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 698 of these.
The 30 most-observed are listed here — see all 698 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)
- Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
- Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis)
- Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
- California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
- Saguaro (Carnegiea gigantea)
- Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa)
- Bracken Fern (Pteridium aquilinum)
- American Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
- Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)
- Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis)
- Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens)
- Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia)
- Pink Evening Primrose (Oenothera speciosa)
- Blue Dicks (Dichelostemma capitatum)
- Indian Hemp (Apocynum cannabinum)
- Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
- Red Elderberry (Sambucus racemosa)
- Coast Live Oak (Quercus agrifolia)
- Brittlebush (Encelia farinosa)
- Sacred Datura (Datura wrightii)
- Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
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