Plant Profile: Spiny Redberry (Rhamnus crocea)
Karen Also called hollyleaf buckthorn, this evergreen shrub is native to Baja California, California and Arizona, where it grows in dry washes and canyons in coastal sage scrub, chaparral, and various…
Plant Profile: Chaparral Mallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus)
Also called Mendocino bushmallow, this evergreen shrub is native to Sonora, Mexico, northern Baja California, and California where it is associated with chaparral and sage scrub vegetation and is especially…
Plant Profile: Purple Sage (Salvia leucophylla)
Also known as San Luis purple sage and gray sage, this semi-deciduous shrub is native to coastal Southern California and Baja California where it grows on dry open hillsides. It…
Plant Profile: California Bush Sunflower (Encelia californica)
Also called California brittlebush, this shrub is native to coastal southern California and Baja California, and is a member of the aster family, Asteraceae, that also includes daisy, yarrow and…
Plant Profile: Bluff Lettuce (Dudleya farinosa)
Also known as powdery liveforever, and powdery dudleya, north coast dudleya, and sea lettuce, this evergreen succulent is native to the coastlines of northern California and Oregon where is grows…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Buffalo Grass (Buchloe dactyloides)
How about a plant zoo turf that does not need fertilizer, pesticides, or frequent mowing? Buffalo grass might be the answer and it has the additional benefits of being attractive,…
Butterflies in the Garden and How to Attract Them: Alfalfa Butterfly (Colias eurythreme)garden
Alfalfa butterflies, also called orange sulphurs, are one of the most widespread butterflies in the US occurring coast to coast except in Florida. They can be found in a wide…
Plant Profile: Canyon Liveforever (Dudleya cymosa aka Echeveria cymosa)
Native to rocky cliffs and steep slopes at low elevations in the mountains in southern Oregon and California, this evergreen succulent perennial is a member of the stonecrop family, Crassulaceae,…
Plants for a Plant Zoo: Gopher Apple (Licania michauxii aka Geobalanus oblongifolius)
If you live along the southeast coastline and want to attract the gopher tortoise, this wiry evergreen shrub provides a fruit that is favored by this very special reptile. Why…
Plant Profile: Buckbrush (Ceanothus cuneatus)
Also known as wedgeleaf ceanothus, this evergreen shrub is native to Oregon, California, and northern Baja California, where it grows in several habitats, especially chaparral. It is a member of…