The California Native Plant Landscaper Certificate Program is a 20-hour curriculum for landscapers, gardeners, and other landscape professionals. The program is currently open to those providing services or working for agencies within the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and Upland. Participants learn best practices in maintenance, selection, planting, pruning, irrigation, and pest management for California native plants and landscapes.

California native and waterwise plants are quickly gaining popularity in landscape projects, and this program helps ensure our region has a well-trained workforce ready to help these low-water landscapes thrive. We cover the unique challenges—and solutions—presented by both large-scale commercial and municipal sites and residential landscapes, including maintenance timing and irrigation scheduling.

If you’re new to working with native plants, this course will provide all the fundamentals for success. If you’re already working with native plants but struggling with plant performance and survival rates, this course will explore the differences in landscape management for native plants and how to set your company up for success with them. If you’re experienced with native plants already, we will provide detailed reference materials on pruning techniques and time periods for native species to help refine your techniques.

This program, as offered at CBWCD, is currently only open to those providing landscape services or working for agencies within the cities of Chino, Chino Hills, Ontario, Montclair, Rancho Cucamonga, and / or Upland, or students currently enrolled in college or university programs feeding into the landscape industry. If you do not meet those criteria, but are interested in the program, you can find out about other opportunities from Theodore Payne Foundation here.

For notification of the next course dates and invitation to a priority enrollment period, fill out the form here.

CBWCD offers this certificate program in partnership with the Theodore Payne Foundation and the California Native Plant Society, who developed the curriculum.

Chino Basin Water Conservation District, the California Landscape Contractors Association and Metropolitan Water District of Southern California now offer a one-of-a-kind certification and educational opportunity for landscape professionals in Southern California.

This joint effort combines the CLCA Water Management Certification program with the Qualified Water Efficient Landscaper program to offer the landscape industry an opportunity to obtain two nationally recognized EPA WaterSense professional certifications by taking a single course and a written test.

Presented in three 6-hour classes, these workshops will offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for your current certifications and provide you with a participation certificate. The workshops are FREE and available to landscape professionals in the counties within the Metropolitan Water District’s service area, including San Bernardino, Los Angeles, and Riverside.

The combined curriculum focuses on irrigation-management fundamentals in one convenient course.

Topics include:

• Irrigation System Auditing
• Irrigation Scheduling
• Soils
• Irrigation Systems
• Irrigation Maintenance & Troubleshooting
• Irrigation Controllers
• Landscape Water Management
• Landscape Water Budgeting

This program is primarily funded by the Metropolitan Water District, so it’s available for landscape professionals working in a wider area than the CNPLC program.