Medium
Shrubs and Flowering Perennials
.
Spring
2014
PHOTOS AND
DESCRIPTIONS
Encelia californica (Bush sunflower):
Plant Type: Evergreen subshrub
Light: Sun
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Drought tolerant to moderate
Bloom Season: Spring and fall
Natural Habitat: Coastal scrub below 1600 feet
Garden Usage: Hillsides, habitat gardens, butterfly gardens
Bush sunflower is a garden stalwart that blooms profusely for months on end. It is best adapted to southern California gardens, where it typically produces flowers prolifically in spring and again in autumn. Few flowers are produced during hot, dry summer months. Pruned garden specimens may reach 2 to 4 feet tall and 3 to 5 feet wide. It attracts numerous bees, butterflies, and other insects. California sunflower is an excellent choice for use on hillsides and for erosion control. Plant it at the base of any of the medium to large shrub forms of ceanothus or with Cleveland sage and its hybrids to create a brilliant blue and yellow floral palette. Cut it back hard annually in winter after it flowers. Makes great cut flower!
Epilobium canum
canum(California fuchsia):
Plant Type: Semi-evergreen subshrubs
and herbaceous perennials
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable; well-drained preferred
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Late summer to fall
Natural Habitat: Sunny dry slopes and rocky areas in many plant communities below 10,000 feet
Garden Usage: Casual informal gardens, slopes, rock gardens, attracts hummingbirds
California fuchsias wait until late summer and fall to produce their abundant blooms. The southern migration of hummingbirds coincides with the start of their blooming period. The plant usually grows 1 to 3 feet in height and 1 to 3 feet wide, but can spread even further. Vigorous and easily grown, California fuchsias are readily used in gardens, but most should be placed with care to avoid overwhelming small or delicate plants. They are stunning when planted on slight slopes among boulders, emerging from stones or gravel in dry streambeds, against rock walls, or in rock gardens. Placed with similarly late-blooming natives, such as Silver Carpet California aster, California buckwheat, or California sunflower, these plants provide spirited color and contrast.
Eriogonum cinereum (Ashy leaf buckwheat):
Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Light: Sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Spring/Summer
Natural Habitat and Range: Steep slopes, canyons, coastal bluffs; Los Angeles County to
Santa Barbara County.
Perennial shrub to 4
ft., (usually 2 ft.) whitish pink clusters on grey foliage, a plant for erosion
control in dry coastal areas, but also thrives inland. The floral display lasts for months,
and the color often intensifies to a deeper pink before fading to rosy
tan. Use it along with other
buckwheats to achieve a blooming season that spans nine months. Also looks good in a perennial border with
red-flowered buckwheat, golden yarrow, coastal manzanitas or ceanothus, and
colorful monkeyflowers. This plant also does well and looks great in a container,
just make sure it is large enough and well-drained.
Eriogonum latifolium var. grande rubescens (Rosy flowered buckwheat):
Plant Type: Evergreen subshrub
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Coastal bluffs and rocky slopes in coastal scrub and grasslands below 700 feet
Garden Usage: Rock gardens, perennial borders, containers
Rosy-flowered buckwheat has silvery-gray foliage which contrasts with its frothy pinkish flowers on 10 inch stalks. It likes sunny, well-drained sites and flowers from spring to summer, forming 2 foot mounds. Plant it tucked between rocks or in a perennial border. It also works well in well-drained containers. Companions well with saffron buckwheat, purple sage, golden yarrow, seaside daisy, clarkias, and dudleyas. If plants become leggy, prune them back to lateral buds, or let volunteer seedlings take over.
Eriogonum parvifolium (Cliff buckwheat):
Plant
Type: Perennial subshrub
Light: Partial shade to sun
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom season: Midsummer until fall
Natural habitat: Coastal bluffs from Monterey to San Diego
Garden Usage: Butterfly and habitat gardens
This shrubby perennial will grow 2' high and wide. It is
covered with small balls of white to pink flowers from midsummer until fall.
Drought and clay tolerant, this buckwheat prefers full sun. The cliff buckwheat
is native to coastal bluffs from Monterey County south. The buckwheats are very
important butterfly plants and one of the pillars of their communities. The
flowers, leaves and seeds are all used by all the smaller animals. When planted
inland it may need occasional water. It is easy to grow, and will self sow
readily. To keep foliage dense, cut back after flowering.
