Hesperocyparis sargentii
This cypress makes its home in serpentine pygmy forests from Santa Barbara to Mendocino Counties. While often dwarfed in its native terrain, this species can grow quite happily off of serpentine and may reach up to 60 ft. tall. The small, dark-green, scale-like leaves form a bushy canopy against the gray-brown trunk. A good medium-sized tree for hotter inland areas, but will also tolerate coastal conditions. The sargent cypress can grow fairly rapidly, useful as a high privacy screen or wind break. Plant in full sun to light shade and water occasionally. Will be very drought tolerant once established. Needs good drainage. Deer resistant.
Hesperoyucca whipplei
Bold and dramatic architectural accent plant native to southern California coast and mountains south to Baja. Forms a dense rosette of rigid silver-blue blades, 2 foot tall by 3 - 4 foot wide. Each blade has a VERY SHARP tip and careful thought should be given to its placement to avoid injury. Plants can take 3 to 15 years to bloom with impressive stalks rising 6 foot or more above the rosette with drooping, creamy white, bell shaped, fragrant flowers. The flowering rosette dies after blooming often being replaced by vegetative offsets. Best with good drainage in full sun to light shade. No water once established. Deer resistant
Heteromeles arbutifolia
Toyon is a handsome native evergreen shrub 6 - 10 ft. tall and wide. Sun to part shade, drought tolerant. Clusters of lacy white flowers bloom in summer and areattractive to pollinators. Spectacular bundles of red berries are relished by birds and are a great winter decoration. Valuable as a specimen, screen, hedge or bank plant. Birds attracted to the fruit include the following species: Cedar waxwing, California towhee, spotted towhee, Western bluebird, robins, mockingbirds, bandtailed pigeon, waxwing and quail.
Heteromeles arbutifolia ‘Davis Gold’
An interesting cultivar of the native toyon which bears bright golden yellow berries rather than the more common red-colored fruits. A handsome evergreen shrub 8 - 12 ft. tall and wide (or more). Sun to part shade, drought tolerant. Clusters of lacy white flowers bloom in summer and are attractive to pollinators. The showy clusters of orange-yellow berries are relished by birds and are great winter decoration. Valuable as a specimen, screen, hedge or bank plant. This selection is considered more disease resistant than most toyon.
Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. bolanderi ‘San Bruno Mountain’
Versatile and tough native perennial well suited for the rock garden front of the border or container plantings. Evergreen foliage forms low mats topped with bright yellow daisies in summer - fall. For sunny sites and dryish conditions. Flowers are appealing to bees and butterflies.
Heuchera ‘Canyon Duet’
A Santa Barbara Botanic Garden selection, part of their Quartet Series of hybrids. This charming, diminutive coral bells forms low, sturdy clumps of small rounded leaves slowly spreading to about 10-12 inches wide. Bi-colored flowers of dark pink and white rise 12 to 18 inches above the dense foliage in spring and early summer. Heuchera's require good light to bloom well but resent full sun, especially inland. Moderate to occasional water. Excellent small scale perennial for mixed border, edging or rock garden. Good container subject too.
Heuchera ‘Santa Ana Cardinal’
An outstanding hybrid that is vigorous and free flowering. Compact clumps of foliage topped with 2 ft. tall flowering stems with vibrant rose-red blossoms over a long period. Plant in cool full sun to light shade with moderate to occassional summer water once established. This species attracts hummingbirds.
Heuchera maxima
Native to the Channel Islands, this is one of the most adaptable and vigorous of the alum roots, forming broad evergreen mounds of bright green folilage 1 - 1 1/2 ft. high. Maroon flower stems are 3 ft. high topped with pink blushed creamy flowers that have a slight green haze. Best with part shade and a little summer water, but will tolerate full sun close to the coast. Good for use under oaks. This species attracts hummingbirds.
Heuchera pilosissima
Native to the coast from Mendocino to Santa Barbara Counties, this perennial forms compact, evergreen clumps of light-green scalloped leaves. Stocky flower stems 12 – 16 inches long carry small white-pink flowers in early summer. Perfect in coastal areas where it can grow in sun to light shade and will be drought tolerant once established. Must have part shade and some summer water inland. Plant in mass for a nice ground cover in a woodland setting or in mixed plantings with shrubs and ferns. Attracts hummingbirds.
