California Natives to the Rescue

These dozen species of California native plants will make you glad your lawn is gone.

Walk around any neighborhood in the East Bay, from the Berkeley flats to the Piedmont hills, and you’ll notice a new phenomenon—the brown lawn. After four years of serious drought, there’s been a cultural shift away from pride in the perfect patch of green toward a camaraderie in water conservation.

Now that fall is here and a wet winter is forecast, replacing those dead lawns with California native plants will promise the beginning of a beautiful relationship between the plants we choose and the weather we’ve finally acknowledged as our own.

Planting natives in their native habitat is the perfect fulfillment of the timeless gardener’s tenet—”right plant, right place.” Natives are easily established in our soils and microclimates. They attract birds, butterflies, and bees. And the vast majority available in nurseries require only occasional summer water once they’re established. Unless mentioned otherwise, these natives prefer well-draining soil. Ask your local nursery about how to evaluate and amend your soil. Planting on a slight mound improves drainage.

Here are a dozen California natives that thrive in East Bay gardens, and they can be downright dazzling.

Rhamnus (Frangula) californica “Mound San Bruno” (Coffeeberry)
This evergreen shrub (described as “mannerly” by a Piedmont octogenarian) grows in sun and shade, is useful as a background plant or an informal hedge, helps control erosion, and can handle clay soil. R. “Mound San Bruno” (4-6 feet high by 4-6 feet wide) is particularly handsome, with its open mounding form and showy red- to indigo-black fruit resembling coffee berries. It provides good cover and food for birds.

Arctostaphylos pajaroensis “Paradise” (Pajaro Manzanita)
This beloved California native known commonly as manzanita, the genus arctostaphylos has countless garden-worthy species and cultivars, from 12-foot shrubs to 6-inch ground covers. A. “Paradise” (6-8 feet high by 6-8 feet wide) is a stunning specimen with zigzag branching covered with peeling cinnamon-colored bark. Its heart-shaped leaves are bronzy-red when young, maturing to blue green. Clusters of pale pink urn-shaped flowers appear in winter. A. “Dr. Hurd” has the largest, roundest foliage, while A. “Point Reyes” and A. “Radiant” are particularly beautiful small-leafed ground covers.

Ceanothus (California Lilac)
Varieties of these evergreen woody shrubs are available by the dozens. In winter and spring they stop traffic with their brilliant blue flowers, ranging from pale robin’s egg to deep sapphire. There are prostrate mat-forming cultivars, such as C. “Centennial” and C. “Hearstiorum.” The midsize shrubs C. “Dark Star” and C. “Julia Phelps” have the sought-after darkest blooms. And C. “Ray Hartman” grows rapidly into a charming small tree. The deer are fond of browsing ceanothus, so for the best foil, look for varieties with hollylike leaves, such as C. “Anchor Bay.” These garden workhorses are important food sources for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. And, as the Native Americans did, you can make a luxurious hand-softening soap by vigorously rubbing the flowers with a little water.

Ribes sanguineum glutinosum “White Icicle” (White-Flowering Currant)
For those shady spots near the house that need some height and a “wow” factor, ribes offer lovely maplelike foliage and luxuriant dangling flower clusters that bloom in late winter. Most have rich pink blooms, but R. “White Icicle” (6 feet high by 6 feet wide) displays a romantic pure white. A bonus is the woodsy-scented foliage. Ribes are briefly deciduous, with new foliage emerging a bright green. They prefer a little more water than other natives, but can handle drought. Deer-resistant, too.

Salvia clevelandii “Winifred Gilman” (Cleveland Sage)
Native sages are famous for their fragrance, and S. “Winifred Gilman” (3-4 feet high by 3-4 feet wide) is not only one of the headiest, it sports the darkest blue flowers, burgundy stems, and long bumpy leaves like a kitten’s tongue. Annual pruning in late summer will keep the plant more compact and prolong its lifespan. All sages repel deer.

