California Native & Relatives

Annual: Drought & clay tolerant. Deer resistant. Fire retardant. Native to California. Border, edging and container plant. Great for naturalizing. Birds are attracted to the seeds. Bloom time: spring-summer. Bloom color: purple (doesn't always come true from seed). Height: 12-16 inches. Exposure: sun. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z6.

Annual: Drought & clay tolerant. Deer resistant. Fire retardant. Native to California. Border, edging and container plant. Great for naturalizing. Birds are attracted to the seeds. Bloom time: spring-summer. Bloom color: purple (doesn't always come true from seed). Height: 12-16 inches. Exposure: sun. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z6.

Annual: Drought, deer, fire & clay tolerant. Native to California. Border, edging & container plant. Great for naturalizing. Birds are attracted to the seeds. Blooms: spring-summer. Color: fully double, fluted blooms of rich rose-pink with a creamy yellow center. Doesn't always come true from seed. Ht: 8-10". Exposure: sun. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z6.

Perennial Grass: Drought and coast tolerant. Deer and gopher resistant. California native. Good for erosion control, borders and mass plantings on banks - very showy. Attracts butterflies. Foliage color: blue-green. Height: 2 feet. Exposure: sun or shade. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z8 or <.

Perennial Grass: Drought & coast tolerant. Deer & gopher resistant. Given to us by John Greenlee & part of the Greenlee Meadow Collection. Native to Willits, Mendocino County CA. Extremely robust, growing twice the size of typical CA fescue. Good specimen plant, in drifts, under oaks or in light shade. Attracts butterflies. Foliage color: blue-green. Ht: 3' (5-6' w/flower stalks). Spd: 3'. Exp.: sun/shade. Water: mod./dry. USDA Z8 or <.

Perennial Grass: Drought & coast tolerant. Deer & gopher resistant. Given to us by John Greenlee & part of the Greenlee Meadow Collection. Native to Willits, Mendocino County CA. Extremely robust, growing twice the size of typical CA fescue. Good specimen plant, in drifts, under oaks or in light shade. Attracts butterflies. Foliage color: blue-green. Ht: 3' (5-6' w/flower stalks). Spd: 3'. Exp.: sun/shade. Water: mod./dry. USDA Z8 or <.

Perennial Grass: Native from San Francisco to Canada. Tolerates wind, drought, coast and deer. Good slope stabilizer. Cut back in early spring. Attracts Lindsey's Skipper butterflies. Height: 12-18" with flower stalks up to 4'. Width: 12-24". Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z5.

Perennial Grass: Native from San Francisco to Canada. Tolerates wind, drought, coast and deer. Good slope stabilizer. Cut back in early spring. Attracts Lindsey's Skipper butterflies. Height: 12-18" with flower stalks up to 4'. Width: 12-24". Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z5.

Perennial Grass: Species is native from San Francisco to Canada. Tolerates wind, drought, coast and deer. Good slope stabilizer. Cut back in early spring. Attracts Lindsey's Skipper butterflies. Foliage: silvery blue. Size: 18" x 15". Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z5.

Perennial Grass: CA native. Tolerates wind, drought, coast and deer. Perfect accent for borders, between shrubs and rocks or under oaks.Holds up better in the summer than other Idaho Fescues. Cut back in early spring. Foliage: soft blue-green. Size: 12" x 18". Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z5.

Perennial Grass: CA native. Tolerates wind, drought, coast and deer. Perfect accent for borders, between shrubs and rocks or under oaks.Holds up better in the summer than other Idaho Fescues. Cut back in early spring. Foliage: soft blue-green. Size: 12" x 18". Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z5.

Perennial Grass: Semi-evergreen/Evergreen. Tolerates drought, deer & coast. A Calif. native that can be grown as a lawn or meadow grass. Use as a ground cover, rock garden or on slopes. Attracts butterflies. Blooms: purple tinged spikelets in spring/summer. Clumping & spreading-Ht: 1-3'. W: 1-2'+. Sun/part shade & can tolerate shade. Water: mod/dry. USDA Z3.

Perennial Grass: Semi-evergreen. Native to California. Tolerates deer & coast. Can be grown as a lawn or meadow grass. Use as a ground cover, rock garden or on slopes. Attracts butterflies. Bloom time: spring-summer. Bloom color: purple tinged spikelets. Clumping & spreading growth habit. Height: 6-12". Width: 1-2'. Exposure: sun/part shade. Can tolerate shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z3.

Perennial Herb: Evergreen. California native. This species of strawberry grows wild in coastal North & South America. It is one of the parents of modern strawberries; forms a nice lush, compact mat and spreads by runners. Produces small, red fruits. Can be used as a lawn sub and for stabilizing slopes and dunes. Blooms: spring-summer. Color: white. Ht: 4-8 in. Width: 18-36 in. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z4.

