Pinus muricata
The Bishop pine is native to the northern California coast from Marin to Mendocino. A medium to large sized tree with a beautifully rounded crown and long, gray-green needles. Distinguished from the more southerly Monterey pine by its smaller cones which prick the hand when held. The Bishop pine often cohabitates with redwoods and other coastal conifers. Drought tolerant once established except in interior locations where an occasional deep watering may be required. Generally reaches 40 to 70 feet in height. Deer resistant.
Pinus ponderosa
Often associated with the Sierra Nevada mountains, this majestic pine can be found in Sonoma County as well. Long, gray-green needles form bushy clusters at the ends of branches with cantaloupe-sized cones that emerge at the very tips. The bark at maturity is a colorful patchwork of orange-tan plates separated by deep grooves of dark brown. It can grow a couple of feet a year, and averages from 60 to more than 100 feet in height in a garden setting. Provide full sun to light shade with occasional deep waterings when young. Needs decent drainage. Deer resistant.
Pinus sabiniana
A distinctive pine native to chaparral areas of California’s foothills. Sometimes called ghost pine due to its long gray needles set against dark, furrowed bark. While fairly slow growing, the gray pine can reach a height of 80 ft or more in well-draining sites with ample sunlight. Native Americans prized the big, prickly cones for their large, edible seeds. Prefers full sun and requires minimal water once established
Plantago maritima
From coastal bluffs up and down the California coast comes this charming little plantain. Starting in late spring and continuing through summer, small, greenish-yellow flowers flank the top of slender stems up to 6 inches tall. The dense rosettes of narrow, succulent leaves provide a striking accent in a rock garden or nestled in crevices between pavers or stones. A good container specimen. Recognized for its edible and medicinal uses. Plant in full sun to light shade. Tolerates low to regular moisture. May spread vigorously by seed.
Polypodium californicum ‘Sarah Lyman’
An interesting cultivar of the California polypody fern with finely divided leaves. A wonderful addition to the shade garden where it is perfectly adapted to our dry summers. With the first coolness of autumn the fiddleheads emerge and unfurl. Energetic bright green frilly foliage thrives all winter and into spring. Goes dormant late spring or early summer where it waits out the dry season returning dependably again in the autumn. Grows 12 to 15 inches tall and slowly spreads.
Polypodium glycyrrhiza
Native to moist coastal forests from Monterey County to Alaska. This epiphytic fern enjoys shady environments where it grows on trees, logs and stumps, mossy rocks and slopes. The long, narrow, deeply lobed fronds spread by creeping rhizomes, which have a sweet licorice flavor and a history of use by various native American peoples. They grow happily in moist shady gardens, going summer dormant once conditions get too dry, returning with the autumn rains and coolness. Drought tolerant in somewhat coastal conditions. Good container subject. Deer resistant.
Polypodium scouleri
A choice species native to moist coastal forests of the western U.S. where this fern will grow on trees, rocks and logs. Beautiful, leathery, deeply lobed, evergreen fronds grow on creeping rhizomes to about 8-12 inches tall and slowly spreading. Requires good drainage with a humusy soil and some summer moisture, but not overly wet. Wonderful on rocks, cracks in walls, and logs in shady locations. Excellent in containers. Makes a lovely hanging basket.
Polystichum munitum
The versatile western sword fern is an evergreen native fern from California to Alaska. In most gardens it will reach about three feet tall and wide. In prime areas near the coast where moisture is readily available and cool temperatures prevail, this fern can get up to 5 feet tall and wide. Excellent for shady beds, along walls, as a large scale groundcover and mixed woodland planting. Best with humusy soil and regular to moderate water, but drought tolerant once established and tolerant of most soil types. Actually quite adaptable and deer resistant.
Primula (Dodecatheon) hendersonii
Description coming soon! Also known as: Primula hendersonii
Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia
Hollyleaf cherry is a large, evergreen shrub that can grow more than 15 feet tall and wide, but is easily pruned to be more compact. This adaptable foothill native can be clipped into a formal hedge, pruned to be treelike, or left to its own natural gumdrop-shaped habit. Often it is used for background or screen plantings. Glossy, holly-like leaves are accompanied by showy displays of creamy-white flowers in narrow spikes from late spring to early summer. Plant in full sun to very light shade. Looks best with occasional deep waterings, but can tolerate very dry conditions once established. Although it requires good drainage, it is tolerant of heat, drought, wind and oak root fungus. An excellent habitat plant, offering food and cover for wildlife. Birds enjoy the small reddish-purple cherries. Generally deer resistant.
Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii
This subspecies of our native cherry comes from Southern California and can be grown as a large shrub or trained into a small tree. The Catalina cherry is evergreen, with soft, glossy leaves and without the toothed leaf margin of our more local hollyleaf cherry. Gorgeous, creamy-white flower clusters make a showy display in spring. The purple-red fruits are edible, but are mostly preferred by wildlife. At 20-40 feet in height and slightly narrower in width, it is also larger than the hollyleaf cherry, but is prunable to 8-10 feet. Its dense foliage makes an excellent hedge. Does best in well-drained soil with occasional deep watering once established. The flowers are adored by pollinators. Robins, finches, towhees, Cedar waxwings and mockingbirds eat the cherries.
Pseudotsuga menziesii
We are not currently growing this plant due to flammability and reduced demand.
Ptelea crenulata
This interesting California endemic deserves wider use in California gardens. Hoptree is a deciduous, large shrub/small tree, growing 6 - 15 ft. tall, in the citrus family. Native to hot, interior coast ranges and the Sierra Nevada foothills, often growing in canyons where residual moisture can be found. Glossy, green, fragrant, trifoliate leaves with panicles of small creamy-white flowers decorate the branch tips in spring. Handsome, circular, flattened, fruits which look like hop seeds, start out green and age to tan and may hold on after the leaves have fallen in the autumn. Plant in full sun to light shade with occasional, deep summer watering. The fragrant flowers are attractive to a variety of pollinators including butterflies. A larval host for the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly.
Quercus chrysolepis
A handsome evergreen oak with a rounded, spreading crown, 20 - 60 ft tall and wide. The leaves of its broad, low canopy are dark-green and shiny with fuzzy gold or silver hairs on the underside. Native from Oregon to Baja, it is the most widely distributed oak in California. Often grows near creeks, but requires only occasional water. Plant in full sun to light shade where it will be drought tolerant once established. A good choice for bank stabilization. Like other oaks, it is habitat powerhouse, offering food and cover for a huge variety of wildlife.
Quercus tomentella
The rarest of all California oaks, an ancient relict of the mainland, now confined to the Channel Islands, off the coast of southern California. Island oak is a small evergreen tree with a rounded canopy, 25 to 40 foot tall. Beautiful dark-green, shiny, leathery leaves with prominent parallel veins are edged with widely spaced teeth. Whitish woolly hairs cover the growing tips, undersides of leaves, and the caps of the 1 inch long acorns. A natural for gardens with coastal influence where it will be drought tolerant once established. Tolerant of many soil conditions, but attains full stature in deeper soils in sheltered locations. Oaks provide beauty, shade and food and cover for a wide array of wildlife.
Quercus wislizeni
Typically more compact in stature than the coast live oak, this evergreen oak has similar dark-green, leathery leaves, though often narrower and flatter. A native of dry foothills, the interior live oak has a range that extends throughout much California, and is the dominant live oak in the western Sierra-Nevadas. While it can flourish in the shade, it may remain shrublike. In full sun, its densely-foliated canopy has a pleasingly broad, rounded habit. This adaptable oak takes inland heat, and once established is drought tolerant and generally deer resistant. It tolerates clay, but does best in well-draining soils. Like other oaks, it’s a great habitat plant that supports a wide range of wildlife.
Ranunculus californicus
Cheerful harbinger of spring, this western native grows in vernally moist sites in a number of plant communities throughout California. Easy to grow perennial, sports bright green succulent foliage topped with slender stems 1 to 2 ft. tall and wide. A profusion of shiny, bright yellow blossoms bloom freely until soil dries out. Goes dormant with drought, returning in spring, often reseeding. Full sun to light shade. Excellent early pollen and nectar source, attractive to bees and other beneficials.
Ranunculus occidentalis
Native to open woodlands and meadows, this buttercup often occurs under deciduous oaks and buckeyes or on edges of forests. Perennial, with basal foliage, the flower stems rise 12 to 20 inches with bright yellow shiny petals. Has been surprisingly adaptable. Does fine with moderate summer irrigation, where it stays evergreen and long blooming. Once established can be allowed to go summer dry, where it will go dormant after setting seed, and returning with the winter rains.
