A dramatic plant with striking, pale blue-green, aromatic foliage and tall spires of white flowers. Very adaptable as long as the drainage and air circulation is good. Cut back in winter. Excellent pollinator plant; deer proof. Full sun, low water, 4 x 4 feet or more when mature.

White Sage is a strikingly beautiful shrub with very aromatic leaves, and flowers that, though small, are profuse and loved by the bees. It’s a plant native to the much drier, hotter chaparral of Southern California. 

Tarweed is in full bloom from late summer through fall, providing pollen and nectar when little else is available for bees and beneficial insects. A great choice with asters, goldenrod and grasses; heavy bloomer, reseeds readily. Usually 4 to 6 ft. tall, full sun, very low water needs.

This species of Gilia is unique to California and very easy to grow. Each plant yields hundreds of half-inch flowers on upright stems surrounded by soft, lacy foliage. Gilia is very attractive to bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. Spring blooms, low water, 18” tall, reseeds.

The state flower of California, every garden should have this cheerful annual. California poppies like fast draining soil and plenty of sunshine but are very hardy and will tolerate poor soil conditions as well. Put out seed once winter rains start. Will reseed easily. 12” high, spring-summer blooming.

Coyote Mint displays masses of purplish flowers in dense rounded heads all through the summer. The deer avoid this plant because of the minty fragrance of the leaves. Native bees, butterflies and hummingbirds are drawn to the flowers. Finches and sparrows eat the seeds in the fall.

Mature specimens are about 2 feet by 2 feet, with a nicely rounded shape. The main stems of a young plant are somewhat brittle, and break easily in a strong wind; when several are planted together the stems intertwine, and the plants suffer less damage in a windy site. Coyote Mint needs full sun and good drainage. It needs very little water, but will respond to additional water;  particularly if continual bloom is desired.

In the wild Coyote Mint is often seen in chaparral growing on rocky outcroppings, or at the edges of grasslands. In the garden it can be nicely tucked in between rocks, or allowed to spill over a short retaining wall. Good companions in the garden are Eriophyllums, with bright yellow flowers, or Zauschnerias, with their reddish orange flowers. Plant Monardellas towards the front of a mixed border, or at the edges of walkways to fully enjoy the fragrant leaves. 

The flowers of this native penstemon are almost an electric blue, and very profuse. It blooms in spring, and creates quite a show in the garden when planted with California poppies and other spring wildflowers. Plant this small perennial close to the front of the border. The flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.

Penstemon heterophyllus needs full sun. It can tolerate average garden water, and most soils as long as the drainage is good. It grows naturally in Chaparral and forest openings in the Coast Ranges, and at lower elevations in the Sierra.

While traveling the forest roads through Mendocino National Forest, we came upon a recent road cut where the steep slopes on either side had been colonized by Foothill Penstemon — It was a memorable and breath-taking spectacle!

Instructions for Growing Penstemon from Seed

The seed is small but needs no pre-germination treatment when sown outside in early fall. Prepare your seed-starting mixture, tamping it down solidly into the pot; rough the surface just a bit and sprinkle the seed on the surface. Then cover it with a thin layer of perlite or vermiculite, and tamp that down over the seed.

Germination is somewhat slow; it can be 6 to 8 weeks before the first seedlings appear. I usually use plastic nursery pots or flats to start seeds, but they keep the soil really moist and sometimes also soggy at the bottom; this may be detrimental to the early growth of the seedlings. I’ve been using a clay “bulb” pot (large in diameter, but shallow) to germinate and grow on the Penstemon seedlings, and getting better results.

I set my seed pot outside in a somewhat shady and protected place, either watering only once when I set it all up and then letting the rainy season take over, or I’ll put the pot on my seedling bench where I have systems set for a light watering once a day. Within two months or so after germination, the seedlings will be large enough to transplant to individual pots. Note the nice reddish color on the healthy young stems. 

This perennial shrub is found all over the Bay Area, growing in full sun in Chaparral, or part shade at the edges of Oak Woodland.  In the garden it requires good drainage and is drought tolerant.  A little extra water in the dry season will keep it looking its best, and encourage it to bloom all summer long.

Sticky Monkeyflower is an important nectar source for hummers; and most especially for the Allen’s and Rufous hummingbirds on their migration up the California coast.  The flowers are also visited by lots of bees and other insects, and provide for the larvae of the Variable Checkerspot butterfly, and occasionally the Buckeye butterfly.

There are many beautiful hybids available with flowers in oranges, reds, pinks, white, and burgundy.  The hybrids look their best in part shade and also do well in containers.