Frequently asked questions
Calscape is a project of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) created to support California native plant gardeners and industry members. The Calscape website is California’s most visited native plant website with more than 1.4 million users a year. It includes detailed profiles on more than 8500 types of California’s native plants and cultivars; helpful filters for finding the right plants by needs, preferences and location; garden designs, and educational information.
The website also showcases native plant landscape professionals and nurseries, allowing these businesses to create profiles and appear in the website’s search directories.
CNPS updated Calscape to create a more flexible and attractive platform with expanded features and ongoing data improvement. The new Calscape offers improved navigation, updated plant data filters, a new landscape professional directory, a focus on plant communities (or habitats), and additional information for plant selection and gardening. Please review our release notes to see the improvements we're actively working on. If you experience something that is not on this list, please let us know. We expect this list to get shorter quickly!
For detailed sources of our information, please visit Our data.
During this transition phase, the original version of Calscape will remain operational at legacy.calscape.org. To avoid confusion with search engines, access will be password-protected. Please contact us to obtain a user ID and password (you will only need to enter it once).
Below are some printable flyers that you can use to share with the public how to use Calscape!
Below is a printable quick-start guide to share with instructions on how to get started with Calscape:
Final Quick Start Guide to Calscape .pdf
With a Calscape account, you can create and save your own plant lists for your garden projects. You can download and/or share those lists for trips to your local nursery, for consultations with native plant landscapers, and use for your own reference. With a Calscape account, you’ll also receive our quarterly Calscape native plant gardening newsletter. Our goal is to set you for success! Additional features for user accounts will be rolled out over the next two years.
Having an account in Calscape is always completely free. We never share or sell your information.
- Click Sign Up in the upper right corner of Calscape.org.
- Select "For my personal use."
- Enter your email and choose a passcode.
- Agree to the Terms of Service and privacy policy by checking the box.
- Click on "Confirm account."
- Check your email for a message from Calscape. Click the link in that email to verify your email address.
- Complete the form with your name, phone number, and other details.
- Start browsing plants to create a plant list.
You should be able to login to your old Calscape account. Click 'Forgot Your Password?' to update your password and regain access to your account.
Traffic - Calscape, California’s leading native plant website, attracts over 1.4 million visitors annually—and the numbers are growing. Creating a professional account profile on Calscape expands your reach and visibility to potential customers and clients.
New features - We've simplified uploading your plant availability and listing your nursery. Enhanced content—such as improved photos, detailed plant descriptions, garden inspiration, and gardening tips with native plants—aims to inspire customers and increase visits to your nursery.
Reservation system - List the quantities, sizes, and prices of your plants to allow customers to reserve them through Calscape for pickup at your nursery. This feature is an excellent opportunity to broaden your customer base and boost sales.
To set up the account for your professional landscape business, you’ll need to have:
- An email account for your business (only one email account can be used for your business, so you will have to share it with your employees)
- A business license number (if applicable)
- Photos of projects are highly recommended (max photo size 2 MB)
- Your logo (if available)
- Website, contact information, services provided
Click “Sign Up” in the upper right corner of the website.
Click “To list my landscaping business.”
Detailed instructions are available here.
To set up the account for your nursery, you'll need to have:
- An email account for your nursery (only one email account can be used for your business, so you will have to share it with your employees)
- Your nursery license/business number
- Photos of your business site and inventory are highly recommended (max photo size 2 MB)
- Your logo (if available)
- Website, contact information, services provided
- A plant list of your inventory, using scientific (botanical) names
Click “Sign Up” in the upper right corner of the website.
Click “To list my nursery.”
Detailed instructions are available here.
We verify landscape professionals by verifying their licenses and certifications. We then review their business website (or other online presence, if they don't have a website) to ensure they specialize in landscaping with native plants. We encourage business owners to fill out as much information as possible, including their business logo, photos of their work, and other key details, to maximize visibility on Calscape.
- In the upper right, click “Sign In.”
- Click “Forgot Your Password?”
- Enter your email address.
- Click “Restore Password.”
- Check your email for the password reset instructions. Follow one of the two options it provides:
- Copy the activation code from the email and paste it in the indicated spot on the Calscape page in your browser.
- Or, in the email, click the button labeled “Restore Password.”
- Enter your new password; it must differ from your previous password.
- Click “Reset Password.”
- Click “Sign In” and use your email and new password.
Use any of these methods in Calscape:
- In a plant list: Click “Check nursery availability” in the upper right corner.
- On a page for an individual plant, select “Check nursery availability.”
