California native plants
California's Mediterranean climate inverts the usual rules: rain in winter, drought all summer, and natives that go dormant in July rather than August. Most California natives evolved to be dry when it is hot, and summer irrigation is a common cause of death — which is exactly why they are worth planting here.
Bedfellow lists 650 of these.
The 30 most-observed are listed here — see all 650 in search.
- Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
- Creosote Bush (Larrea tridentata)
- Tufted Evening Primrose (Oenothera caespitosa)
- False Solomon's Seal (Maianthemum racemosum)
- California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica)
- Boxelder (Acer negundo)
- Selfheal (Prunella vulgaris)
- Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
- Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
- Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
- Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
- California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
- Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis)
- Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)
- Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
- Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
- Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)
- Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
- Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)
- Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii)
- Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
- Western Trillium (Trillium ovatum)
- Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
- Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Browse by what you want the plants to do
- Native plants for pollinators
- Native plants for butterflies
- Caterpillar host plants
- Milkweeds: monarch host plants
- Native plants for hummingbirds
- Native plants for birds
- Native plants for rain gardens
- Native groundcover plants
- Native plants for erosion control
- Native plants for hedges and screens
- Native plants for containers and pots
- Native plants for naturalizing