The most sensible garden plants
are those that require the least pampering.

If this newsletter were being published elsewhere I would be promoting an entirely different plant palette. Apologies to online readers as this month’s lead article is meant for central Californians.

BAY AREA NATIVE flowering plants can play a part in your garden. While not as showy as those flowers associated with traditional English-influenced style, they provide durability and a glimpse of what was happening here before our human population became what it is today. Most people I encounter here have the impression that our native plants are dull, drab and uninteresting. May I suggest a walk through the East Bay Regional Botanical Gardens, located in Tilden Park where all plants are labeled according to where and when collected; or perhaps a hike with a botanist through one of our many Bay Area parks (my favorites include any section of the extensive Bay Area Ridge Trail).

Soon you will notice the pink drooping clusters on ‘Flowering Current’ (Ribes sanguineum) and the tiny white bells of ‘Huckleberry’ (Vaccinium ovatum). Other harbingers of spring in the Bay Area are ‘Buck Brush’ (Ceanothus cuneatus) and ‘Western Redbud’ (Cercis occidentalis), both adorning sunny slopes. As we warm up, look for the ‘Purple Sage’ (Salvia leucophylla), ‘Coyote Mint’ (Monardella villosa), and ‘Sticky Monkeyflower’ (Mimulus aurantiacus) to start doing their thing. Add to this the oddball flowers of the ground covering ‘Wild Ginger’ (Asarum caudatum), and the various forms of our local Iris (Iris douglasiana*) and you have an idea why we love this place.

But for a real show check out the many annuals and perennials offered by East Bay grower Annie Hayes. Annie’s selections for this year include the cream flowered, fragrant ‘Bluff Wallflower’ (Erysimum concinnum), ‘Chinese Houses’ (Collinsia heterophylla), the ‘Uncommon Jewelflower’ (Streptanthus albidus peramoenus) and of course the many hues of ‘California Poppy’ (Eschscholzia californica).

The nice thing about all of these offerings is their potential when mixed with non-natives from other Mediterranean regions. You can have your cake and eat it. Take some notes on your next Botanic Garden visit, and then head to Berkeley Hort. We’ll be happy to match cultural requirements for you.

–Paul      

*Considered a noxious weed by folks whose livelihood depends on grazing cattle in wide-open spaces…considered a gem by the rest of us.