Garrya fremontii
Evergreen shrub with leathery leaves and handsome dangling catkins in late winter and early spring. The male and female flowers occur on separate plants. Native to the west coast where it grows in mixed evergreen forest and chaparral plant communities. This species is a good choice for summer-hot interior sites with well drained soils. Grows 8 - 10 ft. tall and wide in full sun to light shade and is drought tolerant once established. A good specimen shrub or candidate for hedgerow or screen where it provides cover and food for birds and small mammals. Somewhat deer resistant.
Garrya issaquahensis ‘Pat Ballard’
An elegant winter flowering shrub, uncommon in the trade. A hybrid between Garrya elliptica and Garrya fremontii, 'Pat Ballard' is a tough evergreen growing 6-10 foot tall and wide. Pendulous pinkish gray catkins dangle from the branch tips in winter providing a spectacular display. Plant in full sun to part shade with occasional to infrequent water once established. More cold & drought tolerant than Garrya elliptica. An excellent screen, hedge or foundation shrub, amenable to pruning. Somewhat deer resistant.
Grindelia camporum
A tough and attractive native perennial found in valleys and lowlands of California. An upright grower, 18-24 inches tall, with resinous foliage and stiff leaves and flower stems. Thick green flower buds hold bright yellow daisies summer through fall which are attractive to bees and butterflies. Best in full sun where it is drought tolerant once established. Tolerates heavy soils and is said to be deer resistant.
Grindelia hirsutula
Easy to grow, vigorous native perennial that is adaptable to a variety of soils and watering regimes. Grows 1 - 2 ft. tall with good-sized bright yellow daisies over a long period from spring into summer. An excellent nectar plant to add to a habitat garden. With a little grooming and dead heading this sometimes rough looking perennial can look quite handsome in a garden setting. Requires full sun and little to no summer water. Said to be deer resistant.
Grindelia stricta var. platyphylla ‘Mendocino’
This selection features particularly large bright yellow 2 1/2 inch daisies over a long period in the summer. Each fat green flower bud holds a dollop of gummy white resin which protects the blooms from predators, hence the name “gum plant”. 'Mendocino' is a particularly prostrate form under 8 inches tall and spreading to at least 6' wide. Native to dunes, marshes and bluffs in coastal scrub throughout coastal California. Excellent pollinator plant. Useful in a meadow planting or with other low groundcovers and shrubs. Looks nice draping over a wall too. An adaptable plant for sun to light shade, moderate to occasional water. A natural along the coast where it tolerates wind and salt spray. Deer resistant.
Hazardia squarrosa v. squarrosa
For a splash of color in late summer and fall, this goldenbush is a great choice, providing clusters of cheery, golden flowers at the height of the dry season, which supply food for butterflies. Birds enjoy the seeds which follow. Rounded leaves with sawtooth margins line the stems and emit a wonderfully sweet scent. This seed strain comes from a hot area in Big Sur and is remarkably compact and rounded, reaching about 3 ft. tall and wide. We’ve found it to be very adaptable, tolerant of clay soils and zero to occasional irrigation. Likes full sun but will accept a little shade. Plant with buckwheats, Salvias, and California fuchsias. Not usually available in Northern California nurseries.
Helianthus californicus
This giant, perennial sunflower is native to riparian habitats in openings with decent light. Dormant in the winter, spring brings rapid growth, with narrow, bright green leaves on tall stalks rising 7 feet or more above a root system which spreads widely. Summer brings many small, golden-yellow sunflowers on the branch tips which are quite dramatic in full bloom. Flowers attract bees and butterflies and the seeds are relished by birds. Perfect for stabilizing soil where there is some summer water and plenty of space. Once established it can take it dryish, but will flower better with water. An excellent cut flower.
Hesperocyparis macnabiana
MacNab Cypress is native to dry, open, slopes, usually on serpentine, in chaparral and woodlands of Northern California. Fast growing tree or large shrub, 15 – 40 ft. tall, often with multiple trunks and a spreading crown, growing wider than it is tall. The pleasantly pungent, grey-green, foliage smells like gin and is arranged on flattened branches, giving it a somewhat lacey appearance. The bark is rough and furrowed and the cones are spherical and persistent. Plant in full sun with good drainage and little to no summer water once established. Deer resistant.
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.
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.
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 ‘Lillian’s Pink’
An exceptional hybrid forming tidy mounds of foliage 12 - 18 inches wide. Topped with slender stems of shell pink flowers for a long period in the spring. Best with shade from the hottest sun and moderate summer water. Lovely in drifts. This species attracts hummingbirds.
Heuchera ‘Old La Rochette’
Here is a wonderful, often hard to find Heuchera hybrid. Grows into robust clumps of rounded leaves to around 1 ft. tall and 1 - 2 ft. wide. 2 ft. tall flower stalks carry hundreds of soft pink blossoms in the spring, and often intermittently through the summer. Sturdy perennial for part shade and a little summer water. This species attracts hummingbirds.
Heuchera ‘Rosada’
Listed as one of U.C. Davis Arboretum’s “All Stars”, this heuchera hybrid is tough and dependable. Forms an attractive mound of evergreen foliage 10 - 12 inches tall. A long display of tall flower stems covered with creamy-pink dainty bells begin in the spring and often continue into the summer. Best with part shade and moderate to occasional summer water. Attracts hummingbirds.
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 ‘Wendy’
One of the prettiest hybrids from Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens. Large light green leaves, branched stems about 2’ tall carry hundreds of light pink, rather plump, blossoms in spring. Sun near the coast, part shade inland. Reasonably well drained soil and moderate to little water when established. This species attracts hummingbirds.
Heuchera cylindrica
Native to the northern mountains of California, the roundleaf alumroot is distinctive for its dense clusters of white to cream-yellow flowers held on vertical stems reaching 1 to 2 ft tall. Round leaves grow in tight mounds up to 8 inches high and 2 ft wide. Combine with pink Heucheras, Iris and small ferns for an attractive woodland display. Needs part shade and decent drainage. Attracts hummingbirds. Drought tolerant.
Heuchera hirsutissima
This miniature alumroot is the perfect addition to the lightly shaded rock garden or along the edge of a path. Pinkish-white, dainty flowers sit atop short stems only about 4 inches tall in spring and summer. The little 2 inch mounds of dark green leaves slowly spread to form tiny drifts. Provide good drainage and moderate irrigation. An excellent plant for a rock crevice or container where it can be combined with Idaho fescue, Erigeron 'Olga' or leather fern. This species comes from the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa mountains of southern California.
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 micrantha
This is our common alum root which is usually seen on shady cliffs and roadbanks adjacent to forests. Easy to grow in garden situations. Forms low mounds of foliage topped with dainty white flowers on long stems. Likes moisture, but tolerates considerable drought and takes deeper shade than most Heuchera species. This species attracts hummingbirds.
Heuchera micrantha ‘Martha Roderick’
Here’s a pink flowered form of the normally white flowered native alum root. Foliage forms handsome clumps topped with slender stalks 1 - 1 1/2 ft. tall of tiny pink flowers. Excellent in woodland setting for border, slope or rock garden. Drought tolerant but best with a little water. 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.
Hierochloe (Anthoxanthum) occidentalis
Here is an interesting and elegant grass native to coniferous forests. Broad, bright green, sweetly scented blades grow a foot or more tall. Flowering culms rise another 6 inches or so above the foliage with tight panicles of spikelets. The leaves offer a sweet, vanilla fragrance when dried. Excellent for woodland gardens, compatible with many redwood forest plants. Best with some summer water, but is drought tolerant near the coast. A larval host for the Western branded skipper butterfly. 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.
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.