About 15 years ago I became interested in CA native plants and about 12 years ago I redid my front yard in drought tolerant plants with many natives. My two biggest resources have been “California Native Plants for the Garden“ by Bornstein, Frost and O’Brien, the best and most practical book I’ve read on using CA natives in landscaping, and the Theodore Payne Society. TPS is located a few miles from my house and most of my plants were bought from their nursery. Their staff is knowledgeable and friendly, they are worth visiting if you’re in the LA area.

Since I’ve had a decade to learn what has worked in my yard I thought I’d post about some of the plants for anyone interested in CA natives. I’ll do one plant per post while they are looking their spring time best after our rainy winter.

My house is in the Crescenta Valley which is northwest of Pasadena and has the typical climate of the inland valleys surrounding LA, although we are about 1000 feet higher elevation than Pasadena, Burbank or Glendale which surround us so our winters can be a little colder at night than those areas. Our entire valley is made of alluvial runoff from the surrounding mountains, the soil is sandy, rocky and very fast draining.

Berberis nevinni or Mahonia nevinni

1 gallon planted 12 years ago, now about 8‘ wide and 6’ tall. At the top of a slope in full sun this gets no supplemental water. Very tough, the blistering 122F day last summer that even burned my agaves didn’t affect it. Covered in small yellow flowers in spring, followed by reddish berries in the fall that attract birds. Foliage is greenish in spring and then a bluish gray as the weather dries out. Leaves are very stiff and prickly, would make a good barrier plant if you have the patience needed to let it get big enough. Like many natives it’s a good background plant but may be a little drab most of the year to be front and center.