California Wild Grape (Vitis californica) Native to stream banks and canyons in riparian woodlands below 4,000 feet, western foothills and the east side of the Sierra Nevada, the Central Valley and coast ranges to southern Oregon This plant provides year-round interest: bright green new foliage and tiny flowers in the spring, early-summer green fruit to late-summer deep red (ripe) grapes and full foliage, vibrant foliage in the fall and gnarled naked vines in the winter. Grape is a host plant for our beloved hummingbird moth — aka the white-lined sphinx moth — while the naturally sun-dried “raisins”
Blue jays have a wide range of vocalizations and are fairly good mimics that can imitate human speech and cat meows in captivity, where many are raised and studied by researchers. In the wild, they will imitate red-shouldered and red-tailed hawks to successfully engage in kleptoparasitism, the stealing of food from other animals. The jay will stalk and spy on small mammals, like squirrels and chipmunks, that are storing nuts and acorns for the winter. It then will imitate a hawk call, scaring away the unwary rodent that leaves the goods for the impostor to steal.
Botanical name: Schizachyrium scoparium Common name: Little bluestem Origin: Native to all of North America except Alaska, Oregon, Nevada, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and the Canadian territories Where it will grow: Hardy to -50 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 2a to 9b; find your zone) Typical plant communities: Prairies, meadows and savannas Soil requirement: Dry to mesic, sand to clay-loam soil Light requirement: Full to partial sun Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 1½ to 2 feet wide Benefits and tolerances: Very drought tolerant Seasonal interest: Flowers from August to October; silvery, blue-gray grass blades turn copper in September When to plant: Spring or fall
Western sword fern (Polystichum munitum, zones 3 to 10), with its dense, upward-arching fronds, acts as a great central plant in a design. Its bright kelly-green hue provides the perfect foil for any color scheme. Plant it with a mixture of draping plants of varying textures and colors for a quick and easy design. Western sword fern is considered evergreen; however, to keep it looking fresh, cut back the old fronds just before the new fronds emerge in early spring. These ferns also do well if transplanted in the garden when it’s time to switch your container arrangement. It grows to about 3 feet tall and wide. Its versatility makes it a favorite, as it grows happily in sun and shade and moist to dry conditions.
If using a single plant in a pot is more your style, another great fern to try is New Zealand tree fern (Dicksonia squarrosa). New Zealand tree ferns are bold and dramatic just due to their size. They have a slender brown trunk that can reach up to 20 feet tall in the wild (much shorter in a container), topped with fronds that grow horizontally as long as 4 to 6 feet.
Hart’s tongue fern (Asplenium scolopendrium, zones 6 to 8) doesn’t exactly look like a fern. Its wide, strappy fronds unfurl vertically, giving the appearance of an upward-facing tongue. It can be used as the main “thriller” plant, as seen here, or as a filler, taking the place of a plant with a grass-like texture. This evergreen fern grows to about 1½ feet by 1½ feet and prefers regular water and partial to deep shade.
Water requirement: Drought-tolerant once established; water every three to four weeks or not at all Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade; will have a better shape in full sun Soil: Requires well-drained soil, otherwise adaptable; tolerates clay and alkaline soils Mature size: At least 2 to 4 feet tall and wide
Botanical name: Eriogonum arborescens Common name: Santa Cruz Island buckwheat, island buckwheat Origin: Native to the Channel Islands, except San Miguel Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara in California Typical plant communities: Coastal bluffs, rocky slopes, grassy hillsides, coastal scrub, chaparral and grasslands below 500 feet Where it will grow: Easily hardy to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, but can tolerate down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 7 to 10; find your zone)
If you own a big property, you may realize that you need to landscape only a portion of it. The residence above is on 6 acres of beautiful land in the Texas Hill Country. The area is known for its rolling hills and vistas across countryside filled with cedar, mesquite and an occasional large oak. These homeowners have left the grassland untouched. Doing this often yields extraordinary wildflowers, such as bluebonnets, in the spring.
How to use it. The two island buckwheats shown here have been skirt-pruned to reveal their attractive trunks and branches and to provide space for the lowest-growing plants, such as certain species of coyote brush (Baccharis spp.), manzanita (Arctostaphylos spp.), turkey tangle fogfruit (Phyla nodiflora syn. Lippia repens) and even nonnative creeping thyme (Thymus spp.).