Hibiscus lasiocarpos var. occidentalis (californicus)
A rare species from wetland habitats in the Delta of the Central Valley, which are seriously threatened due to habitat disturbance and development. A large perennial growing 3 - 6 ft. tall with heart-shaped fuzzy leaves on sturdy stems and large showy white flowers with deep pink centers in the summer. Tropical looking and water loving this interesting herbaceous perennial grows best with summer heat. Plant in full sun to light shade with regular water. Tolerates heavy soils and seasonal flooding. Nice container specimen where its needs may be easier to meet.
Hierochloe (Anthoxanthum) odorata
Invite good spirits into your home and garden with this interesting, fragrant grass. Sweet grass is an aromatic, native perennial, with an extensive range in the United States, Canada and Eurasia. Growing in wetlands, prairies and meadows, it prefers rich, moist, soils and at least half day of sun. The grass flowers sit just above the foliage where they can dance with the wind. This cool season grass is sacred to indigenous people, where it is used in herbal medicine, a kind of tobacco, basket making, and burned as a smudge. Growing 1 - 2 ft. tall and spreading widely by sturdy rhizomes that can be difficult to eliminate once well established. Winter dormant in cold areas. Deer resistant.
Holodiscus discolor
An elegant, deciduous, native shrub growing 5 - 6 ft. tall or more, depending on the site, and at least as wide. Beautiful, cascading clusters of creamy white flowers hang from branch tips in early summer. The fragrant flowers attract pollinators and a number of butterflies use it as a host plant. Best with light shade. Drought tolerant, but will accept some moisture.
Holodiscus dumosus ‘var. cedrorus’
A recently described endemic shrub discovered by the extraordinary plantsmen Roger Raiche, growing on serpentine soils of the Cedars in northwestern Sonoma County. An open deciduous shrub, approximately 3 ft. x 3 ft. with wiry ruby-red stems and elegant small, shiny, dark green to bronze leaves. Early summer brings erect panicles of cream colored flowers that are suffused in light wine-red or pink coloration. Seems to tolerate a wide range of conditions from full sun to deep shade. Once established has proven durable and drought tolerant. This lovely small creambush is perfect for those who want something completely new and different. It does well in containers and should be interesting to experiment with in different applications and settings.
Hordeum brachyantherum
Native to a wide range of vernally wet plant communities throughout California and beyond. Once abundant throughout the Santa Rosa Valley where it could be found in grasslands, seasonal flood plains, moist meadow and open riparian areas. Forms perennial clumps with blades 6-10 inches tall, flower stalks to 30 inches are topped with narrow spikes of purple tinged upward facing bristles, looking like a small version of a classic cereal grain seedhead. Tolerant of heavy clay, alkaline or saline soils. Doesn't make a big impact standing alone, best used in mass or in a blend of other native meadow grasses where its slender flower heads make a pleasing effect. Plant in full sun with vernally wet soils. Deer resistant.
Iris chrysophylla
Native to far northern California and into western Oregon, this uncommon iris grows in fast draining soils in open forests and woodlands. A small scale iris, usually under 12 inches tall in bloom, spreads slowly from slender rhizomes. The delicate blossoms flower in the spring and can vary in color from white to cream to yellow, with a central yellow splash and prominent dark venation. Grow in sun to light shade with occasional to little watering. Visited by bees and hummingbirds. Deer resistant.
Iris douglasiana
Native to the California coast from Santa Barbara to Oregon. Grows both on the edge of coastal forests and on bluffs and prairies along the ocean. Clumps of evergreen, sword-shaped leaves increase readily and are topped with violet-purple blossoms early to mid spring. Important nectar producer for native bees. An adaptable garden subject for cool full sun to light shade. Drought tolerant once established, but occasional summer water will help keep foliage fresher. Deer resistant.
Iris douglasiana – Robust Form
We discovered this incredibly striking form of the popular Douglas iris near Tannery Gulch, outside of Occidental. The dark, evergreen leaves reach up to an astounding three feet in height, and are exceptionally broad. Even though these are grown by seed, the flowers are a dependable lavender-blue, with sprays of white and yellow, held on tall stalks reaching up to a foot above the foliage! Grows well in dappled shade in hotter areas, but can take full sun where there is coastal influence. While drought tolerant, occasional deep soaks keep them looking verdant and vigorous. Deer and gopher resistant.
Iris douglasiana ‘Canyon Snow’
A dependable and floriferous selection of the native Douglas iris, with springtime flowers that are pure white with yellow markings on the falls. Broad shiny blades are mostly evergreen and grow a foot or more tall and form compact clumps. Plant in sun to part shade, particularly in hot inland areas, with moderate to little summer water. Prefers good drainage but will grow well on clay soils provided they are mounded up. Too much summer water on heavy soils will prove fatal. Deer resistant.
