Lorraine Jones was the first in her Simi Valley neighborhood to tear up her Bermuda grass and replace it with an army of California native plants.

"I know all my neighbors thought I was insane," Jones said. "Where's the lawn?"

Today, her fragrant sages, dry creek bed and woolly blue curls may be at the blooming edge of home gardening.

"People are starting to see native plants as much more than just water-saving," said Lili Singer, special projects coordinator for Sun Valley's Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflower and Native Plants Inc.

Over the past several years, the foundation has seen interest in native plants pick up. For example, in July, the foundation held a native plant presentation called "Kill Your Lawn," designed to give people plant alternatives to their lawns. It was sold out three weeks in advance.

When about 80 signed up, Singer had to move the presentation to a larger facility in La Crescenta.

Singer, a horticulturist, also does weekly presentations on native plants called "Native Nights" in Burbank and Pasadena. The seminars are always filled to capacity.

David Magney, president of the California Native Plant Society, Channel Islands chapter, said he used to get few calls about native plants, but calls have increased over the last several weeks.

"They are specifically asking for the availability of native plants," said Magney of Ojai. "I definitely think the word is getting out to use more natives as the cost of water goes up."

The owner of Moorpark's Matilija Nursery, Bob Sussman, has noticed the same trend. When he opened his native plant nursery 14 years ago, his customers tended to be gardeners who were passionate about the environment. Water conservation and preservation of the native species were their primary concerns.

"Now it's become more mainstream-y," Sussman said. People "who want to attract all sorts of bees and butterflies" are putting native species in their front yards. "The look is more trendy and acceptable."

Born to be wild

Jones, 62, has been a fan of native plants most of her life. Born in Burbank and raised in La Cañada, Jones and her family lived on property that abutted Angeles National Forest. "It was literally in our backyard," she said. "We'd pick up pine cones. My sister and I were exposed to the natural world at an early age."

The family used to go for picnics at their grandparents' house in Tujunga, splashing in the creek in Tujunga Canyon. Jones moved to Simi Valley in 1967, but it wasn't until a year ago that she decided to plant a native garden in her yard.

"It's getting back to when I was a kid. I have loved the natural world as long as I can remember. It gets me emotional," she said.

The avid hiker had always carried a plant identification book with her and began volunteering for the National Forest Service three years ago, performing trail maintenance.

It finally dawned on her how nice it would be to bring the outside to her own backyard. After planting her yard, which is ever-evolving, Jones started a Web site and blog for other native plant enthusiasts, http://www.gardenofnativeplants.com.

She went as far as to get her front yard declared a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

"They are encouraging people to consider creating a wildlife habitat in their backyard," Jones said, "especially here in California because we have a water shortage."

Native plants need watering three or four times a week when they are getting established, but once they are mature, they need less water, Singer said. Jones waters her garden about once a week.

Creating a wildlife habitat may have advantages that go beyond your backyard, Singer said. "Our wildlands are shrinking because of development," she said. "We can no longer depend on the wildlands to support our native plants and do whatever we want in our gardens."

In addition, the so-called "corridors" for wildlife are disappearing along with the native plants, she said. Birds and animals use native plants for food and shelter, so creating a wildlife habitat is one small way to contribute to balancing the ecosystem.

According to Singer, only 7 percent of all insects eat non-native plants. Native plants do attract more bugs, she said.

"When you don't have insects on plants, you don't have birds," she said. "Ninety percent of the diet of birds is insects. It's about restoring a balance."

"Hummers love the woolly blue curls and the fuschia," Jones said.

Instructions for creating a wildlife habitat are on the National Wildlife Federation Web site, http://www.nwf.org.

The bold and the beautiful

Native plant enthusiasts say some gardeners are reluctant to commit to a native plant garden because they don't think that it's showy enough.

"The truth of the matter is they are all manner of color, texture and size," Sussman said. "As the seasons change, so does the garden. And they're easy to take care of."

With planning, you can have something blooming every season, he said. In the fall, a California grape called "Rogers Red" will produce bright red leaves and an edible grape, Sussman said. Winter highlights turning leaves, like those on the manzanita tree, or the flowering of the California redbud tree.

"Spring is the most colorful time for natives, the ribes (flowering currants), California lilacs," he said.

One of the showiest is the native iris, he said. Many spring flowers last through the summer, but it's a colorful time for desert mallows, which turn bright orange.

Fall is planting time, he said, which is why many native plant sales are held now.

Jones said the plants like well-drained soil, so she mixed hers with fine sand. She does no fertilizing.

The cost of native plants, Singer said, is comparable to non-natives. One difference is that native plants are sold in buckets no larger than one gallon.

"California natives don't like to be transplanted when they're big," Singer said. "They tend to be sold young, but they explode when they get in the ground."