Island buckwheat, eriogonum arborescens, Benefits and tolerances: Benefits native bees, butterflies, birds and other small animals; great for slope stabilization; works well in containers; tolerates hard frost, seaside conditions, alkaline soil and clay; highly resistant to deer Seasonal interest: Profuse summer blooms; rust-colored seed heads from fall through winter; striking trunk, branches and foliage year-round When to plant: Late fall is ideal; winter works well; spring is acceptable; summer can be challenging to all but the most experienced gardener
Botanical name: Eriogonum arborescens Common name: Santa Cruz Island buckwheat, island buckwheat Origin: Native to the Channel Islands, except San Miguel Island, off the coast of Santa Barbara in California Typical plant communities: Coastal bluffs, rocky slopes, grassy hillsides, coastal scrub, chaparral and grasslands below 500 feet Where it will grow: Easily hardy to 30 degrees Fahrenheit, but can tolerate down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 7 to 10; find your zone)
Hairy Gum Plant (Grindelia hirsutula) Origin: Native to California and much of Canada Natural habitat: Coastal sage scrub and central oak woodlands Where it will grow: Hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, or minus 12 degrees Celsius (zones 8 to 11) Water requirement: Once established, water every 10 to 14 days to as little as no summer water; somewhat drought-tolerant; does best in areas that are wet in the winter and dry in the summer Light requirement: Full sun to partial shade Mature size: 2 feet tall and wide Benefits and tolerances: Serpentine soils
How to use it. Use gum plants in dry and sunny borders, as hillside stabilizers, in meadows or in mixed borders. They make a great summer statement when planted with other summer bloomers, such as California goldenrod (Solidago californica), California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), naked buckwheat (E. nudum) and Santa Cruz Island buckwheat (E. arborescens), and are spectacular with red-flowering California fuchsia (Epilobium canum, syn. Zauschneria californica). Planting notes. Deadheading G. stricta var. platyphylla, shown here, and the other species will increase flower production. Otherwise only a light pruning for shape in the fall is needed.
Seasonal interest: All three species have golden summer flowers; G. stricta var. platyphylla’s are shown here. Gum plants attract many interesting and beautiful pollinators and butterflies. When to plant: Late fall is ideal; winter works well; spring is acceptable; summer can be challenging to all but the most experienced gardener.
Botanical name: Grindelia spp. Common names: Gum plant, gumweed, gumplant Soil requirement: This plant is adaptable. Benefits and tolerances: All three species, including G. camporum, shown here, benefit native bees, pollinators, butterflies and birds. They’re good on hillsides for erosion control; tolerate sandy, salty, rocky, loam and clay soils; tolerate seaside conditions and drought; and are deer-resistant
a cairn (an artfully constructed mound of stones) is the focal point of choice
California Wild Rose (Rosa californica) Native throughout California, except for the High Cascade Range and the High Sierra Nevada, generally in moist areas and stream banks. Full sun on the coast.
Naked Buckwheat (Eriogonum nudum) Native in many plant communities throughout California and parts of Nevada, Oregon and Washington
Achillea millefolium - For those in California most interested in using local natives, choose from naturally occurring selections of the California form, including ‘Rosy Red’, ‘Island Pink’ (shown), ‘King Range’, ‘Sonoma Coast’, ‘Shell Beach’, ‘Point Cabrillo’ and ‘Calistoga’ with gray foliage. Use yarrow in a meadow, as a slope stabilizer or lawn alternative, or in a habitat or vegetable garden.
Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) Native to many plant communities in Northern California, the Sierras, the San Joaquin Valley and the extreme southwest of California to Utah and Arizona, including slopes, canyons and ravines next to streams or springs
NOT drought tolerant - Redtwig Dogwood (Cornus sericea, syn. Cornus stolonifera) Native in many plant communities throughout California, except deserts, on stream banks and in moist places
California Lilac (Ceanothus spp) Native across North America from southern Canada to Guatemala in dry ridges and slopes, in many plant communities below 10,000 feet
Parry Manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita) Native to California chaparral, grasslands and woodlands from Mount Diablo north to Humboldt and Shasta counties; as with many manzanita species, Parry manzanita will perform well in gardens in all zones except deserts and high mountains
Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) Native from Minnesota south to Oklahoma and all the way to the Pacific Ocean
horsetail rush (Equisetum hyemale, zones 3 to 11
bumblebee hummingbird moth
Hylotelephium 'Purple Emperor'
Tulipa clusiana
Botanical name: Mahonia aquifolium (syn. Berberis aquifolium) Common names: Oregon grape, Oregon grape holly, hollyleaved barberry Origin: California; some regions in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, British Columbia and northern Mexico; prohibited in Michigan due to black stem rust Natural habitat: Slopes, canyons, coniferous forests, oak woodlands, chaparral; below 6,500 feet elevation Where it will grow: Easily hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit (USDA zones 5 to 9; find your zone) Water requirement: Drought tolerant to needing occasional water Light requirement: Full sun along the coast; partial shade inland Soil: Adaptable; prefers acidic, well-drained soil Mature size: 3 to 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide; spreads slowly
Botanical name: Sphaeralcea ambigua Common name: Globe mallow Origin: Native to arid regions of the American Southwest USDA zones: 6 to 9 (find your zone) Water requirement: Low Light requirement: Full sun Mature size: 3 feet tall and wide Tolerances: Drought tolerant but does best with supplemental watering; handles reflected heat
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