City of Roseville

Healthy soil, healthy plants. It’s that simple.

Watch this video to learn more about how soil is the foundation of a successful landscape.

Watch this series of animations to discover how the Soil Food Web works in harmony with plants to produce numerous benefits.

How can you improve your soil's health?

Reduce Compaction – Reduce tilling and avoid using heavy equipment to move soil during the rainy season. Compaction can prevent the movement of air and water, which are critical ingredients for soil health.

Use Mulch – Adding a 3- to 4-inch layer of organic mulch on exposed soil keeps it from forming a crusty layer that repels water. Mulch supplies nutrients, helps reduce moisture evaporation, discourages weed growth, and insulates roots and soil organisms during hot and cold seasons.

Feed Soil Organisms – Periodically apply organic compost and/or worm castings. Learn more About Worm Castings (worm poop) from UC Cooperative Extension Master Gardeners of Fresno County.

Avoid using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides - Over-application of these compounds can affect soil and plant health.

Know Your Soil

Click here to learn more about your soil. This resource explains how to do a simple jar test, how soil holds water and how it moves through soil.

Click here for a list of Soil Testing Laboratories for Home Gardeners compiled by UC Contra Costa County Master Gardeners.

You can achieve gardening success by selecting plants that are native to or well-adapted to our region and Mediterranean-type climate (hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters).

Roseville’s WaterSmart Plant List

The WaterSmart Plant List contains hundreds of very, low, and moderate water-use plants; their mature height and width; bloom season; drought tolerance; and benefits to insects, pollinators, and more!

California Native Plant Society

The California Native Plant Society’s (CNPS) has a great resource for finding plants native to areas throughout California.

Eco-Friendly Landscape Design Plans for The New California Landscape

Looking for plant-specific information in addition to the water and sun exposure needs of plants? Here you’ll find 75 Plant Profiles with pictures of the plants in every season, mature sizes, maintenance tips, uses, and more!

Don’t Plant a Pest

There are many beautiful plant choices that are well-behaved and will not become a problem in your yard and our community.

Visit PlantRight to learn: What it means to be an invasive plant and how to recognize them; how invasives harm California’s environment and economy; how they increase the risk of fire and flood; and ways they overtake food and shelter needed by wildlife.

A healthier environment starts at home

Watch the movie “Kiss the Ground” to be inspired.

Reduce pesticide use

Pesticides 1) disrupt organisms that live and interact with each other in the soil; 2) Increase bacterial populations over fungal populations; 3) Alter biochemical processes; and 4) Hinder nitrogen fixation.

Learn more by reading Pesticides and Soil Health.

Trap carbon

In “Soils Matter, Get the Scoop!”, the Soil Science Society of America (SSSA), explains that there are easy and practical things you can do in your yard to trap some of the carbon from the atmosphere.

EarthLabs offer eight study sessions about Climate and the Carbon Cycle. Click here for an overview about each session.

Grow a regenerative landscape

Regenerative landscapes restore the environment and encourage long-term sustainability, increased biodiversity, and enhanced resilience.

Learn about ReScape California's Our Eight Principles for promoting landscaping practices that work in harmony with nature.

Most urban rainwater flows directly to storm drains and eventually to the Pacific Ocean. Let’s capture it and put it to use in Roseville!

What you can do

Here’s a Rain Garden Handbook to learn more about where to place rain gardens, how to size and install them, and how to maintain them.
Watch this entertaining and informative video by the Los Angeles Department of Power and Light about How to Capture Rain.

Water is a precious resource, and there is never enough to waste! Here you can learn how easy it is to save water from Roseville’s newest expert, Water Wise Wilma.

Looking for inspiration and information? Water efficiency is at your fingertips. Here you can learn about rebates, watering schedules, Water Wise House Calls, and more!

A wealth of information about highly efficient irrigation can be found at Water and your garden.  

The Inspiration Garden at the Utility Exploration Center has been developed by Roseville’s Water Utility as a resource for residents. By providing a living example, we are excited to demonstrate that water-efficient landscaping is beautiful, requires less maintenance, and the best match for California living.