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Fall 2024

Plant Natives this Fall

by Robin Mitchell

California has a Mediterranean climate

California is one of five regions in the world with a Mediterranean climate. Besides California, the only other regions with a Mediterranean climate are the Mediterranean Basin in Europe, two locations on the west coast of Australia, the western cape of South Africa, and the west coast of Central Chile.

The primary characteristic of the California Mediterranean climate is that most of the precipitation falls in the winter, not the summer, which is very different from the rest of the world, where rain occurs in the summer. (1)

California is a Biodiversity Hotspot

Why plant California natives instead of drought-tolerant plants from other parts of the world?

California is considered a “biodiversity hotspot," which means it has a large number of endemic (found only in California) plant and animal species.

“California is home to more species of plants and animals than any other state in the nation and is considered a global biodiversity "hotspot." It’s varied geography (including the highest and lowest places in the continental U.S.) and proximity both to the ocean and mountains are the foundation of this exceptional natural heritage." (2)

“biodiversity—the variety and variability of life—accounts for about one-third of all species found in the nation. Of the estimated 5,500 plant species found in California, 40 percent are found nowhere else on Earth!
… one of 36 places on Earth with exceptional concentrations of native species that are experiencing unprecedented challenges.” (3)

Why plant natives

Because California is a biodiversity hotspot, which is threatened by many factors, it is important to plant native plants in our gardens, even in urban and suburban areas. Planting 50%—75% native plants in our gardens creates a healthy native ecosystem in our community that supports (or maintains) our native insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. Healthy ecosystems are more resilient to changes in climate and can lessen the effects of climate change.

Planting California native plants in your gardens and encouraging others in your community to do the same is a powerful way each of us can contribute meaningfully to climate change solutions.

When to plant natives?

Plants native to California have developed characteristics that help them survive our dry summers and wet winters by going semi-dormant or completely dormant in the summer and then springing back to life when the rains start in the fall.

That is why fall is the best time to plant California native plants, because growing vigorously when the rains start is the environment they have evolved in.

What to plant?

A list of previous News to Grow By articles about planting California natives can be found in the Resources section below. This article is a summary of the high points from those articles.

  • Annuals: Depending on the species, native annual plants typically germinate in the early part of the rainy season and bloom in early to late spring. (See Now is the Time to Plant Native in Your Garden from News to Grow By Winter 2023, which discusses methods to grow annuals.) Some fun and reliable annuals to grow that start to resemble the annual blooms in the wild include:
    • Gilia (Gilia capitata): easy to start from seed; there are many varieties of gilia and bees love them
    • California goldfields (Lasthenia californica): seeding these will create a beautiful yellow carpet of small flowers in the spring
    • Farewell to Spring (Clarkia amoena): this is one of the many Clarkia, to choose from
    • Lupine: there are many annual lupines, including Arroyo or Succulent Lupine (Lupinus succulentus), Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus)
      Arroyo or Succulent Lupine (Lupinus succulentus). Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials.
      Arroyo or Succulent Lupine (Lupinus succulentus). Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials.
    • Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii)
    • Fivespot (Nemophila maculata)
    • Common Meadowfoam) Limnanthes douglasii)
    • Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa)
      Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa) and Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii). Photo by Robin Mitchell.
      Tidy Tips (Layia platyglossa) and Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii). Photo by Robin Mitchell.
  • Perennials: there are almost 300 perennial species listed in Calscape for our county, and from that number, it is possible to filter by sun, water, and soil requirements. You can select shrubs (see Winter Blooms for Garden Pollinators from News to Grow By Winter 2024), ground covers, as well as smaller-profile plants. Some interesting options that add color to the garden and are generally available at native plant nurseries include:
    • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
      Sonoma Coast Yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Sonoma Coast'). Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials.
      Sonoma Coast Yarrow (Achillea millefolium 'Sonoma Coast'). Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials.
    • Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
    • Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
      Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa). Photo courtesy of Peter Stevens, CC BY 2.0.
      Western Columbine (Aquilegia formosa). Photo courtesy of Peter Stevens, CC BY 2.0.
    • Chaparral Clematis (Clematis lasiantha): vine
      Chaparral Clematis (Clematis lasiantha). Photo courtesy of Ron Parsons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
      Chaparral Clematis (Clematis lasiantha). Photo courtesy of Ron Parsons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
    • California fuchsia (Epilobium canum): flowers in late summer / fall, hummingbird magnet
    • Common Wooly Sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum)
    • Bolander’s Phacelia (Phacelia bolanderi)
    • Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus)
      Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus). Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials.
      Foothill Penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus). Photo courtesy of Annie’s Annuals & Perennials.
    • California Goldenrod (Solidago velutina ssp. californica): flowers in summer/fall
  • Grasses: Many beautiful native grasses can add interest to a garden. Perennial bunchgrasses used to be the dominant grasses in our hillsides before Europeans introduced grazing and non-native annual grasses. Native bunchgrasses have very deep roots (up to 20 feet), and can improve the moisture retention in the soil, as well as stabilize hillsides, and contribute to carbon capture and sequestration. Some options include:

Calscape can help

Calscape is an online tool that can help determine what plants are native to your location (by entering your zip code, city, and county) and what nurseries carry those plants. (See Native Plant Resources from Summer 2024 News to Grow By). Filtering by “Contra Costa County” results in 707 results. These can then be filtered by options such as:

  • Plant type
  • Sun requirements
  • Water requirements
  • Soil drainage
  • And many more

There are so many exciting possibilities for adding California native plants to your garden, and now is the time to plant them!

Resources

  1. Climate and Topography by Eric Kauffman
    California Coastal Commission
    https://www.coastal.ca.gov/coastalvoices/resources/Biodiversity_Atlas_Climate_and_Topography.pdf
  2. Science: California Biodiversity
    California Department of Fish and Wildlife
    https://wildlife.ca.gov/Science-Institute/Biodiversity
  3. Protecting biodiversity to ensure our communities and ecosystems are resilient to climate change.
    California Natural Resources Agency
    https://resources.ca.gov/Initiatives/Protecting-Biodiversity

Previous News to Grow By articles on this topic

Help Desk Blog
Fall is Planting Time, October 2023

East Bay Chapter, California Native Plant Society
Gardening with Natives articles

Sources of California Native Plant Seeds
Disclaimer statement: No endorsement of this product/company is intended, nor is criticism implied of similar products/companies that are not included.” UC Cooperative Extension

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