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Native Plant of the Month

In Season, Stockton; Green Acres Nursery

Mexican Sunflowers

March 2025

Mexican sunflower is different from regular sunflowers. With showy red, orange, or yellow flowers popular with pollinators, Tithonia rotundifolia or Mexican sunflower is a warm season annual that thrives in the heat of summer. Ideal for the beginner gardener who wants pops of color to fill in a large blank spot in the flower border.

Bloom Time: Summer through Fall (or first frost)
Sun Exposure: Full
Plants growing in shady areas may not bloom, will flop over, and might suffer from fungal diseases.
Plant: Direct sow after last frost; 1" deep
Mature Size 3-6 ft. tall, 2-3 ft. wide
Annual / Perennial
Fertilize: fertilization is not needed throughout the growing season
Drought Tolerant - Water Occassionally
Pruning: Pruning Mexican sunflowers isn’t necessary but can help to get lanky plants under control or to keep overgrown plants in bounds. Keep in mind that you may sacrifice some blooms when pruning. Cut off the top 1/3 of the plant when it’s experiencing a lull in blooming to both deadhead and tidy the plant.

Mahonia Nevinii (Nevin's Barberis)

Featured: February 2025

California Native Flowering Evergreen Shrub

Slow Growing - 5' tall to 13' tall; mounding form
Full Sun
Well draining Soil
Cold hardy; heat tolerant, handles regular summer water
Flowers: Bright yellow in full bloom in spring; cup shaped; grown in clusters
Attractive spiny leaves - plant away from walkways
Red to dark blue berries hanging in bunches
Attracts birds and butterflies; supports bats, caterpillars too
Companion Plants: Manzanita, Ceanothus, Bush Poppy, Gladderpod, Mountain Mahongany, Sages

Green Acres, Delta Tree Farm-Lodi, Hollandutch Nursery-Lodi

Desert Willow Tree - Chilopsis linearis

Featured: January 2025

A native to California and the Southwest US, the Desert Willow is a fast growing, low-maintenance flowering desert tree known for its fragrant flowers and drought tolerance.

The cultivar Bubba has a strong vertical form with a multi-trunked shape and can growing 15-25 feet. Leaves are linear, glossy blue-green.

In late spring and summer it produces large fragrant 2-tone burgundy and pink flowers that attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other pollinators.
Cultivar: Sweet Bubba is a true seedless cultivar, ideal for manicured landscapes

Deciduous
Plant: Early spring and fall; space 10-15 feet apart in well draining soil;
Watering: Water deeply at planting time; Once established every 2 weeks in summer and every month in winter
Disease-resistant and cold-hardy
Full sun
Pruning: Annually in early spring after frost to control sprawling.

Green Acres, Elk Grove; In Season, Stockton; Hollandutch Nursery, Lodi

Manzanita [Arctostaphylos]

Featured: November 2024

Native to California, the Manzanita, is a Spanish word translated 'little apple'. A beautiful evergreen found in the chaparral biome of western North America: its' red graceful, twisting branching structure, delicate white lantern-shaped flowers, blush-colored berries, and bright foliage provide year-round interest. Varieties come as shrubs, multi-trunk trees and ground covers.
Variety Emerald Carpet is an evergreen groundcover that forms a dense mat of lush dark green foliage. It has red stems and white flowers in January and February, possibly earlier, attracting hummingbirds.

Supports: pollinators, local birds, insects such as caterpillars & butterflies; fox, quail
Easy to grow in a variety of soils
Full Sun; Partial Shade
Low to very low water needs once established
Irrigate 1x/month (once established)
Evergreen
Growth: Slow to Moderate (Can be pruned in late summer)
Flowers: Winter - Spring
Dark Reddish-brown bark; glossy light green foliage
Companion Plants: Ceanothus, scrub oaks, Salvias, Penstemons, Silk Tassel Bush (Garrya spp.), Flannel Bush (Fremontodendrons).

American Meadows; Healthy Harvesters; Hollandutch Nursery-LodiLodi, Gribaudo Farms-Lodi

Golden Rod Solidago

Featured Month: October 2024

The genus name 'Solidago' is derived from Latin and means “to heal or make whole” which is reflecting its use as a traditional herbal medicine. Goldenrod flowers and leaves can be dried or used fresh to make tea. The flowers are also edible and can be used as garnishes.

Solidago, a native California perennial herb, is extremely easy to grow and blooms mid/late summer into fall with a tall arching plant wide at the base with dense cylindrical clusters of yellow flower heads with an anise like scent.

