Plant of the Month
Home Ground Habitats in collaboration with North Marin Water District is excited to launch a new online feature in 2023:
a drought tolerant PLANT OF THE MONTH.
We hope you will find our monthly plant details useful and would love to hear back from you if you include these plants in your garden.
Plant of the Month March 2025: California’s Native Currants
February 25, 2025
Early Bloomers Support Pollinators The really early blooming season of the manzanitas is coming to a close just as the currants are starting to bloom. Tiny, first-generation bumblebees (Bombus melanopgus) are still gathering nectar and pollen from the manzanita blooms just as many other resources are becoming available. A Cornucopia of Berry-Producing Plants California has […]
Plant of the Month February 2025: Manzanita, a California Native
February 5, 2025
Manzanitas in Bloom Manzanitas (Arctostaphylos species) burst into beautiful bloom early each year during the rainy season. At Home Ground Habitats, our collection of manzanitas is now almost five years old, and many specimens have developed the intricate branching and striking deep red bark that make these plants so distinctive. A Sanctuary for Wildlife Manzanitas […]
Iris douglasiana – Douglas Iris
March 25, 2024
Douglas Iris are very special to California – with flowers that are not just beautiful but also easy in garden culture, and totally deer-proof. Iris douglasiana prefer part shade and once established, need nothing but rainwater. In the wild they grow in woodlands, often at the edges of the canopy, or in the sunspots between […]
Baccharis pilularis var. consanguineum – Coyote Bush
January 22, 2024
This California native shrub grows in all sorts of plant communities in our wild lands and is also a valuable shrub in a habitat garden sanctuary. Studies have shown that this plant provides resources for more than 400 species of insects! In late summer, when the plants bloom, butterflies such as Buckeyes and Pygmy Blues […]
Epilobium (Zauschernia) canum – California Fuchsia: Haven for Pollinators & Garden Beauty
October 25, 2023
Epilobium (Zauschernia) canum California Fuchsias are both beautiful and tough plants! There are many species and named cultivars available; all are drought tolerant, and as a spreading herbaceous perennial plant they can cover a lot of ground. These plants thrive in very average soils and need full sun and very little water. Species with narrow […]
Blue Elderberry (Sambucus nigra var. caerulea): Growth, Benefits, and Culinary Delights
August 14, 2023
Elderberries are fast-growing when planted in mostly full sun exposure and watered regularly; a one-gallon-sized plant can become a six to ten-foot, multi-trunked shrub within a year! They are a great choice for closely planted hedgerows combining small trees, shrubs, vines, grasses, and spreading perennials. Elderberry is a terrific plant for the habitat garden! This […]
Cultivating Milkweeds: Vital Habitat Plants for Monarch Butterflies
July 6, 2023
Just about everyone loves the Monarch Butterfly – and by association with this iconic insect, knows about Milkweeds (Asclepias species). Milkweeds are the only host plant for the larvae (caterpillars) of the Monarch Butterfly, and therefore essential to the species, which has recently been listed as potentially endangered. Concerned nature lovers want to provide for […]
Heuchra Alum Root: Native Varieties, Garden Cultivation, and Stunning Blooms
June 15, 2023
Saxifrage Family – Alum Root or ‘Coral Bells’ Heuchra maxima, Island Alum Root, is native to some of the Channel Islands, where it grows on rocky outcrops and in shady woodlands. It is a tough and beautiful plant and easy in garden culture. In the lowland forests of Northern California Crevice Alum Root, Heuchra micrantha, […]
California Salvia Species
June 7, 2023
Exploring the Vibrant Diversity of Salvia Species in California There are many California native Salvias – and most of them have very fragrant foliage and flowers which can perfume a whole garden and also make the plants deer-proof! Salvias are hardy and very drought-tolerant, but they all need excellent drainage and full sun. All species […]
Discovering the The charm of the Pink Flowering Currant
May 9, 2023
Ribes sanguineum var. Glutinoseum California native currants offer many resources for wildlife and are also beautiful specimens for the garden. The plants can grow to be large – up to about 9 feet tall and sometimes as wide – but they are easy to prune and can also be successfully espaliered on a trellis or […]