- To find available plants that meet your needs: In the far left of the top navigation, roll over “Find native plants.” Then click “Search native plants.” Check the characteristics of plants you’re looking for. Also check “Available” under “Nursery availability.”
In the top navigation, click “Find nurseries.”
Enter the zip code for which you are searching. The list that is displayed will show the participating nurseries in your search area.
Click a nursery name to learn more about that nursery in your area.
Go to a specific plant profile page.
On the top right, click “Print” and select either "Print plant labels" or "Print plant signs."
For plant signs, change your printer settings to print two signs per page.
By adding the Calscape icon to your smart phone, you can quickly access Calscape directly without having to find it in your browser. How you do it depends on phone type and browser. If you use a different browser than those covered here, look for Add to Home Screen.
After you've added the icon, you can move it to any page of icons on your home screen. (Or simply find it by searching for "Calscape" on your home page.)
iPhone with Safari browser
- Go to Safari on your iPhone.
- Go to Calscape.org.
- Tap in the menu bar (three bars at bottom of your screen.
Scroll down the list of options, then tap Add to Home Screen.
If you don’t see Add to Home Screen, you can add it. Scroll down to the bottom of the list, tap Edit Actions, then tap Add to Home Screen.
iPhone with Firefox browser
- Go to Firefox on your iPhone.
- Go to Calscape.org.
- Tap in the menu bar (three bars at bottom of your screen).
- Tap Share.
- Scroll down the list of options, then tap Add to Home Screen.
If you don’t see Add to Home Screen, you can add it. Scroll down to the bottom of the list, tap Edit Actions, then tap Add to Home Screen.
On Android phone
- Open Chrome.
- Navigate to Calscape.
- Tap the three-dot menu icon (or "More" icon) in the top-right corner of the browser.
- Select "Add to home screen.”
- Confirm by tapping "Add" again when prompted.
Yes! Calscape is testing a new version of the site in Spanish! Use the switch in the top left corner or in the footer of the menu to view it in Spanish. Share your comments here: https://bit.ly/Calscape-feedback
Calscape is a non-profit product of the California Native Plant Society. We welcome and need volunteer support!
- To volunteer with us, please sign up at CNPS Connect.
- To submit photos for Calscape easily, please use this photo submission Calscape Photo Submission Form, or email us at calscape@cnps.org.
Calscape is committed to promoting the sharing of information about California native plants. However, the use of our photos and information is subject to certain conditions. Read on for details.
For photos with Calscape copyright
If a photo is marked with the Calscape copyright, it falls under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (CC BY-NC 4.0). This means you may use the image for non-commercial purposes as long as you provide proper credit.
For photos with Creative Commons license
For all other photos, please check the specific Creative Commons license associated with the image. Each photo will have its own licensing information, and it's essential to adhere to the terms outlined in the license. If you have any questions or need clarification, feel free to reach out to the photographer directly for permission.
You are welcome to use the information provided by Calscape, such as plant details and descriptions, for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes. We request that you give credit to Calscape as follows: Information courtesy of Calscape.org (including a direct link to Calscape).
Commercial use of the information provided by Calscape is strictly prohibited without prior written consent from the California Native Plant Society.
If you have further questions or need assistance, don't hesitate to contact us at calscape@cnps.org. We appreciate your interest in contributing to the promotion of California native plants!
You can create a Calscape plant list several ways (Be sure to log in first):
- On the plant search results, click the + sign on the little image of any plant you want to add.
- On a page for a specific plant, near the upper right, click "Add to plant list +."
- At the end of the list of existing plant lists, click “Add new list."
- Enter plant list name and description. Then click “Create."
- Calscape will then list all your plant lists. Your new list will be at the end of the list.
- Under "Your account" in the upper right, click "Plant lists."
- Click "Create plant list."
- Enter the plant list name and description. Then click "Create."
Log in to Calscape. Under “Your account” in upper right, click “Plant lists.” Select the list you want to access.
On a page for a specific plant:
- Near upper right, click, "Add to plant list +"
- At the end of the list of existing plant lists, click “Add new list."
- Enter plant list name and description. Then click “Create."
- Calscape will then list all your plant lists. Your new list will be at the end of the entries.
After doing a plant search that yields multiple plants:
- Add one by one: Click the + sign on the little image of any plant you want to add.
- Add multiple plants at once: Click "Add all to list."
- Select the desired list
To add multiple plants to a plant list at once:
- Navigate to the plant list you want to work with: Under "Your account" in the upper right, click "Plant lists."
- In the image representing that plant list, click the three horizontal dots in the upper right.
- Select "Batch edit plant list."
- Enter one plant name per line.