Mimulus “Jelly Bean” (Monkeyflower)
Gardeners crazy for intense oranges, reds, and pinks go bananas over the new “Jelly Bean” introductions into the mimulus, or “monkeyflower,” genus. These selections of the woody perennial (18 inches high by 18 inches wide) bloom spring into fall and are much heartier than the older varieties. They’re hummingbird heaven.

Penstemon heterophyllus (Foothill Penstemon)
Equally striking on the color scale is the iridescent blue-purple of the perennial Penstemon heterophyllus (1-2 inches high by 1-2 inches wide). The favorite these days is P. “Margarita BOP,” which explodes with spikes of the bell-shaped flowers from early spring to late fall. Another hummingbird magnet, and deer-resistant. Cut back in late winter to keep compact and encourage new growth in early spring.

Epilobium (Zauschneria) canum (California Fuschia)
For a blazing finish to summer and well into fall, there is no red more suffused than that of Epilobium canum (1-2 inches high by 4-5 inches wide). Hummingbirds flock to its trumpet flowers, and the fuzzy silver foliage is a nice contrast to surrounding greens. Prune to the ground in winter. Deer-resistant.

Erigeron glaucus (Seaside Daisy)
The herbaceous evergreen perennial Erigeron glaucus (1 foot high by 1-2 feet wide) grows in a neat mound of soft, bright green leaves. In late winter, large lavender-blue daisylike flowers with yellow centers rise above the foliage in dramatic sprays, attracting butterflies and bees. Native to the coast, it likes cool sun to light shade, though E. “Wayne Roderick” is more heat tolerant than others. Tolerates heavy clay and blooms best in richer soil.

Bouteloua gracilis “Blonde Ambition” (Blonde Ambition Blue Grama)
While some native grasses require massing on a grand scale to make an impact, the show-stopper Bouteloua gracilis “Blonde Ambition,” (1-2 feet high by 1-2 feet wide), as its name suggests, can upstage them all. The tufted perennial grass with fine gray-green leaves sends aloft a waving parade of flowers displayed on horizontal flags (some call them eyebrows), from early summer through fall.

Eschscholzia californica (California Poppy)
California’s state flower, an annual that freely naturalizes, is ideal for interplanting with other natives in a grassy meadow or in a bed together with purples and whites. While Californians are familiar with the pumpkin-orange hue seen on our springtime hillsides, the satiny flowers can also be found in shades from butter yellow to deep red. To prevent excessive reseeding, remove the old flowers. Winter rains will germinate seeds that fall on bare soil.

Dudleya
No low-water garden would be complete without succulents, and California provides us with a gem of a genus called dudleya, mostly from the central coast, the islands off of Southern California, and Baja. More than a dozen varieties are available. Some are delicate mounds of gray-green fingerlike foliage, like D. caespitosa. Others are chalky-white rosettes of broad leaves up to 6 inches long, such as D. brittonii and D. pulverulenta. These larger varieties bear dramatic upright flower stems with broad clusters of yellow-red flower heads. Dudleyas like sun or part shade and are ideal for containers or in rock gardens.

Nurseries in the East Bay have a bounty of California natives year round. The best time for planting is fall and early winter, so head out now and remember to pick up a new pair of gardening gloves.

East Bay Resources for California Native Plants

Annie’s Annuals and Perennials, Richmond, www.AnniesAnnuals.com
Berkeley Horticultural Nursery, Berkeley, www.BerkeleyHort.com
East Bay Nursery, Berkeley, www.EastBayNursery.com
East Bay Wilds, Oakland, www.EastBayWilds.com
Mount Diablo Nursery, Lafayette, www.MtDiabloNursery.com
Native Here Nursery, Berkeley, www.NativeHereNursery.org
Orchard Nursery, Lafayette, www.OrchardNursery.com
Oaktown Native Plant Nursery, Berkeley, www.OakTownNativeNursery.info
Ploughshares Nursery, Alameda, www.PloughSharesNursery.com
UC Botanical Garden California Native Plants Nursery, Berkeley, www.UCBGCN.blogspot.com
The Watershed Nursery, Richmond,
www.TheWatershedNursery.com