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Soil Testing Services
There's a reason this is the first resource on the list—it's the most important one. When a plant starts looking unhappy, the natural reaction is to post a photo online and ask for help. Within minutes you'll have ten answers from ten self-appointed experts, most of whom couldn't tell you what's in their own soil, but are somehow confident diagnosing yours from a blurry picture.
Skip the Opinion Factory and get a soil test. It's a lot less exciting than buying another plant, but good data beats bad guesses every time. Your plants—and your wallet—will thank you later.
Control Labratories (Watsonville, CA) - https://www.controllabs.net/soil.html
UMass Amherst (Amherst, MA) - https://www.umass.edu/agriculture-food-environment/services/soil-plant-nutrient-testing-laboratory
A quick note about the recommendations included with most soil reports: they're usually written for general garden plants, lawns, vegetables, and fruit trees—not the somewhat particular plants I grow and sell. For now, focus on the numbers rather than the suggested remedies.
I'm working on putting together a reference table showing the soil values that tend to keep Banksias, Grevilleas, Hakeas, and friends happiest. Until that's finished, feel free to send me your report and I'll gladly take a look. A five-minute review of the data is usually worth more than a wheelbarrow full of the wrong amendment.
Soil Pathology
If your favorite plant suddenly keeled over for no obvious reason, there may be a nasty little gremlin lurking in the soil. Root rots and other soil-borne pathogens can sit quietly for years, waiting for the right victim. A Soil Pathogen Analysis is often the best way to confirm—or rule out—that possibility.
These tests aren't cheap, and you'll usually need to mail in roots from the affected plant. But if you've lost multiple plants in the same spot, the math starts to make a lot of sense. One test can save you from repeatedly digging the same expensive hole with increasingly expensive plants.
The Crop Doctor (Arroyo Grande, CA) - https://cropdoctor.net/purchase-services/#spa
Who else is growing and selling these plants?
Casitas Springs. CA
Founded in the early 1990s by Australian horticulturist Jo O’Connell, Australian Native Plants has played a huge role in introducing California gardeners to the remarkable flora of Australia. Jo's original vision was simple: grow beautiful plants that could handle drought and frost, attract birds, and produce outstanding cut flowers. More than three decades later, she's still doing exactly that.
Most of the plants sold by the nursery are propagated by Jo herself, from imported Australian seed as well as seed and cuttings collected from established plants and gardens throughout the region. Jo is one of my favorite people in the industry, and it's hard to imagine what the Australian plant scene in California would look like without her decades of hard work, generosity, and quiet persistence. Open by Appointment.
My Favourite Public Gardens
The Ruth Bancroft Garden is a truly special place. Created by a gardener who was decades ahead of her time, it has become a world-renowned showcase for drought-tolerant plants and, just as importantly, a masterclass in how to use them. Even if succulents and other spiky things aren't usually your thing, the garden demonstrates how thoughtful design can turn an eclectic plant collection into a welcoming and beautiful space.
On a personal level, I briefly served as the nursery manager and had the opportunity to trial a number of Proteaceae from Australia and South Africa, along with unrelated plants from those same regions that could handle the Bay Area's dry summers, winter rainfall, and challenging soils. Many of those plants are still thriving in the collection today, introducing visitors to species they might never have encountered otherwise. I still enjoy sharing unusual plants with the garden staff, who are often willing to give something new a try—a rarity among public gardens and one of the many reasons I continue to appreciate the place.
The nursery at the Ruth Bancroft Garden is a dangerous place for anyone with a plant addiction and access to a credit card. Unlike most garden centers, many of the plants for sale can be seen growing as mature specimens just a short walk away in the garden, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of plant shopping.
The nursery also carries a selection of plants that I supply. For those who prefer to inspect a plant in person rather than trust a photo and a shipping box, it's a great place to meet some of my offerings before taking one home.
The UC Santa Cruz Arboretum is arguably one of the best public gardens anywhere for anyone interested in Australian and South African plants. Established in the 1960s, it became a center for the collection, conservation, and study of plants from Mediterranean-climate regions long before these plants were fashionable in California landscapes. Today, its Australian and South African collections remain among the finest outside their native countries and provide a rare opportunity to see many species as mature specimens rather than young nursery plants.
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The Australian Garden showcases everything from Banksias and Grevilleas to Eucalyptus and Hakeas, while the South African collections highlight the incredible diversity of Proteas, Leucospermums, Restios, and countless other species adapted to dry summers and mild winters. For plant nerds, it's about as close to a pilgrimage site as California has to offer.
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Norrie's Gift & Garden Shop is also worth a look. Beyond the books and assorted garden doo-dads, they often offer a selection of plants featured in the Arboretum collections, making it one of the few places where you can admire a mature specimen and then take one home the same day.