Welcome to floral sunshine in the native garden! Solidago velutina ssp. californica, or California goldenrod, is not well known among...

Ushering in the autumn season is California fuchsia, or Epilobium canum. When so many other native perennials are already withering or...

California has everything, even its own rose. No, it is not a fancy multi-petaled cut flower coveted by lovers, but it certainly has...

For twenty plus years, my commute followed the Russian River from Healdsburg to Duncans Mills. Sometimes I would keep going all the way...

Asters are a treat in autumn, mostly blooming just before chrysanthemums. Many are showy and exhibit a color range from white to shades...

Not until I was in my thirties did I visit my first true oasis in the California desert. I knew desert oases were sanctuaries of water,...

There are a number of cultivars of A. millifolium, but 'Paprika' stands out for me thus prompting this separate post. The facts below...

In the past decade, Chilopsis linearis has started to pop up in Northern California as a viable, colorful option in the landscape ...

Many California natives are exclusively indigenous to California or the West Coast, but Achillea millefolium has broadened its reach to...

There are two species within the Alnus genus that California's landscape architects should know. The first is Alnus rhombifolia, with a...

This cheerful cultivar of a native species is on my wish list to personally grow, but so far my success has been limited. My first...

The coast live oak is among other tree species noted for their size, often achieving heritage status within communities... witness trees...

Juncus patens is a workhorse in a relatively new landscape industry, green stormwater infrastructure, or GSI for short. Sure, it is a...

Big leaves, big tree, at least that is how I remember this tree from my parent's property when they lived in Washington State. The...

There is potential with this native plant! Today, landscape architects seek opportunities to utilize native species wherever they...

Considered a native of the West, but this is a cultivar of unknown origin (to me). Most online sources avoid using the species epithet,...

Ages ago, I briefly lived in a warehouse on the Carquinez Strait. The town of 300 was the remnants of an old ferry crossing to Benicia. ...