anyone know

what would happen if i got caught with 3 big plants in my back yard i am starting to worry they are smelling big time
i am in so cal

do activities around your yard that cover it up. Have a bonfire with your buddies or somethin. If you cant do that, make friends with your neighbors.
Throw a bunch of orange peels all around the yard?

You'll want to visit the site below, Stingray, to refer to the laws in California. If you don't have whatever sort of certification or license you need to be a medical provider and don't have a prescription to use it for a medical condition, cultivation looks like it'd be bad news: a felony punishable by a jail term. If the plants were out of the ground, you'll notice, it depends on what sort of weight you get caught with.

State By State Laws - NORML
California - NORML (California penalties table)

thanks now i am really stressin

My buddie has two growin in his backyard and his neighbors saw the plants but apparently dont care much. They must be 420 friendly? I dont know.
As for your plants, it depends. How well are they hidden?

I been busted twice in cali...... all outdoor.... since I started growing indoor .. no bust.

7 years now with no bust growing indoors..

only grow outdoors if you have a place far away from where you live and plant the shit and then don't go back til july or August...

destroy those plants or get busted. or move them indoors.