California Native Plants

UC Davis Arboretum All-Stars California Natives

The link below provides a chart highlighting the UC Davis Arboretum All-Star plants that are California natives, the native pollinators they attract, and their flower color. 

UC Davis Arboretum All-Star Natives Chart

California Native Plants Additional Resources

Publications:

Frankie, Gordon W. and Robbin W. Thorp, Rollin E. Coville, Barbara Ertter. California Bees & Blooms, A Guide for Gardeners and Naturalists. Berkeley, CA. Heyday. 2014.

Mader, Eric, Mace Vaughn, and Matthew Shepherd. Attracting Native Pollinators: Protecting North America’s Bees and Butterflies. North Adams, Massachusetts. Storey Publishing. 2011. 

Websites:

Why Garden with California Native Plants. California Native Plant Society. n.d. http://www.cnps.org/cnps/grownative/why_native.php.

The California Native Plant Society (CNPS) isdedicated to the preservation of California native plants and their habitats. Their website, and those of their local chapters, offer many resources. This link describes the benefits of gardening with native plants and how to get started.

Native Plants for Butterfly Gardens. California Native Plant Society, Sierra Foothills Chapter. n.d. http://www.sierrafoothillscnps.org/garden/native_plants_for_butterfly_gardens.pdf.

The Sierra Foothills chapter of CNPS website provides detailed information on planting a butterfly garden for Amador, Calaveras, Mariposa and Tuolumne counties). Also on their website, you will find http://www.sierrafoothillscnps.org/gardening/ which is a great site for information on choosing plants for deer-resistant gardening.

Tritel, Cathie. Landscaping with California Native Plants.California Native Plant Society, Redbud Chapter. n.d. 

http://www.redbud-cnps.org/pdf/landscaping-with-natives.pdf

This is a two-page article on how to use natives in a garden. Ideas include accents, framing an entry, and funneling the eye towards an entry. This article is particularly good as it identifies plants by height and breadth. It also includes local sources for California natives.

Arboretum All-Stars. UC Davis Arboretum. n.d. http://arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum_all_stars.aspx

The UC Davis Arboretum All-Stars Program helps the home gardener make eco-friendly plant choices that will enhance the beauty and sustainability of their landscapes. This UC Davis Arboretum All-Star Natives Chart lists the California native plant All-Stars that attract pollinators, but there are many other All-Star plants in a searchable data base at the Arboretum website.

Gardening with California Natives. UCCE Master Gardeners of San Joaquin County,UCANR. n.d. http://sjmastergardeners.ucanr.edu/Gardening_with_CA_Natives/

This website, from the San Joaquin Master Gardeners, a county similar to ours, lists the benefits of growing California natives. It provides comprehensive information on how to grow them. It also includes links to additional educational resources.

Selecting Plants for Pollinators: A Regional Guide for Farmers, Land Managers, and Gardeners in the Sierran Steppe Mixed Forest Coniferous Forest Alpine Meadow Province. The Pollinator Partnership/North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, n.d. http://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/SierranStepperx7FINAL.pdf

This 24-page brochure is great as it describes the pollinators, the flowers they prefer, when the plants bloom, the habitat and nesting patterns for each pollinator, and how to get started, whether you have a farm or a home garden. Note, those in Roseville and other lower elevation towns should use http://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/CalifDryStepperx3FINAL.pdf

California Plants for Native Bees. The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, n.d. http://www.xerces.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/california_plants_for_native_bees_xerces_society_factsheet.pdf
This fact sheet will help you select plants to attract bees. To properly support native bees, make sure the plants you choose are also designated as California native plants.

Hummingbird Plants.California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley, n.d. http://www.cnps-scv.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=70:hummingbird-plants&catid=38:gardening-with-natives&Itemid=65

This list, while developed for the Santa Clara Valley, identifies the California native plants that attract hummingbirds. It describes whether the plant is good in sun or shade, when it blooms, and what color it is.

Hummingbirds in the Nevada and Placer County Region of the Northern Sierra Nevada. California Native Plant Society, Redbud Chapter. n.d.

http://www.redbud-cnps.org/pdf/hummingbirds.pdf

Specifically about the types of hummingbirds in our local counties, this two page article includes the plants that co-evolved with them—chaparral currant, Ribes malvaceum; and fuchsia-flowering gooseberry, Ribes speciosum. It speculates that females judge males on the basis of the quantity and/or quality of these plants in the male’s territory.