Water Smart Plant Picker

Manzanitas vary from carpet-forming groundcovers to small trees. They have varying shades of striking, reddish brown bark and can provide structure to a garden. These plants are slow growing with evergreen foliage that often has colorful new growth, small white-to-pink, urn-shaped blossoms in late winter to early spring, and then small fruits that resemble tiny apples.

Examples:

Groundcovers: A. ‘Emerald Carpet’ (1’ x 3-6’), A. ‘Pacific Mist’ (1-2’ x 5-8’).

Shrubs: A. ‘Howard McMinn’ (5-7’ x 6-10’), A. ‘John Dourley’ (3-4’ x 5-6’), A. ‘Sunset’ (3-5′ x 4-6’), A. bakeri ‘Louis Edmunds’ (4-6 x 6-8’), A. ‘Sentinel’ (6-8’ x 5’).

Trees: A. ‘Dr. Hurd’ (8-10′ x 10-15′)

Perennial warm-season bunchgrass known for its graceful form and arching, purple-tinted seed heads. This resilient grass is native to dry, rocky or sandy soils in the western United States.

The seeds provide food for some songbirds, offering both aesthetic value and ecological benefits. The grass self-seeds and also serves as a valuable native alternative to invasive species like Mexican Feathergrass, offering a durable and low-maintenance option for landscaping. Its dense root system helps stabilize the soil and supports the growth of wildflowers, enhancing biodiversity. Plant in sun to part shade, with good drainage.

Important northern California native habitat plant that is the sole larval food source for the pipevine swallowtail butterfly. This deciduous vine grows naturally along stream banks and in woodlands and performs well under native oaks. Dutchman’s pipevine is relatively slow-growing and takes a few years to establish. Pendulous pipe-shaped flowers bloom in early spring, followed by soft, bright green, heart-shaped leaves. Best grown as a groundcover to provide protection for pipevine swallowtail larvae but will also twine up other plants and structures. The real show comes in late spring as larvae feed on the plant and grow into spectacular horned, black caterpillars with red spots!

Large group of plants that includes annuals, perennials, and shrubs grown for fine, soft-textured, aromatic, gray-green foliage. Flowers are inconspicuous but provide a source of pollen, nectar, and seeds for wildlife. Shrubby varieties can be cut back to maintain a more tidy and compact appearance. Excellent choice for adding silver aromatic foliage in the garden.

Examples: A. californica (2-4’ tall x 4-5’ wide, California native, gray-green fine foliage), A. douglasiana (2-5′ tall and spreading by rhizomes, California native, good addition to rain gardens), A. ‘Powis Castle’ (2-3’ tall x 4-6’ wide, Mediterranean hybrid with silvery foliage).

Colony-forming, herbaceous perennials with several species providing important habitat and larval food sources for the monarch butterfly while attracting a diverse array of insects.

California milkweeds go dormant during the colder months. Stems that emerge in April or May bear clusters of small, star-like flowers in summer followed by silky-tailed seeds that are dispersed by wind. Choose a California native species to best support local monarch populations and provide a food source for their larvae.

A. fascicularis (narrow-leaved milkweed, 1-3’) has clusters of lavender or pinkish white flowers; A. speciosa (showy milkweed, 2-4’) has larger, soft foliage, and showier flower clusters; A. cordifolia (heart leaf milkweed, 1-2′) has bluish green heart-shaped leaves, and creamy white and purple flowers.

Flowers are inconspicuous but provide a source of pollen, nectar, and seeds for wildlife. Shrubby varieties can be cut back to maintain a more tidy and compact appearance. Perennial varieties can be divided in fall or early spring. Excellent choice as support for more showy plants in the garden.

North American native, warm-season bunchgrass with narrow, grayish green leaves. Ornamental flowers like small brushes form at right angles to slender stems during the summer and persist for many months. Blue grama is adapted to heat, drought, cold, and foot traffic. It does not thrive in shade or wet soils. Blue grama can be used in small clumps among other plants, in a mass as part of a meadow, or even as a lawn substitute. B. g. ‘Blonde Ambition’ is a popular and robust cultivar.

Bulbine frutescens grows 1-2 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. Narrow, succulent, light gray-green leaves and conical clusters of bright yellow, star-shaped flowers on tall stems in spring. Cultivars include ‘Hallmark’ with orange flowers, and ‘Tiny Tangerine’, a shorter cultivar with orange flowers that thrives in full sun. Native to the southern coast of South Africa north to Mozambique. Sun to part shade, afternoon shade in hot-summer climates, most soils.

Popular Australian evergreen shrub or small tree attractive to hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Bright red or pink flowers that resemble a bottle brush begin blooming in spring and continue into fall. Bottlebrush will tolerate many garden conditions and exposures and is tolerant of dry conditions once established. Shrub varieties can be pruned to an informal hedge or be left to show their natural shape.

Examples: Lemon bottlebrush (C. citrinus, 6-12’ x 8-12’) is the most commonly grown species in California. Weeping bottlebrush (C. viminalis, 20’ x 15’) has pendulous branches. C. viminalis ‘Little John’ (3-5’ x 4-6’) is a low-growing mounding form with deep red flowers that is popular as a foundation or accent plant. C. ‘Jeffers’ (Jeffers bottlebrush 6-8′ x 4-6′) reddish purple stamens that age to lavender almost year round.

Spice Bush (Calycanthus occidentalis) is a deciduous shrub with bright green leaves. Lotus-shaped red flowers have a wine-like fragrance, and bloom from late spring through early autumn. The bark also has a camphor-like smell. It can grow as a large, rounded shrub 3 to 12 feet tall and wide or pruned as a small multi-trunked tree. Part-shade is ideal but it can tolerate full sun with added moisture in cooler areas. It accepts full shade but will grow more slowly and with a more open habit. It is adaptable to different types of soil, and is somewhat deer resistant. Resistant to drought and also tolerant of moisture, Spice Bush is a great plant to include in a rain garden.

Large group of grass-like, clumping plants with low or moderate water needs that are native to many parts of the world and offer a variety of shapes, sizes, and foliage characteristics. Some sedges are ideal for use in rain gardens and swales, for stabilizing slopes, as a mass groundcover, or as part of a meadow planting. Two low-water examples that prefer some shade are Catlin sedge (C. texensis, 4-6” x 6-8”), a small, mat-like sedge native to central and southwestern North America, and Berkeley sedge (C. tumulicola, 1-2’ x 1-2’), a larger species native to western North America that tends to self-sow. Other species require more water and may be less suited to dry inland conditions.

Evergreen shrub, 5-8 feet tall and wide, with leathery, glossy green leaves on spiny branches. Fragrant, star-shaped, white flowers in summer  are followed by red fruits. Native to South Africa.

Low-growing and thornless cultivars are available. C. macrocarpa ‘Green Carpet’ is 12-18 inches tall and 4-5 feet wide. C. macrocarpa ‘Tomlinson’ is 2-3 feet tall and thornless. Plant in sun to light shade, well-drained soils.