California Native & Relatives

Shrub: Evergreen. Califronia native. Drought tolerant. One of the lowest growing at only 6-12". This plant forms a dense mat of textured foliage blanketed by medium-blue flowers in spring. Great choice for coastal gardens. Bloom color: blue. Bloom time: spring. Exposure: sun-part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z8.

Shrub: Evergreen. Califronia native. Drought tolerant. One of the lowest growing at only 6-12". This plant forms a dense mat of textured foliage blanketed by medium-blue flowers in spring. Great choice for coastal gardens. Bloom color: blue. Bloom time: spring. Exposure: sun-part shade. Water: moderate. USDA Z8.

Shrub: Deer, drought, gopher, coast and fire tolerant. Coastal California native. Early-flowering with compact, tidy habit. Excellent ground cover for open banks. Good substitute for Cotoneaster. Attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Has evergreen glossy foliage with heavy clusters of flowers in spring-summer. Bloom color: white. Size: 2-3' x 6-8'. Exposure: sun. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z8.

Annual Herb: CA native. Tolerates seaside conditions, deer & drought. Flowers: 1-2", 4-petaled cup-shaped white to pink flowers with a splash of bright red on each petal. Blooms: spring-summer. Attracts bees. Ht: 1-3 ft. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z7.

Annual Herb: Tolerates deer, sand & clay. CA native. Deer and drought tolerant. Attracts bees. Has unusual slender petaled, puffy flowers arranged on spikes over silver foliage. Easy to grow. Use as a cut flower, in beds, borders, mass plantings & pots. Bloom time: spring-summer. Bloom color: shades of pink to salmon to purple. Ht: 2-3'. Width: 1'. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z7-10.

Perennial: CA native. Forms a thick, mat-like ground cover of rounded leaves, densely packed along creeping stems. Once popular as a lawn substitute. The flowers are tiny, greenish-white, not real showy but interesting. A good ground cover for open slopes & headlands or use for green roofs or walls. Spreads by runners so don't use where you want it contained. Height: 3-6". Exp.: full sun on coast otherwise part shade. Water: dry.

Perennial: CA native. Forms a thick, mat-like ground cover of rounded leaves, densely packed along creeping stems. Once popular as a lawn substitute. The flowers are tiny, greenish-white, not real showy but interesting. A good ground cover for open slopes & headlands or use for green roofs or walls. Spreads by runners so don't use where you want it contained. Height: 3-6". Exp.: full sun on coast otherwise part shade. Water: dry.

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. A solitary or low slowly-clumping succulent with a beautiful 12-18" wide rosette of chalky-white leaves surrounding a thick basal stem. Native to coastal areas of the Pacific side of Baja California. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Blm time: spring-summer. Blm color: arching red stems w/yellow blms. Size: 1-2' (w/flower stalks) x 1-2'. Exp.: sun/part shade. Water: dry. USDA Z9.

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. CA native. An attractive chunky form of cymosa with broad, grey leaves with a touch of olive green. Rosettes grow 6-8" across & are topped with showy yellow-red inflorescence to 10" high. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Blm time: spring-summer. Height: 6-12" (w/flower stalks). Exp.: sun/part shade. Water: dry. USDA Z9.

Succulent Perennial: Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Native to rocky areas in the low elevations of the California & southern Oregon mountains. A dwarf form from Mt. Baldy (San Gabriel Mtns. in San Bernadino) w/ broad, rosettes of grey leaves & a touch of purple. Excellent specimen, pot, & rock garden plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Blooms: spring-summer. Color: pink. Height: around 6". Width: around 6-12". Sun/part shade. Water: dry.

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. A spectacular and unusual form of farinosa, the species commonly found along the immediate coast of Northern California. This form, limited to one cove, has exceptionally broad, glaucous white foliage that forms softball-sized rosettes. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Blm time: spring-summer. Blm color: yellow. Size: 4-8" (w/flower stalks) Exp.: sun/part shade. Water: dry. USDA Z9. (syn. 'Noyo River')

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. CA native. A ground-hugging slow-clumping succulent w/beautiful 12-18" wide rosettes of chalky-white leaves surrounding a 2" thick basal stem. Stout silvery-white 1-2' long spikes arch upwards and bear clusters of reddish flowers spring-summer. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Size: 1-2' (w/flower stalks) x 1-2'. Exp.: sun/pt shade. Water: dry. USDA Z8.