Grows best in sunny location; if lacks blooms not getting enough sun or being fed fertilizer which stimulates green growth but reduces flowers
Drought Tolerant: water well; 3x/month once established
Rainfall supplies all the water it needs in the winter
Soil: average and even poor
If becomes leggy; stop fertilizer and may have too rich soil; No fertilizer needed
Attracts Monarchs & other butterflies and other insect pollinators including bees
Aggressive spreader via reseeding and underground rhizomes
Prune stem tips early in the season for fuller and bushier plants and more flowers later in the season
Deadheading spent flowers prolongs season into fall
At end of season, or late winter, cut plant stalks back to a few inches above ground level

Divide every 2-3 years to keep from being invasive
Propagating: just when new growth has started lift entire plant of the ground with a shovel; shake off excess soil; separate rhizomes into smaller sections; replant each section at same depth as original plant; water well - keep watering until you see new growth. Can also propagate from cuttings: early summer cut 4" shoots from base; dip ends in rooting hormone; plant cuttings 1" D in a 4-6" pot filled with potting mix; water gently; place pot in protected location of of direct sunlight and drying winds; keep soil most; when new growth appears, transplant into the garden. By Seed: uses gold stratification; sow outdoors in late fall/early spring; Sow directly outdoors in fall or spring or start indoors 6-8 weeks before last frost. If you plant seeds in late fall they will germinate when the temperatures warm the following spring.

Available at:

https://www.normansnursery.com/locations/linden/

Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery - Clements
16950 E Liberty Rd Clements, CA 95227
(209) 759-3003
clements@devilmountainnursery.com
https://devilmountainnursery.com/

Plant Foundry Nursery & Store
3500 Broadway Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 917-5787
info@plantfoundry.com
https://www.plantfoundry.com/

Autumn Joy Sedum

Featured Month: September 2024

'Autumn Joy' Sedum (Sedum spectabile Autumn Joy) produces delicate bright-pink flowers on large heads that age into a beautiful copper color as fall approaches. 'Autumn Joy' is a stout, spreading plant with succulent foliage that pairs well with ornamental grasses and against the deep-green leaves of summer perennials. Easy to care for, very adaptable, and a popular stand-in for shrubs, this sedum lasts and lasts when other plants begin to wane. (Stonecrop)

Bee Friendly, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Birds, Deer Resistant, Rabbit Resistant
Easy To Grow, Low Maintenance, Long Bloom Time
Uses: Cut Flowers, Mass Plantings, Container Planting, Small Spaces, Rock Gardens
Sun: Does best in full sun
Soil: Dry to average moisture
Size: 18-14"H x 24" tall
Blooms: Midsummer to Fall

Available at Annie's Annuals & Perennials (510) 215-3301

Seaside Daisy

Featured Month: August 2024

Seaside Daisies, Erigeron Glaucus WR. It is a delightful perennial showcasing cheerful flowers, bred for heat tolerance.

Blooming for months from spring through fall, these gorgeous lavender-purple 1" diameter flowers almost cover the fresh foliage of blue-green leaves . Compact low growing evergreen shrub useful in mixed borders, rock gardens, containers or small scale ground cover. Dead head spent flowers for best appearance and longer bloom. Cut back every 2-3 years in fall
Size: 2-12" tall; 1-2' wide, fast growing
Provide partial shade in summer months in Central Valley
Perennial herb
Attracts bees & butterflies
Blooms in spring thru fall
Companion plant: Dudleya

Available at:

Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery - Clements
16950 E Liberty Rd Clements, CA 95227
(209) 759-3003
clements@devilmountainnursery.com
https://devilmountainnursery.com/

Plant Foundry Nursery & Store
3500 Broadway Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 917-5787
info@plantfoundry.com
https://www.plantfoundry.com/

Evergreen Huckleberry Vaccinium Ovatum

Featured Month: July 2024

With its dark, evergreen leaves and reddish bark, this attractive native shrub provides year-round interest in the garden. It is also an important wildlife plant. The berries are a food source for a variety of birds and mammals. The delicate, bell-shaped flowers attract bees and hummingbirds.

Evergreen Huckleberry grows in coastal California. In the garden, it is a slow-growing, medium-sized shrub that can serve as a hedge or groundcover. It is a low-water plant that tolerates nutrient-poor soil and shady conditions.