Rhamnus crocea
An under-used evergreen shrub native to chaparral, woodland, and coastal-sage scrub communities in California. Spiny redberry can grow up to 6 feet tall and wider, but is typically in the 2 - 4 ft. height range, spreading to 6 ft. or more across. Small, leathery, dark-green ovate leaves give this tough shrub a delicate look once established. The flowers on both male and female plants are inconspicuous, blooming from late winter into early spring. Female plants produce sporadic, jelly-like red berries. Great for dappled light under oaks, or a dry, shady woodland slope with California fescue. Can tolerate more sun near the coast, but prefers afternoon shade inland. Drought-tolerant once established. Larval host for a multitude of butterflies and moths, including the pale tiger swallowtail butterfly, Ceanothus silk moth, and Hermes copper butterfly. Deer resistant.
Rhamnus ilicifolia
A handsome evergreen shrub with small, dark green, leathery, serrated leaves. Found in the foothills and mountains of southern and central California, the Sierras and west of the Sacramento Valley up to 3,500 feet. Slow-growing, reaching 6-10 feet tall and wide, with a somewhat open, upright habit. Male and female plants are separate, producing inconspicuous yellow-cream flowers from spring into early summer. Female plants produce sporadic, gelatinous red fruits. Hollyleaf redberry can be planted in full sun to shade, but prefers a bit of relief from the afternoon sun in inland sites. It requires decent drainage and is drought-tolerant once established. Larval host for the pale swallowtail butterfly. Reportedly deer resistant.
Rhus integrifolia
This sturdy native shrub or small tree is highly valued for its evergreen foliage and as a source of food for birds, bees and butterflies. Round, serrated, leaves, flatter than those of the sugar bush, cover this plant from head to toe. In late winter to early spring, white to pink flower clusters emerge, followed by sticky, reddish fruits. Ranging in height and width from 6 to 20 ft., lemonade berry is very tolerant of pruning, either into a small tree or a low hedge. Cold hardy to about 20 degrees. Plant in full sun to part shade. Will be very drought tolerant once established. Fire resistant. Deer resistant.
Rhus ovata
Handsome evergreen shrub native to dry slopes away from the coast in Southern California, Baja, and Arizona. A durable shrub thriving in hot, rocky conditions in full sun to part shade where it will be completely drought tolerant once established. Grows 6 - 10 ft. tall and wide. A profusion of dense flower clusters are rosy tinted in bud opening to white with a pinkish blush. Small reddish fruits follow that are coated with a sugary secretion that tastes lemony. Excellent subject for hot, dry inland conditions. Good for birds, bees and butterflies. Fire resistant. Deer resistant.
Ribes aureum
A vigorous deciduous shrub with masses of cheerful yellow blooms that appear in early spring. The light green foliage returns in late winter followed by delicate clusters of bright yellow tubular flowers that mature to a reddish-orange. Makes a wonderful addition to any habitat garden. Hummingbirds and bees adore the flowers, and the golden berries attract birds. Tolerates a variety of conditions from creeksides to dry woodland foothills to higher elevations - and even snow. Grows 6 to 8 ft. tall and wide. Where it finds water, it can spread by suckers, but is highly amenable to pruning. Adaptable to sun or shade, but does best with afternoon shade and moderate to occasional summer water.
Ribes californicum
Undemanding, winter blooming, deciduous shrub, native to Coast Range mountains of California, from Mendocino County south to Orange County. Excellent choice for habitat gardens, where it provides abundant flowers and fruits plus thorny, protective cover. Variable in size, this spiny shrub can grow 4 - 6 ft. tall and wide. The pendant flowers are tiny but numerous and charming on close inspection. The tubular flower parts are white and extend beyond the reflexed red sepals, and are highly attractive to hummingbirds and other pollinators. Red, bristly, globular fruits follow and are adored by birds. The bright green leaves often take on striking crimson colors in the late summer before going dormant with drought. Host plant to several butterfly species as well as the white-lined sphinx moth. Best with light shade and a little irrigation, though once established it is completely drought tolerant.