Iris douglasiana ‘Pt. Reyes’
This is the classic iris seen along our coastline. A vigorous form with compact dark green leaves and a profusion of dark purple flowers, spreading to form large clumps. Beautiful when grown in a meadow of native grasses and coastal wildflowers. Prefers light shade in warmer areas and occasional water for it to look its best. Pruning the leaves down to the ground in the Fall can help the plant maintain a fresh appearance. Deer tolerant.
Iris douglasiana v. major
This rare form of the Douglas iris occurs throughout Marin County, offering a rainbow of possible flower colors, including blue-purple, mauve, creamy yellow and white, with all sorts of gradations in between. Since these are seed grown, the color will be a surprise when they bloom. The spring blossoms often have striking venation, and are held on stalks 1’ – 2’ high. Foliage clumps generally reach about a foot tall and spread to form extensive colonies of evergreen, strap like leaves. Plant in full sun in cooler areas, but provide some shade in hotter zones. Plants require little water once established, and are perhaps a little more drought and heat tolerant than the straight species. Deer and gopher resistant.
Iris fernaldii
Rarely offered in nurseries, the creamy-white to soft, buttery-yellow flowers of Iris fernaldii brighten up any dry shade to part-sun, inland garden in April. The flowers rise a foot above the evergreen, narrow, strap-like, deep-green foliage. This patch-forming Iris can be found in the more inland canyons of Northwestern California, from the Santa Cruz mountains, throughout inland Sonoma County, to Lake, Colusa, and Glenn counties. Fernald’s iris is well adapted to both extreme heat and cold, but can also perform well in full sun on the coast. Native bees and butterflies are attracted to the cheery flowers of this iris. This species prefers decent drainage and is drought tolerant and deer resistant once established.
Iris longipetala
Restricted to swales and moist areas in coastal grasslands from San Francisco to Monterey, this uncommon native is well worth growing. Bluish-green evergreen blades form erect clumps one foot to 20 inches tall. Early spring brings beautiful lavender-blue flowers with dark purple venation. Full sun in coastal areas, a little shade inland with regular water through the bloom period. Can go dryer once flowering is finished. Deer resistant.
Iris Pacific Coast hybrid
A diverse group bred from the native irises with wonderful coloration, patterning, flower form variation....ranging from soft pastels to mahogany, maroon and midnight purple. Evergreen foliage, about 1 to 2 ft. high. Can eventually form sizable clumps. Full sun to light shade. Often do well as an understory for oaks that needs no summer water. Drought tolerant, moderate to little water when established. Deer don’t seem to eat flowers or foliage.
Iris Pacific Coast hybrid – lavender
A native iris hybrid thought to be a cross with Iris douglasiana. Flowers are a deep lavender in color, with purple-veined petals and yellow throats. Evergreen foliage is 12-18 inches tall and spreads to form 2-3 foot-wide clumps. Tolerates full sun on the coast but does best with afternoon shade inland. Occasional water keeps it looking good in summer. Like other Pacific Coast iris hybrids, it can be planted in the understory of oaks, where it will require little irrigation once established. Drought tolerant and deer resistant.
Iris Pacific Coast hybrid ‘Canyon Sunshine’
One of a diverse group of hybrid native irises, this butter-yellow selection with a lemony center is the result of a cross with Iris douglasiana 'Canyon Snow.' The evergreen foliage grows about 1 - 2 feet tall and spreads by rhizomes to form clumps up to 3 feet wide. Tolerates full sun on the coast but does best with afternoon shade inland. Occasional water keeps it looking nice in summer. A good plant for the understory of oaks, where it will require little irrigation once established. Drought tolerant and deer resistant.
Iris Pacific Coast hybrid ‘Purple & White’
A Pacific Coast hybrid iris with thick purple veins and a splash of yellow at the center of white flowers. The evergreen foliage gets 12-18 inches tall and spreads by rhizomes to form clumps up to 3 feet wide. Does well in full sun in cooler, coastal areas, but needs afternoon shade inland. Occasional water keeps it looking good in summer. A suitable plant for the understory of oaks, where it will require little irrigation once established. Drought tolerant and deer resistant.
Iris Pacific Coast hybrid ‘Sebastopol’
A diverse group bred from the native irises with wonderful coloration, patterning, flower form variation....ranging from soft pastels to mahogany, maroon and midnight purple. Evergreen foliage, about 1 to 2 ft. high. Can eventually form sizable clumps. Full sun to light shade. Often do well as an understory for oaks that needs no summer water. Drought tolerant, moderate to little water when established. Deer don’t seem to eat flowers or foliage.