Supports Butterflies & Caterpillars

Mature Size: 2-8' Tall x 15' Wide; upright , spreading; slow growth
Evergreen
Sun: Partial Shade / Full Sun
Water: Moderate; Summer 3x/month once established
Soil: Ph 4.8 - 6.8; tolerates fast, medium and slow drainage
Flowers: Spring / Winter
Propagation: Seed, Cutting & Layering

Companion Plants: Manzanita, Bush Anemone, Salal, Crevice Alumroot, Pine, Azalea, Fir

Available at:

Cornflower Farms
Appt Only - Not Open to the Public 9811 Sheldon Rd, Elk Grove, CA 95624
916-689-1015
natives@cornflowerfarms.com
https://www.cornflowerfarms.com

Plant Foundry Nursery & Store
3500 Broadway Sacramento, CA 95817
(916) 917-5787
info@plantfoundry.com
https://www.plantfoundry.com/
View inventory

find out farms
4712 Parker Ave Sacramento, CA 95820
(916) 400-3442
findoutfarms@gmail.com
http://findoutfarms.com/pollinatorgardenworks

SacValley CNPS Nursery & Gardens
2140 Chase Drive Rancho Cordova, California 95670
cnpschris@gmail.com
http://www.sacvalleycnps.org/nursery

Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina'

Featured Month: June 2024

De la mina verbena (Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina') is an adaptable, mounding perennial that produces mounds of delicate green foliage and stunning dark purple blossoms with lavender highlights. The blooms are lightly scented. Though more flowers are on the bush in spring, it blossoms throughout most of the year, making it a very attractive and versatile plant for any flower border, butterfly garden, or patio container. It grows fast to about 2 feet high and spreads to about 4 feet wide. It is evergreen but may be semi-deciduous in summer.

Our Habitat Garden currently has some great examples of this verbena.

Sun: Partial sun/shade in Zone 9
Soil: Best in loamy, medium-draining soil but will tolerate clay soil provided it isn't over-watered.
Water: Low water - after established water 2x/month
Size: 2' H x 4' w
Pruning: Shear lightly in summer to maintain dense form and remove spent flowers
Flowers: Dark Purple with lavender
Attracts: Butterflies, bees, and other pollinators. It's a great nectar plant for butterflies

Scabiosa, aka Pincushion

Featured Month: May 2024

One of the most beautiful and interesting small flowers available to gardeners Pincushions come in a variety of beautiful hues and is easy to grow successfully. A rich blue frilly skirt of petals surrounds a silvery central "pincushion" of this flower. One of the longest flowering Herbaceous Perennials, it grows very compact with ferny blue-grey foliage.
Best planted in early spring, scabiosa blooms will grow at a moderate pace, reaching maturity in 90 to 100 days. The end result is a bounty of button-like flowers atop wiry stems that flutter in the breeze. Beyond looking beautiful and unique, scabiosa flowers also attracts bees and butterflies. With just a bit of care, they'll bloom all throughout the summer and into early fall.

Mature Size: 12–18 in. tall, 12–18 in. wide
Full sun
Soil Type: Moist but well-drained
Soil p: Neutral, alkaline
Bloom Time: Summer, early fall
Flower Colors: White, pink, lavender, red, burgundy, cream

Coffeeberry - California Lilac

Featured Month: April 2024

Coffeeberry (Frangula Californica) is a species of flowering plant in the buckthorn family native to western North America and produces edible fruits and seeds valued by birds. The fruit (berry) turns red, then purple, and finally black over the summer.

It is commonly known as California coffeeberry and California buckthorn. This plant occurs in oak woodland and chaparral habitats, numerous others in its range.[6] Individual plants can live an estimated 100 to 200 years.

Coffeeberry has a dense form and is easy to prune. It makes a great fire resistant hedge. In favorable conditions the plant can develop into a small tree over 12 feet (3.7 m) tall. More commonly it is a shrub between 3–6 feet (0.91–1.83 m) tall.

Sun: Full Sun, Shade or Semi-Shade
Soil: Tolerates variety of soils
Water: light summer water up to 2x per month.
Flowers: Spring flowers, turning to berries
Supports: birds and 1,000's of insects
Size: 5-8 ft H x 6-8 ft W; keep size in check with pruning
Propagation: Usually by seed but can do through division.

Elegant Claytonia Perfoliata or Miner's Lettuce

Featured Month: March 2024

Claytonia Perfoliata, a trailing plant, is an annual herb in the Montia family native to a large portion of western North America, including almost every county in California. It's presence is indicative of a healthy oak woodland and grows in early spring through May.

Called rooreh by the native Ohlone people, other common names for it are Winter Purslane, Indian lettuce and Miner’s lettuce, the latter which came from 1850s Gold Rush miners eating it on their journeys in Northern California for general nutrition and to help prevent scurvy (it contains high levels of Vitamin C). Mature leaves are round, succulent and edible.

Sun, Part Shade; grows well in dappled shad of trees
Likes moist areas and understory of oaks
Tolerates variety of soils & has a shallow tap root
Supports: insects, moths and butterflies
Size: 1 ft x 1 ft
Propagation: Seed; self seeds prolifically if well sited

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