- Enter the names of plants to add. (Spell carefully.) You may use either scientific name or common name, but scientific names will yield more accurate results, as common names may vary or apply to more than one plant species/taxon.
To share your plant list, follow these steps:
- Log into your account and select “Plant lists” under “Your account” in the upper right.
- Click the three horizontal dots on the thumbnail image of the plant list you want to share.
- Choose "Share" to generate a unique URL.
- Copy the URL. Paste it wherever you want to share your plant list.
- From your account, navigate to the plant list of your choice.
- Under “Your Account” in upper right, click “Plant lists.” Click the three horizontal dots at top of the thumbnail image for plant list.
- Or, if you’re on the page for that plant list, click the three dots directly under the plant list name.
- Select “edit plant list” and from there you can change the name of your plant list.
Delete plants one at a time:
- Navigate to the plant list you want to work with: Under “Your account” in upper right, click “Plant lists.” Select the plant you want to delete.
- Click three vertical dots on the little image of any plant you want to delete. Click “Delete plant.”
- When popup appears, click “Continue.”
Delete multiple plants at once from a plant list:
- Under “Your account” in upper right, click “Plant lists.”
- In the image representing that plant list, click the three horizontal dots in the upper right.
- Select “Batch edit plant list.”
From your account, navigate to the plant list of your choice.
Under “Your Account” in upper right, click “Plant lists.” Click the three horizontal dots at top of the thumbnail image for plant list.
Or, if you’re on the page for that plant list, click the three dots directly under the plant list name.
Select “Export to Excel.”
From your account, navigate to the plant list of your choice.
Under “Your Account” in upper right, click “Plant lists.” Click the three horizontal dots at top of the thumbnail image for plant list.
Or, if you’re on the page for that plant list, click the three dots directly under the plant list name.
Select “print plant labels” or “print plant signs”. Plant labels display a QR code that links to the plant profile. Plant signs have the QR code along with the description, wildlife supported, landscaping information, and a photo of the plant.
In the far left of the top navigation, scroll over “Find native plants.” Then click “Search native plants.”
Under “Filter by,” check the boxes that align with your search criteria. This could include plant type, sun and water requirements, common uses, drainage, ease of care, flower color, flowering season, mature dimensions, nursery availability, and more.
On this same page, you can also filter by location and by plant name. For example, someone can search for all trees with low water requirements that are local to Los Angeles.
- In the far left of the top navigation, roll over “Find native plants.” Then click “Search native plants.”
- Near the top, in the box following “near,” enter location, then click Search button. You may enter an address, zip code, city or town name, county name, or name of a California state or federal park.
- Tip: bookmark calscape.org/search to quickly get to the plant search!
Use the search bar in the top right of any Calscape page. Enter common name or scientific (botanical) name.
Once you have plant search results, simply copy your URL link on the webpage and share it publicly!
“All” includes all plants whose scientific or common name contains the term you’ve entered. You might select this if you’re not sure what the plant’s genus is.
“Genus” includes all plants in the specific genus you’ve entered. Choose this when you know the genus and want to see only plants in that genus.
In some cases, these results may be the same, but in some cases, they are somewhat different.
Check out resources here! This landing page includes guidelines, trainings and multiple ways to connect, to help you get started with the new Calscape.
Yes! With our updated nursery directory and listings, you can include all your nursery's contact information and the services you provide. You can also include a list of plants available without quantities and prices, so the customer can get an idea of what you might have in stock but be guided to visit your nursery in person.
A nursery can add a note to any species or taxon. For example, if the nursery has clarkias or other annuals available only in early spring, they set the quantity > 0. Then that plant will show up for the customer, and the nursery can add a note something like, “Available only Feb-April.” You can use notes to add anything you’d like the customer to know about a particular plant, such as whether a plant is currently in bloom.
A nursery can update their profile to alert customers when they are not taking orders. Or the nursery can set all plant quantities to zero, which will also ensure no one can submit an order.
That’s okay! The customer doesn’t see your quantities.
For species you reliably have in stock, you may simply enter the size, the price, and any quantity greater than 0, and that plant will show up as available for the customer to order.
After you receive an order, you can contact the customer directly and notify them if an item they ordered isn’t in stock, or anything else you’d like them to know.
Customers will find plants on Calscape, the customers will submit order, then will receive confirmation message.
Once the nursery has prepared the order, update the order status to notify the customer to pick up and pay at the nursery.
First, set up your nursery account.
Then upload your plant list, using the botanical names of the species. For plants available to customers to reserve, you simply need to include the price, size, and quantity of the species. You will always be able to contact the customer directly once they’ve placed an order, in case your inventory changes or if anything else comes up.
