, sages, sunflower, native strawberry, buckwheat, aster, coyote brush, and penstemon.

Best plants for shady areas: currant, huckleberry, wild rose, thimbleberry, ocean spray, woodland strawberry, goldenrod, aster, honeysuckle.

Shop in-person

Saturday April 11, 10:00-4:00 (rain or shine!)

Free Talks in the Nurseries!

The Watershed Nursery Cooperative, 601 A Canal Blvd. Richmond

Talks in the Nursery

11:00 – Kim Chacon, Cal Poly and Merritt College instructor, will present on “California’s Native Bees & their Habitat Needs,” drawing on her Ph.D. research and experience in bee landscape habitat analysis & design. Read more about Kim’s research at beelandscapes.com.

10:00-4:00 Artist in the Nursery

Stephanie McKenna, owner of Bowerbird Atelier, is a botanical illustrator, garden designer, weaver, and lifelong guest on Ohlone land. Her symbiotica californica series explores the symbiotic relationships between California native plants and the animals that depend on them, and she showcases her patterns on fabric, wallpaper, and prints. Explore her wares at bowerbirdatelier.com then come and shop in-person during the Extravaganza!

Evergreen Nursery & Garden Center, 350 San Leandro Blvd., San Leandro

11:00-3:00 Come ask your questions and let friendly experts help you choose the best plants for your garden! Homegrown Habitats San Leandro members will be in the nursery for one-on-one conversations to share their native plant expertise and provide hyper-local information on plant selection, garden planning, and gardening for birds, butterflies, and bees. They will also highlight the San Leandro Library’s current Monarchs & Milkweed exhibit plus related programming, including upcoming native plant events. Help the monarchs start their families in your garden: Evergreen has a huge amount narrow leaf milkweed on hand just for you!

Evergreen Nursery is a full-service garden center with a bulk yard full of organic compost, wood chips, and mulches. The store will be open all day on Saturday April 11, so come and browse any time. Shop their online plant collection 24/7 and view their weekly native plant availability list here.

Shop online on Saturday, April 11, and a percentage of your purchase will go to support the Tour.

Down by the Bay Native Plant Nursery (note the Hayward location for this event) 2363 Catalpa Way, Hayward

Talks in the Nursery

11:00, 1:00 and 2:00 “Come join in on the walking tours of the pollinator pathways Josh and a small army of volunteers installed in the neighborhood, including the recent 1,000′ garden at Mt. Eden High School”

In addition to the pollinator pathway walks, plants will be available for sale between 10:00 and 4:00, of course – see the plant list here.

Down by the Bay specializes in local native plants – particularly plants local to Hayward and surrounding cities. Most of their plants are sold in depots or conetainers.

Enjoy delicious pitcher sage iced tea as you browse the plant selection or wait for a walking tour to begin.

East Bay Wilds, 2777 Foothill, Oakland (the entrance is on 28^th street)

Talks in the Nursery
12:00 “Beautiful, hardy native plants that will attract birds, butterflies, and native bees to your garden” by Pete Veilleux, owner of East Bay Wilds

See East Bay Wild’s plant list here and see photos of gardens that Pete has designed and planted with natives here. While at the nursery check out the eclectic collection of garden art Pete has for sale! If you are interested in a consult, design, installation or maintenance for a California native landscape, email Pete at pete@eastbaywilds.com or call (510) 409-5858.

Oaktown Native Plant Nursery, 702 Channing Way, Berkeley

Talks in the Nursery

1:00 Water in the home garden: Landscape techniques to maximize water use.

Join Suzanne Carter, owner of Oaktown, for an afternoon talk about maximizing your water inputs to create the best space for a wide range of California plants. Suzanne will feature drought- and not so drought-tolerant local plants, and how best to grow them. She will also discuss current EBMUD rebates and how to use them.

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Shop online at these participating businesses on the week-end of April 11 and 12, and a percentage of your purchases will go to support the Tour
Green Thumb Works is owned by native plant landscape designer Sandra Nevala-Lee. Now available from Green Thumb are Hummingbird Hangout and Beneficial Insect Haven plant bundles, consisting of hardy, beneficial one-gallon plants for full sun to part-sunny areas. Browse Green Thumb’s online list of available plants here.

Down by the Bay, owned by garden tour host Josh Rubietta-Cheng, carries native plants that are genetically local to the East Bay—these are the best plants for wildlife: check out Down by the Bay’s plant list online.

California Native Seeds is owned by garden tour hosts Danny Galindo and Eugene Shabalyanu; check out the incredible variety of native seeds they sell. These seeds are collected from their own Castro Valley garden, which you can visit this spring on the 2026 Tour.

Evergreen Nursery & Garden Center, 350 San Leandro Blvd., San Leandro has a growing collection of native plants for sale! Shop their online plant collection on Saturday, April 11 here; a percentage of the sales made that day will go to support the Tour!