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.

The blooms of this native clarkia range from white, pale pink, salmon, and bright pink to magenta. Flowers in full sun or partial shade. Clarkia grows in sandy, well-drained soils, but also thrives in clay soil. Spring blooms, 1-3’ tall, drought tolerant, moderate water for best flowering display.

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.

 

 

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
 

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.