Native plants in the wild naturally sort themselves by microclimate. Wherever the ground is shady and wet, you’ll see plants that prefer those conditions; if it is hot and dry, grasses or drought-tolerant shrubs will predominate. Sandy soil is ideal only for those species that are adapted to it. This is the trick to having a thriving garden. Instead of deciding what you like, decide what will thrive based on your soil and sun exposure. Most flowering shrubs won’t flower if planted in the shade (however, there are shade-tolerant flowering shrubs such as Ribes). Many riparian (wetland) plants won’t survive in full sun. Mountain meadows always contain a mix of grasses and low-growing annuals and perennials, depending on soil conditions. Don’t fight the site—use it to help you pick a grouping of plants that naturally prosper together.
For our plants sales, we do our best to make available species that grow in a variety of different conditions. Not everyone has lovely loam soil with light afternoon shade! We’ve assembled lists of plants for three different climate and soil situations; all of these species will be available at our Spring Sale starting April 3rd.
1. Hot & Dry, Poor Soil
No matter what the site exposure, native plants will grow there. If you’re looking for species that “like poor soils, thrive in hot, dry locations and need little to no water once established,” this is the list for you. Many of these plants grow in chaparral habitats in the wild. Over the years, work at digging in some green compost, which will help loosen the soil and make it easier for plants to put down a strong root system.
- Layia platyglossa, Tidy Tips
- Madia elegans, Elegant Tarweed
- Mentzelia lindleyi, Lindley’s Blazing Star
- Ceanothus ‘Dark Star’, Dark Star WIld Lilac
- Epilobium canum, California Fuchsia species
- Eriogonum fasciculatum, California Buckwheat
- Eriogonum fasciculatum ‘Warriner Lytle’, Warriner Lytle Buckwheat
- Linum lewisii, Blue Flax
- Phacelia californica, California Phacelia
- Baccharis pilularis ‘Pigeon Point’, Dwarf Coyote Brush
- Diplacus (Mimulus) aurantiacus, Sticky Monkeyflower
- Lupinus albifrons, Silver Bush Lupine
- Salvia apiana, White Sage
- Salvia mellifera, Black Sage
2. Woodlands, Shade
If you live among the trees, plants described as needing full sun may or may not do well. Some of them survive but may be spindly and may not flower. However, there are numerous native species that will be very happy in the shade, such as Douglas Iris, Candy Flower, Bleeding Heart, and Wild Strawberries. Combined with ferns (which we should have in the fall), they make a fragrant, delicate, and lovely understory.
- Aquilegia formosa, Western Columbine
- Asarum caudatum, Wild Ginger
- Carex tumulicola, Foothill Sedge
- Claytonia sibirica, Candy Flower
- Clinopodium douglasii, Yerba Buena
- Collinsia heterophylla, Chinese Houses
- Cornus nuttalli, Pacific Dogwood
- Corylus cornuta var. californica, California Hazelnut
- Dicentra Formosa, Western Bleeding Heart
- Erythranthe (Mimulus) cardinalis, Scarlet Monkeyflower
- Festuca californica, California Fescue
- Fragaria vesca, Woodland Strawberry
- Frangula californica, California coffeeberry
- Heuchera maxima, Island Alum Root
- Iris douglasiana, Douglas Iris cultivars
- Ranunculus californicus, California Buttercup
- Ribes sanguineum ‘King Edward VII’, King Edward VII Currant
- Salvia spathacea, Hummingbird Sage
- Symphoricarpos albus ‘San Bruno Mountain’, Low Form Snowberry
- Woodwardia fimbriata, Giant Chain Fern
3. Meadows, Open Grasslands
A meadow is an open area of land that is primarily covered with grasses, herbs, and other non-woody plants. The mixture of forbs, grasses and bulbs seen in a meadow provides diversity as different species bloom and die down, and also supports a lot of wildlife. You won’t regret turning a strip of your lawn into a meadow with these easy-to-grow annuals and perennials. Just remember to weed it until plants get larger.
- Achillea millefolium, Common Yarrow
- Asclepias fascicularis, Narrow-leaf Milkweed
- Clarkia amoena, Farewell-to-Spring
- Clarkia rubicunda, Ruby Chalice Clarkia
- Clarkia unguiculata, Mountain Garland
- Festuca californica, California Fescue
- Gilia capitata, Globe Gilia
- Gilia Tricolor, Birds-eye Gilia
- Layia platyglossa, Tidy Tips
- Limnanthes douglasii, Meadowfoam
- Linum lewisii, Blue Flax
- Lupinus microcarpus, Valley Lupine
- Lupinus nanus, Sky Lupine
- Monardella villosa ‘Russian River’, Russian River Coyote Mint
- Nemophila menziesii, Baby Blue Eyes
- Sidalcea malviflora, Checkerbloom
- Sisyrinchium bellum, Blue-Eyed Grass
- Solidago velutina ssp. californica, California Goldenrod
- Stipa pulchra, Purple Needlegrass
- Wyethia angustifolia, Narrow-leaf Mule Ears