Ericameria
palmeri var. pachylepis (Palmer’s goldenbush):
Plant Type: Shrub
Light: Sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Drought
tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: August
to December
Natural Habitat: Coastal
sage scrub, dry chaparral
Garden Usage: Hillsides,
slopes
Palmer’s goldenbush
is a mounding evergreen shrub, and can grow to 5 ft in height and 5 ft
wide. During summer it assumes a
white coloring, and in late summer yellow flowers bloom through December.
Galvezia speciosa ‘Firecracker’(Island Bush 
Snapdragon):
Plant Type: Evergreen shrub
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Rocky canyons and bluffs in coastal scrub below 3000 ft., garden hybrid
Garden Usage: Attracts hummingbirds, bright red flowers, easy to grow, adaptable in the garden.
Firecracker reaches 2 to 3 feet tall and about 3 feet wide, has softly pubescent leaves, and is more erect and compact than island snapdragon. With its bright red flowers, island bush snapdragon is one of the most ornamental plants. It is very adaptable and easy to grow and benefits from regular pinching to encourage a busy habit. You can prune it in late winter.
Lavendula stoechas
‘Otto Quast’ (Otto Quast Spanish lavender)
Plant
Type: Evergreen perennial
Light: Full sun
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Occasional once established
Bloom Season: Spring through summer
Natural habitat: Mediterranean, Spain
Garden Usage: Borders, Containers, Rock gardens,
hummingbird and butterfly garden
Spanish lavender forms a dense, mounding form 2 ft high to 2-3 ft
wide. It displays rich royal
purple flowers on spikes above the gray-green foliage. A fragrant easy-care perennial for
borders and gardens attracting birds and butterflies. Place within reach for everyone to enjoy.
Mimulus aurantiacus
(Sticky monkeyflower):
Plant Type: Evergreen to nearly
deciduous subshrub
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable; well-drained preferred
Water: Drought tolerant to moderate
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Coastal scrub, chaparral, woodland
Garden Usage: small drifts, mixed borders, containers, attracts hummingbirds, deer-proof
This diversity is particularly evident in southern California and bodes
well for gardeners. Plants these
with California fuschia, sages, buckwheats, coyote
mints, and smaller manzanitas.
Plants typically reach 2-3 ft high and wide.
Mimulus aurantiacus
puniceus (Mission red monkeyflower):
Plant Type: Evergreen to nearly
deciduous subshrub
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable; well-drained preferred
Water: Drought tolerant to moderate
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Coastal scrub, chaparral, woodland
Garden Usage: small drifts, mixed borders, containers, attracts hummingbirds
Red monkeyflower is an 18 in. to 3 ft. with numerous red tubular flowers. It is a California native that is drought tolerant. Attracts hummingbirds.
Penstemon centranthifolius (Scarlet Bugler):
Plant
Type: Perennial
Light: Full sun
Soil: Good drainage
Water: Drought tolerant
Natural Habitat: Dry open or wooded places, chaparral, oak
woodland
Garden Usage: Rock gardens, attracts hummingbirds
Penstemon centranthifolius is a
one to two foot perennial with a 2-4' spike of one to two inch red flowers in
April-July. Native to dry slopes in the coast ranges
and Southern Sierras up to 6500'. Give this Penstemon full sun. Very drought
tolerant. Excellent in rock gardens. Needs good drainage with very little
organic matter. Heavily used by Hummingbirds.
Penstemon ‘Midnight’ (Beard Tongue):
Plant Type: Evergreen herbaceous perennial
Light: Sun to part
shade
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Drought
tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season:
Spring to fall
Natural Habitat: Garden
hybrid
Garden Usage:
Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies
From
the large dark colored flowers and healthy deep green foliage this long lived
cultivars is sure to please. It is an evergreen perennial or sub-shrub to 3
feet tall with purple tinged stems heavily clothed with 4 inch long lance
shaped dark green leaves with slight dentations towards the tips. The large
trumpet-shaped bluish purple flowers are 1” long by 1” wide with a lavender throat
lavender striped in purple. The
flowers appear in a succession of flowering peaks from late spring until fall. The
flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies. Plant in full sun along the coast
and provide some light shade inland. Tolerates and even thrive in poor soils
and alkaline conditions but requires relatively good drainage. Can survive very
dry conditions in cooler coastal gardens but looks better with occasional
irrigation and requires it in hotter locations. Pinch plants after the first
bloom to promote a quick re-bloom and cut back hard in winter to encourage a
new flush of dense growth in spring.
