Coffeeberry is one of California’s most common shrubs, found growing naturally in various woodland, riparian and chaparral communities. It is very adaptable; growing tall and rangy in the shade of Bay or Oak trees, or growing in a much more compact form in full sun or on exposed bluffs along the coast. Plants grown from seed display various traits in accordance with their habitat; larger and greener leaves in shadier situations; smaller, gray-green leaves in full sun. Young stems are an attractive ruby color.

In the garden Coffeeberry can be planted in full to part sun; it accepts average garden water, as long as the drainage is good. It is also possible to plant Coffeeberry during the rainy season and let it establish without regular water; it will just grow more slowly. Plants can be kept to size with careful pruning; healthy established plants can be cut to the ground and allowed to crown sprout.  Deer will browse the foliage, so it is best to protect young plants until they become established.

Small yellowish-green flowers held in tight clusters appear in late spring and attract many beneficial insects and butterflies. Pale Swallowtail, and Gray Hairstreak butterflies use Coffeeberry as a host plant for their larvae. Fruits ripen to a blue-black in late fall; many birds and small mammals relish the berries.  

Toyon is another of California’s common shrubs that grows naturally in a multitude of environments; it is at home in the chaparral and woodlands throughout the state, and into the mountains of Baja California. In the wild plants display a great deal of variability in leaf size and shape, color and size of the berries, and growth habit. In my hillside oak woodlands I discovered a Toyon that has grown to a 30 foot tree with a trunk about 6 to 7 inches in diameter!

Leaves of Heteromeles arbutifolia are medium green and leathery with serrated margins. Clusters of small white flowers appear in early summer and attract multitudes of butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects. A bounty of berries start to form in summer, ripening late in fall, and staying on the plant through much of winter.  The berries are relished by lots of birds; attracting residents like mockingbirds and house finches, and migratory songbirds like robins, and cedar waxwings. The native peoples also harvested the berries, but only after several months of ripening; using them to prepare drinks, meals and medicines. Toyon is the only native plant that continues to be commonly known by its native American name.

In the garden Toyon can be planted in average soil with good drainage with full sun and given average water. It can also be planted in the light shade of established oaks, and does fine without extra water once established. Toyon needs to be protected from the deer to become established.

 

 

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 delicate beauty of the Alum Roots, particularly in full bloom, belies the hardiness of this plant.  The leaves are somewhat maple shaped, pale green, soft, and slightly hairy. The plant forms a mounded rosette, about two feet wide. In late spring, Heuchera maxima sends up numerous flowering stalks, creating an airy cloud of tiny greenish to white flowers. The flowers attract hummingbirds.

Heucheras are most effective in the garden when planted in drifts. They are at home in the shade of trees; perfect under the canopy of native oaks since they need only occasional water during the summer months. A deciduous tree creates the ideal situation to promote profuse flowering; plenty of sunlight during the cooler months, and partial shade during the summer.   

In their natural habitat, Alum Roots grow in rocky outcroppings, often on very steep slopes that are inaccessible to deer. In a garden they need protection from the deer.  

Coast Buckwheat is found growing in the wild along coastal bluffs and dunes, and within the  coastal scrub community. Various Eriogonum species also grow further inland at the edges of chapparal, in grasslands and in montane habitats. All Eriogonums need full sun and good drainage; and are wonderful garden plants when these conditions are provided.

In the garden Eriogonum latifolium adds both visual interest and habitat resources to a mixed border planting. The grey-green felted leaves contrast beautifully with various shades of green; good companions are Seaside Daisy or Pacific Reed Grass. The low mounded shape of the plant makes it a good choice for the front of the border, and allows it to grow nicely between decorative rocks.

Coast Buckwheat flowers are a creamy white, which dry to an attractive rusty brown, and persist on the plant through the fall season. The abundant, and long-blooming pom-pom like flower heads attract many beneficial insects, including bees and butterflies, which come to sip nectar from the individual flowers. Birds and insects eat the tiny seeds. The plant also serves as host of the larvae of many of the “Gossamer Winged” butterflies; such as Acmon and Dotted Blues in more inland locations, and Blue Coppers and Hairstreaks in coastal areas.

E. grande x latifolium – Red-Flowered Buckwheat
Flowers are a variety of colors; from a white-touched pink to cherry red
 

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. 

The flowers of Purple Sage are actually more pink than purple, and lovely against the silvery foliage of this evergreen shrub. Purple Sage needs full sun and good drainage. It is tolerant of clay soil, and needs very little water once established. This salvia is great for use on slopes. The highly scented leaves of most Salvias are distasteful to the deer.

Salvia leucophylla blooms from March to May, and provides nectar for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. Ground feeding birds appreciate the cover created by the shrub, and relish the seeds produced in late summer. 

‘Pt. Sal’ has a prostrate form; a mature plant is 2 to 3 feet high with a spread of 6 to 7 feet. ‘Figueroa’ has a compact upright shape; reaching 3 to 4 feet tall, with a spread of about 3 feet.

The flowers of Salvia brandegei are white with lilac tones, and profuse when this Salvia gets full sun exposure. It requires good drainage and does fine in poor soils with little to no water when established. Most Salvias are deer proof.

This Salvia blooms from February to April providing nectar early in the season for hummingbirds, bees and butterflies. I’ve seen the Golden-crowned Sparrows nibble at the petals in spring, and later in the year finches flock to this shrub for seeds. A mature specimen of Brandegee’s Sage is a woody stemmed shrub with arching branches that can be 5 feet high and as wide. The interior spaces of this plant provide nesting sites and cover for birds.

Salvia brandegei is native to the Channel Islands, and has naturalized in the southern California coastal scrub.

Mission Mallow is a very fast growing shrub with showy hibiscus-like flowers produced nearly all year in frost-free settings. The plant is big and adds a lush tropical look to the garden. It responds well to pruning, and can be used as a hedge plant; specimen plants need to be pruned back by about 2/3rds to promote good form.

Mission Mallow is native to the Channel Islands, and has naturalized in some areas of the California coast. It is tolerant of salt spray and winds. It is adaptable to most soils, needs good drainage and full sun. Avoid too much water, as this promotes rank, leggy growth.

Plant it as a focal point in a mixed border or create a Channel Islands garden.

This plant is a favorite deer browse, and it also needs protection from gophers and rabbits. Hummingbirds work the flowers for nectar, and the leaves provide for the larvae of the West Coast Lady butterfly.

The bright pink flowers of Salvia spathacea form on stems that rise about 12 to 18 inches above the large fragrant leaves in late spring to early summer. This Salvia prefers a little shade in inland gardens; it creates a wonderful groundcover in the dappled light of an oak woodland; or use it to weave together a mixed hedgerow planting.

Hummingbird Sage needs no water in the summer, but will look a bit shabby in the intense dry heat of late summer. It is not fussy about soil and appreciates mulch, which helps facilitate the spread of its underground stems. The highly scented, sticky leaves are so reviled by deer that this groundcover can be planted as a barrier around more desirable deer browse.

The flowers of Hummingbird Sage are a magnet for hummingbirds. ‘Avis Keedy’ has lemon yellow flowers