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. CA native. A ground-hugging slow-clumping succulent w/beautiful 12-18" wide rosettes of chalky-white leaves surrounding a 2" thick basal stem. Stout silvery-white 1-2' long spikes arch upwards and bear clusters of reddish flowers spring-summer. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Size: 1-2' (w/flower stalks) x 1-2'. Exp.: sun/pt shade. Water: dry. USDA Z8.

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. CA native. Endangered. Endemic to Santa Barbara Island of the Channel Islands. Protected under the Endangered Species Act. Forms a dense rosette of pointed, chalky blue-gray, succulent leaves. Yellow flower heads are held in clusters atop thick, upright, showy, red stems. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Size: 6" x 6-12". Exp.: sun/pt shade. Water: dry. USDA Z9.

Evergreen. Drought tolerant. Deer resistant. CA native. Endangered. Endemic to Santa Barbara Island of the Channel Islands. Protected under the Endangered Species Act. Forms a dense rosette of pointed, chalky blue-gray, succulent leaves. Yellow flower heads are held in clusters atop thick, upright, showy, red stems. Excellent rock garden, container or specimen plant. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Size: 6" x 6-12". Exp.: sun/pt shade. Water: dry. USDA Z9.

Succulent: Native to Mexico and California. Drought tolerant. Has small rosettes of fuzzy green leaves with rosy pink tips and red flowers. Good in containers and rock gardens. Bloom time: spring-summer. Height: 12 inches. Exposure: part shade. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z10.

Subshrub: Summer dormant. Tolerates drought, seaside, and poor soils. Native to Southern California and Baja California. A colorful and fast growing plant that is easy to grow. Border, bed, ground cover, slope, and cut flower plant. Attracts birds, butterflies, and bees. Blooms: winter-spring. Color: yellow. Bushy and sprawling growth habit. Height: 2-5 ft. Width: 3-7 ft. Exposure: sun/part shade. Water: moderate/dry. USDA Z9.

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: red. Clump forming. Size: 1-2' x 1-2'. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. USDA Z8. (syn. EPILOBIUM californica, ZAUSCHNERIA californica)

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: red. Clump forming. Size: 1-2' x 1-2'. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. USDA Z8. (syn. EPILOBIUM californica, ZAUSCHNERIA californica)

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: orange-red. Semi-trailing. H: 1-2'. W: 3-4'. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. Hardy to 10 degrees or below. USDA Z8. (syn. ZAUSCHNERIA californica 'Calistoga')

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: orange-red. Semi-trailing. H: 1-2'. W: 3-4'. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. Hardy to 10 degrees or below. USDA Z8. (syn. ZAUSCHNERIA californica 'Calistoga')

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: orange red .Gray green leaves. Clump forming. Height:1foot. Spread: 4-5 feet. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. USDA Z8.

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: orange red .Gray green leaves. Clump forming. Height:1foot. Spread: 4-5 feet. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. USDA Z8.

Shrublet: Evergreen/Semi-evergreen. Drought, deer & fire tolerant. California native. Attracts butterflies & hummingbirds. Good for rock gardens, borders & under oaks. Blooms: summer-fall. Color: orange red .Gray green leaves. Clump forming. Height:1foot. Spread: 4-5 feet. Exposure: sun. Water: dry. USDA Z8.

Perennial: Evergreen. Tolerates clay, drought, gophers & deer. California native. Has cut 1" daisy-like flowers. Excellent for seaside locations, copes well with poor, dry soil & salt spray. Nice low-mounding, tidy habit. Good border, container, & rock garden plant. Attracts butterflies. Blooms: spring-fall. Color: lavender. Ht: 3-4". Width: 2-3 ft. Exposure: sun on coast, part shade inland. Water: moderate/dry. Prefers well-drained soil. USDA Z6.