Penstemon spectabilis (Showy penstemon):
Plant Type: Evergreen herbaceous
perennial
Light: Sun
Soil: Well-drained
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Spring to fall
Natural Habitat: Dry, gravelly slopes and washes in chaparral, coastal scrub, and oak woodlands below 6500 feet
Garden Usage: Mixed borders, massed, containers
This southern California penstemon lives up to its common name. When in bloom it can reach 3 to 4 feet tall, and each flower stalk bears upwards of 100, 1-inch-long blossoms, creating a regal display of blue, pink, lilac, lavender-purple, violet, or white. This floral performance can last from spring to fall. Just one specimen can serve as a focal point in a mixed border, but for maximum effect plant several as a ribbon running through a bed, complemented by sages and ceanothus.
Potentilla glandulosa (Sticky Cinquefoil):
Plant Type: Perennial
Light: Part shade
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Moderate
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Coastal and foothills
Garden Usage: Woodland garden, shaded areas
Sticky Cinquefoil is a one to two foot tall perennial with creamy, yellow flowers. It has soft leaves and red stems. It is found along the coast of California and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The flowers of Sticky Cinquefoil last longer in part shade with moderate water, but this perennial grows well in full sun with regular water. Sticky Cinquefoil is a good companion to Deer Grass, Blue Eyed Grass, and California Fuchsia.
Ribes viburnifolium
: (Evergreen Currant)
Plant Type: Shrub
Light: Shade/Part shade
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Drought tolerant in clay, low-moderate
Bloom Season: Spring/Summer
Natural Habitat: Santa Catalina Island and Baja California
Garden Usage: A good medium ground cover for dry shade,
fragrant
This fragrant, evergreen, shrub makes a nice ground cover in either dry or wet shade. It generally reaches to 3-4' in height and 8’ wide in height, but can be kept pruned for a 2 foot flower bed. It makes a nice border or against a fence. Its fragrant and dark glossy green leaves give it year round appeal. It is found on shady slopes of Santa Catalina Island. Takes heavy clay soil well. Not a plant for areas of sun, it will burn back to the line of light shade.
Rosa californica (California wild rose):
Plant Type: Deciduous shrub
Light: Sun to
partial shade
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Drought
tolerant to moderate
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat:
Native to California, Oregon, and
northern Baja
Garden Usage: Wildlife
gardens, barrier plantings, hedgerows
Rosa californica, the California
Wild Rose, is an attractive native California shrub that can eventually form
large spiney thickets from suckering roots. It has
compound dark green leaves (to 7 leaflets) and beautiful 1 1/2 wide fragrant
bright pink flowers that open from long pointed buds. Flowering commences here
in late April and continues on through mid summer. In the cooler bay area
blooming can begin as late as June. Flowering is followed by bright red hips to
1/2 inch in diameter. In fall there are often both flowers and hips on display.
Although native to cool shaded canyons this plant thrives and blooms better in
full sun when given adequate water. Combine California Wild Rose with other deciduous or
evergreen plants, such as pink-flowering currant, coffeeberry, western azalea,
giant chain fern. Prune native
roses to the ground in late summer or fall.
