Now is the Time to Spot Monkeyflower while Hiking Marin is a wonderland of open spaces, state, and national parks with miles of trails that entice so many of us to get out and hike all through the year. This…
California’s native plants follow a seasonal rhythm — from winter blooms that nourish early pollinators to late-summer seed bearers that sustain birds and wildlife. Explore plants featured throughout the year and discover what thrives in each season.
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…
Continue ReadingManzanitas 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…
Continue ReadingEarly 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…
Continue ReadingThe Diverse World of Salvias in California California is home to a number of different Salvia species; many of them are large flowering shrubs, some are small creeping perennial plants, and a few are annuals. Salvias belong to the Mint…
Continue ReadingNow is the Time to Spot Monkeyflower while Hiking Marin is a wonderland of open spaces, state, and national parks with miles of trails that entice so many of us to get out and hike all through the year. This…
Continue ReadingBy Charlotte Torgovitsky. A Coastal Beauty for Every Garden If you're looking for a native plant that combines beauty, resilience, and ecological value, Seaside Daisy (Erigeron glaucus) is a wonderful choice. This charming perennial brings soft color and coastal character…
Continue ReadingBy Charlotte Torgovitsky. This beautiful little California native “sub-shrub” is a wonderful pollinator plant that comes into its full glory early in summer. A member of the mint family, Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa) supports local ecosystems: its profuse lilac blooms…
Continue ReadingEpilobium (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…
Continue ReadingGumplants are blooming, creating another glorious show in mingling shades of red, yellow, and purple flowers! The reddish flowering fuchsias are hummingbird magnets, especially important for Allen’s and the Rufous hummingbirds migrating back to warmer over-wintering sites
Continue ReadingBy Charlotte Torgovitsky. In California we have both annuals like Delta Sunflowers, Helianthus annuus, and Giant Sunflowers, Helianthus californicus, which is an herbaceous perennial that dies back to a large taproot in the fall. Before major development along many rivers,…
Continue ReadingVerbena lilacina is a California native sub-shrub originating from the Channel Islands. It grows into a compact shrub about 2 to 3 feet high and wide. “De la Mina” has purple flowers, “Paseo Rancho” has flowers that are “pinkish”. It is a beautiful multi-season bloomer, including Fall!
Continue ReadingToyon is another of California's common shrubs that grows naturally in a multitude of environments; it is at home in the chaparral and woodlands throughout the state, and into the mountains of Baja California. In the wild plants display a great deal of variability in leaf size and shape, color and size of the berries, and growth habit.
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