Yes, you can! The number you set for plants in your inventory represents the maximum quantity a customer can include in a single order. This limit is intended to specify the maximum order size, not the stock level.
The Calscape Garden Planner offers personalized plant recommendations by considering your ecoregion, sunlight availability, and garden inspiration. With features such as firewise landscaping and drought-tolerant plant options, an easy-to-use interface, and a comprehensive plant database, you'll have everything you need to design a beautiful, eco-friendly garden.
The Garden Planner has four quick and easy steps. Simply click them one at a time, starting with Benefits, where you’ll select your garden priorities. Then you check your sun exposure, then your ecoregion, and, finally, your garden inspiration, the plant community in your ecoregion that you’d like to feature in your garden.
An ecoregion is a geographic area characterized by similar soil types, slopes, climate, and grouping of plants. Calscape ecoregions are those used in the Jepson Manual, by UC Berkeley.
First, on the Ecoregion step, click the Continue button.
Then you can simply click a region on the black and white map. As you roll over a region, the selected region will turn color.
Or you can scroll down through the list of ecoregions to find and click the ecoregion name that best suits where you live. (The list is organized from north to south.)
Choose an ecoregion that seems most likely. Complete the Garden Planner steps. If you think the results aren’t a good fit for where you live, click “Ecoregion” at the top of the page, and select an adjacent ecoregion and then do the remaining steps for the Garden Planner.
A garden inspiration is the plant community in your ecoregion that you’d like to feature in your garden. You can browse through the images of the options for plant community. You might look for which one most closely resembles the natural area around or nearest to where you live.
If you aren’t sure, select the plant community that best matches the natural environment where you live. To figure this out, you might click the image for each possible choice, and then review the images representing that plant community. Do this for each plant community you think might be native to where you live.
On the thumbnail image for that plant community, click the pill shape that indicates the number of photos, e.g., “5 photos.”
Click the name of the community that most closely resembles the natural environment near where you live. (Don’t click the image or the number of images.)
If you’d like to see which plants Calscape would suggest for multiple plant communities, that’s fine. Simply do the Garden Planner once for one plant community; then do it again, this time selecting a different plant community.
The regional garden guide divides some ecoregions into multiple areas. That allows the recommendations to be tailored to your site at an even more specific level. The regional garden guide also displays county borders, to aid you in making the most appropriate selection.
Also, the landscape design indicates plant names by location in the same design; these plants are not tied to a plant list; they are intended as inspiration.
If you live in the Bay Area, use the Bay Area regional garden planner. Scroll down the Garden Planner page to the header, “Bay Area regional garden planner and kits.” Click the “Let’s get started” button.
Click “Let’s get started.” Then click the button on the page that appears. Then step through the four simple steps:
- Select your region in the Bay Area. Then click “Confirm selection.”
- Select your garden inspiration, the plant community you want to emulate. Click “Confirm selection.”
- Select how much sun your garden receives (in summer, not winter). Click “Confirm selection.”
- Select your garden priorities. You may select one or more option. Click “Confirm selection.”
- Click “See your garden design” to download the recommended sample design.
- Click “Buy a garden kit” to see collections of plants recommended for your yard that you can buy online.
- On this same results page, scroll down to see the list of plants, sorted by plant type. At the bottom of the page, you can “print this page.”
To see a suggested landscape design, click “See Garden Design.” You’ll see layout ideas, with tips for irrigation, landscaping, fire safety.
To save the list of plants recommended for your garden as a PDF, click “Print list,” which is in the lower right corner. As Destination, choose “Print to PDF.” Then click “Save.”
To print the list of plants recommended for your garden, click “Print list,” which is in the lower right corner. As Destination, choose your printer. Then click “Print.”
Note: To see the list of plants in your garden design, in the future, you will be able to click “Download list.” (This isn’t functional yet; we are working to make this available.)
Calscape is committed to providing accurate and up-to-date information about California native plants. If, after thorough research, a plant has been identified as non-native, it has been removed from our database to ensure that the information in Calscape aligns with our mission of promoting native plant species.
Calscape collaborates with leading researchers, botanists, and conservation organizations to review and update plant classifications. This includes analyzing recent studies, ecological data, and expert feedback to confirm the native status of each plant.
We have compiled a list of plants that have been removed from the Calscape database because CNPS determined that they are non-native. Click here to view the list.
Yes! If you believe a plant has been mistakenly excluded or want to suggest a new native plant for inclusion, please fill out our Plant Request Form. Your input helps us maintain a comprehensive and accurate database.