I first met John Warner, half of the team at Santa Barbara Natives, two years ago at Rancho Arroyo Hondo. He was managing the property. We were booking a significant event and John acted as manager, tour guide and plant specialist. That’s also when I learned about his new venture, Santa Barbara Natives.
John and his partner, Jeff Nighman, grow locally propagated native plants. The plants are used for restoration and mitigation projects by landscape architects, designers, contractors and the weekend hippie. John and Jeff have grown hundreds of thousands of genetically, local California native plants since 2003.
John and Jeff have situated their Santa Barbara Natives Nursery in a canyon on the Gaviota 20 miles west of Santa Barbara. If you’d like to visit, give them a call. It is by appointment with a minimum plant purchase of $100.
At Santa Barbara Native’s website, you can get their current list of plants, review their recent projects.


