By Sharon Cohoon, Sunset senior garden writer

My California native garden is a year old now, and it's time to take stock and see what's working and what isn't and make some changes while the weather is still cool. 

There are many winners — seaside daisy (Erigeron glaucus), coral bells, Cleveland sage, California fuchsia.   And others that took a little longer to adjust but are finally settling in — 'Louis Edmunds' manzanita, 'Dancing Tassels' ribes, and summer holly (Comarostaphylis diversifolia). 

But there are some plants that obviously just don't like my site or gardening style — island snapdragon, for one. They've had their chance. Time to shovel-prune and plant something else.  I haven't made my final choices yet, but I found some great tools that are helping me shape my shopping list.

Las Pilitas nursery has a design tool on its website that will customize a plant list for you based on your zip code, soil conditions, and the frequency you plan to water. Alter your watering schedule, and the list changes significantly, which is educational.  I found, for instance, I actually prefer the plants on the drier list, which tells me I need to back off on my watering schedule even more than I'd planned.

Tree of Life Nursery's Respecifier is a useful download. It lists landscaping staples we're all familiar with and suggests natives to plant in their place. Toyon instead of pyracantha, deer grass vs. fountain grass, and manzanita rather than Indian hawthorn, for example.  This helps you look at natives from a landscape designer's perspective.

Finally, I like the plant lists on Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden's website. Many of the choices on the Coastal Garden list are already doing great in my garden, which gives me confidence in trying others. Silver Carpet California aster, for instance. Look at Gardening Tips, which covers all the common questions people have about natives.

Obviously these sites are all geared towards California. If those of you who garden elsewhere have found comparable websites you've found useful, please let us know and we'll share them.