Perennial sub-shrub. Evergreen. Drought tolerant. California native. Its graceful arcing habit has glossy foliage and is covered in profuse tubular 1" scarlet flowers in spring. Excellent ground cover near coast. Good for under native oaks. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Height: 4'. Width: 4'. Exposure: full sun/part shade. Water: moderate-dry. Does well in tough immediate coastal conditions. Not hardy below 20ºF. USDA Z9.

Perennial sub-shrub. Evergreen. Drought tolerant. California native. Its graceful arcing habit has glossy foliage and is covered in profuse tubular 1" scarlet flowers in spring. Excellent ground cover near coast. Good for under native oaks. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Height: 4'. Width: 4'. Exposure: full sun/part shade. Water: moderate-dry. Does well in tough immediate coastal conditions. Not hardy below 20ºF. USDA Z9.

Perennial sub-shrub. Evergreen. Drought tolerant. California native. Its graceful arcing habit has glossy foliage and is covered in profuse tubular 1" scarlet flowers in spring. Excellent ground cover near coast. Good for under native oaks. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Height: 4'. Width: 4'. Exposure: full sun/part shade. Water: moderate-dry. Does well in tough immediate coastal conditions. Not hardy below 20ºF. USDA Z9.

Annual: Robust native to much of CA. Drought tolerant. Tall, slender heavy bloomer. Self-sows. Produces scented, 1-2" lav.-blue flwrs held in spherical clusters spring-summer. The flowers look a bit like a pincushion. Perfect for roadside plantings, flower gardens, meadows, or containers. Bee & butterfly friendly. Size 1-2' x 1'. Tolerates almost any soil & some shade but does best in full sun. Low to moderate water. USDA Z3.

Annual: California native. Drought tolerant. Extremely floriferous! Produces tons of dainty 1/2" light blue or violet flowers set off by powder-blue stamens & a yellow throat w/dk purple ring at the top. Blooms on bushy, ferny upright stems. Has a subtle, sweet & chocolatey scent. Excellent in bouquets or sunny borders. Attracts bees, butterflies & hummingbirds. Size: 24" x 18". Exp.: full sun/pt shade. Water: mod./dry. Self-sows.

Annual: Tolerates drought and deer. Of the California native, H. annuus. A florist quality and award winning variety that blooms about 10 days later than 'Buttercream' but has stronger stems, shorter & rounder petals, and more of a lemon-yellow color. Good branching habit with 3-5" blooms. Good cut flower, border, & pot plant. Attracts bees & butterflies. Blooms: spring-fall. Height: 55-60 in. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate.

Perennial: Evergreen. Deer resistant. Of the California native, H. elegans. From Dara Emery's breeding program at Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. Bred to develop small-leafed, compact coral bells with showy flowers. Good rock, woodland, edge, cut flower, pot & border plant. Nice & compact. Blooms: spring-summer. Color: rose red. Height: 6-12 in. Width: 24 in. Flower stalks: 16 in. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z7.

Perennial: Evergreen. Deer resistant. Of the California native, H. elegans. From Dara Emery's breeding program at Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. Bred to develop small-leafed, compact coral bells with showy flowers. Good rock, woodland, edge, cut flower, pot & border plant. Nice & compact. Blooms: spring-summer. Color: rose red. Height: 6-12 in. Width: 24 in. Flower stalks: 16 in. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z7.

Perennial: Evergreen. Deer resistant. Coast and clay tolerant. Of the California native, H. micrantha. Nice violet pink leaves with dark veins and deep purple undersides. Good in rock & woodland gardens, containers & borders. Nice cut flower. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Blooms: summer. Color: pink. Medium vigor. Clumping. Height: 16 in. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z5. (syn. H. micrantha 'Purple Pride')

Perennial: Evergreen. Deer resistant. Coast and clay tolerant. Of the California native, H. maxima. Clump forming. Large, medium green 4" leaves. Good rock, woodland, edge, cut flower, container, and border plant. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Flower spikes carry tiny bell-shaped light pink blooms. Bloom time: spring-summer. Height: 1-2 feet. Width: 1-2 feet. Exposure: part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z8.

Perennial: Evergreen. Deer resistant. Coast & clay tolerant. Of the California native, H. maxima. Clump forming. Good rock, woodland, edge, cut flower, container, and border plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Flower spikes carry tiny bell-shaped vibrant rose-red blooms for 3-5 months, or year round in mild climates. Bloom time: spring-summer. Height: 1-2 ft. Width: 2 ft. Flowers stalks: 2 ft. Exposure: part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z8.