Salvia apiana (White sage):
Plant Type: Evergreen subshrub
Light: Sun
Soil: Adaptable; well-drained preferred
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Dry slopes and flats in coastal scrub chaparral, and some woodlands and forest below 4500 feet
Garden Usage: Hillsides, focal points, fragrance
White sage has something for everyone. Gardeners treasure this strikingly handsome shrub for its bold foliage, dramatic floral display, and powerful scent. It grows 2 to 3 feet tall and 3 to 6 feet across. In spring it sends up flower stalks that easily add another 2 to 4 feet in height. The lavender-tinged white flowers are clustered in interrupted spikes and the broad silvery white leaves are 3 to 4 inches long, with an incredibly pungent scent. An exceptionally drought-tolerant plant, white sage doesn’t need summer water and if over-watered in summer it may not survive. It makes an arresting focal point in a border and can be massed on slopes to help curb erosion. Prune the flower stalks back to the most robust new buds to keep the plant from becoming leggy. Combine it with other sages, buckwheats, penstemons, ceanothus, and California fuchsias. Bees produce a delicate and flavorful honey from its flowers.
Salvia greggii ‘Flame’ (Autumn sage ‘Flame’):
Plant type: Evergreen shrub
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable to well-drained
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Spring to summer
Natural Habitat: Garden hybrid
Garden Usage: Habitat garden, attracts hummingbirds
Grows to 2-3 feet in height and 2 feet wide. A hummingbird magnet, they can't resist
the red flowers and return to the plant many times each day for more nectar.
This plant does best with full sun and well drained soil. Wait until spring to
cut back to emerging new growth.
Deer resistant.
Salvia spathacea
(Hummingbird sage)
Plant Type: Semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Drought tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Late winter to summer
Natural Habitat: Shady or open grassy slopes in coastal scrub, chaparral, and woodlands below 2500 feet
Garden Usage: Groundcover, attracts hummingbirds, containers
Hummingbird sage is one of the few herbaceous groundcovers that grow well in dry shade. It is easy to cultivate and has fabulous flowers and an intensely fruity fragrance. This first-rate sage satisfies on all counts and truly lives up to its common name by attracting hummingbirds to your garden. The only red-flowered native sage, it begins to bloom in late winter and continues into summer, with stalks 1 to 3 feet tall. It is a reliable groundcover, spreading by rhizomes. Cut the sprint flower stalks to the ground when they are no longer attractive to avoid leggy stalks that might flop over in the following year. Hummingbird sage looks good in decorative pots and mixes well with plants that won’t be smothered by its large leaves, such as coarse or dense bunchgrasses, irises, manzanitas, and cofeeberries. Insects and diseases are a minor concern. Plants occasionally get a mild case of powdery mildew that usually clears up quickly, especially if plants are cut back to the ground.
Thalictrum fendleri (Western Meadow
Rue):
Plant Type: Semi-evergreen
herbaceous perennial
Light: Sun
to shade
Soil:
Adaptable
Water: Drought
tolerant to occasional
Bloom Season: Spring
Natural Habitat: Common in forests and woodlands below 3000 ft.
Garden Usage: Under oaks, woodland gardens
Western meadow rue has fine-textured foliage and is easily
mistaken for western columbine.
The green or blue-green leaves are divided in many segments, giving the
foliage a delicate, fern-like appearance.
Adding to this effect are the tiny unisexual flowers, which are showy by
virtue of their sheer numbers. The
flowers appear at the tops of 2 to 5 ft stalks. It thrives in the dry understory of trees, especially coast
live oaks and also accepts a fair amount of summer water. Meadow rue goes dormant in late summer,
and the foliage may turn a pleasing mosaic of soft yellow, tan, and brown. Group several together for best
effect. Partner it with western
columbine, coffeeberry, coral bells, fens, and grasses. Prune it annually to remove the dried
flower stalks and leaves. This plant will self-sow very
easily.
Verbena lilacina ‘De La Mina’ (De La
Mina verbena):
Plant Type: Evergreen subshrub
Light: Sun to partial shade
Soil: Adaptable
Water: Occasional to moderate
Bloom Season:
Spring through fall
Natural Habitat: Garden
hybrid
Garden Usage:
Mixed borders, containers, rock gardens, butterfly garden
De La Mina verbena
reaches 2 to 3 ft high and 3 to 6 ft wide in a mounding habit. It’s flowers attract a variety of butterflies. It adapts to many garden
conditions. Annual pruning will
keep this plant tidy and retain the compact habit. This is an outstanding container plant and excellent for
mixed borders. These look great
next to seaside daisy, native yarrows, yellow monkeyflowers,
and gum plants.