Santa Clara County is a special place for me. After arriving in 1965 safely tucked in a cardboard box between my parents, my residency has only been interrupted by education. At this point, I have called this valley home for around fifty years. That’s a lot of life lived in one place! The abundance of years has contributed a trove of memories. That’s part of what makes the County special for me.
Many of those memories are tied to the native plants of my childhood home, in the lower foothills of Saratoga. The neighborhood was only half-developed, so our home was surrounded by patches of open space. I remember climbing to the top of the Monterey pines, Pinus radiata, planted generously around the family property, and just watching the world go by, swaying in the bay breeze. The rough bark, nearly horizontal branches and open structure made for an ideal climbing tree. Then there was the annual fool’s errand of attempting to remove what my parents called the “native bush.” It was coyote bush, Baccharis pilularis, which grows vigorously throughout the Bay Area. After much sawing and hacking, coyote bush always seemed to come back from the smallest fragment of root. And everywhere the rolling hills of Saratoga were dotted with coast and valley oaks, the panorama behind our family life.
Beyond Saratoga other sites became homes-away-from home: Sanborn County Park hosted our family for many celebrations out on the large lawn surrounded by redwoods, Douglas firs and madrone; The Skyline to the Sea Trail, which at the time ran from the Highway 9 summit to Waddell Beach, introduced me and my brothers both to backpacking and the diverse plant communities of that magnificent descent; and Henry Coe State Park, still a young park at the time, threw up mile upon mile of chaparral, oak woodlands and lush creek sides to prevent us from reaching our favorite fishing hole. It seems most of my favorite times in the Valley have been spent surrounded by our local flora!
Our gardens are, of course, many things to us. There is simply the visual aesthetics – what please the eye. We may also value the ecological benefits of a native garden. Perhaps, too, there is a place in our gardens for plants that remind of favorite spaces and important moments of life lived in this special place.
Here are a few local natives to consider for fall planting. Perhaps they can be the first entry in your garden scrapbook?
Amelanchier utahensis, western serviceberry, is a common member of montane plant communities throughout California and beyond. In the SF Bay Area this rose relative may be discovered at Mt Diablo or Henry Coe State Park, among many other locations. I was lucky enough to notice a small stand of Utah serviceberry blooming in May along the east fork of Coyote Creek in Henry Coe. The clusters of white flowers stood out among the darker foliage of the serviceberry and its neighbors. This deciduous shrub grows with a rounded upright form, with dark green leaves and gray bark. The white flowers produce edible blue berries, which are relished by birds. All in all, Utah serviceberry is a great local shrub for wildlife support.
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Solanum umbelliferum, Bluewitch Nightshade: This member of the nightshade family is found throughout the California Floristic Province (i.e. that portion of the West Coast that enjoys a Mediterranean climate) in many plant communities. Locally it is quite common around Stevens Creek Reservoir. It grows as an open, rounded shrub, often within other plants, with solid green leaves and flowers of purple or blue with yellow centers. In summer, the small rounded fruit develop, reminding us that bluewitch nightshade is in the same family as the common tomato. Please note, however, that all parts of bluewitch nightshade are toxic to humans. Bluewitch nightshade is adaptable to a variety of situations and will remain green in the summer with a small amount of irrigation after the plant is established. Note: These plants were grown from material originating in Santa Clara County.
Rupertia physodes, forest scurfpea: One often encounters the forest scurfpea on shady trailsides. There it forms an attractive stand of dark green compound leaves, each with three dewdrop shaped leaflets. One might mistake it for one of its pea-family cousins in the genus Hoita, especially Hoita strobilina. The blooms, however, are distinct with terminal clusters of white flowers with violet highlights. The forest scurfpea is fairly common in the SF Bay Area. In Santa Clara County, explore Stevens Creek County Park for some healthy stands. The plant is common in the hills of all nine Bay Area counties. Scattered populations occur from San Diego County, through our coastal mountains then into the US Northwest and British Columbia. Forest scurfpea should be given ample shade and occasional water after establishment.
Eriophyllum confertiflorum, golden yarrow, is widespread in the coastal ranges and Sierra foothills from about the latitude of Sacramento into northwestern Baja. It grows as an upright, rounded shrub with grayish green foliage. In mid-spring it is topped with clusters of bright yellow flowers for many weeks. The flower clusters are somewhat similar to those of the yarrow of the genus Achillea, which explains the common name. Golden yarrow grows in well-draining, sunny locations, though I have found that it does rather well in partial shade and accepts medium drainage. After admiring the golden blooms of this plant on a spring hike, you may wonder where it goes during the summer. Golden yarrow naturally goes dormant in mid-summer, as do many local shrubs such as coyote mint, Monardella villosa. You can plant it among other evergreen shrubs so that its dormant appearance will not detract from your garden aesthetics. Inter-planting with low growing ceanothus is one possibility. Some summer water will keep Golden Yarrow somewhat green, but it will go dormant in the winter.
Symphoricarpos mollis, creeping snowberry, appears as a very low shrub throughout most of mountainous California on up into British Columbia. It forms an open mat of oval military green leaves that spreads among neighboring plants via rhizome. After winter dormancy fresh leaves appear followed in summer by the milky white berries for which snowberry is named. While not poisonous, the berries have an unpleasant taste. Creeping snowberry is remarkably adaptable to a variety of soil types, drainages and sun exposures. As one moves away from the coast, more shade is required to keep it looking its best in the summer months.
Lepechinia calycina, pitcher sage, is found in California’s coastal mountains from the Bay Area to Ventura County, and the lower foothills of the central Sierras. It grows in an open, fountain form with large lance-shaped leaves. The large tubular flowers are usually white, but may also have a tint of lavender. If allowed to naturalize (no supplemental irrigation) during the summer months, the large leaves will transition from yellow to orange and smaller leaves will appear. The combination of green, yellow and orange is quite attractive, though it does take some getting used to if one is accustomed to year-round lush green. The pitcher sage requires soil of at least medium drainage and several hours of sun. It can be short lived if watered regularly. Two plants in my garden have thrived for about a decade in a naturalized bed, however. Coppicing an established plant at the beginning of winter will stimulate fresh, dense growth.
Click on the link below to explore our current inventory of Santa Clara County natives…
Linda Vista Native Plants
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