Our Plants (List)

Western columbine is one of the west coast representatives of this popular group of garden perennials. They add to the garden soft, lush greenery and colorful, intricate pendant flowers. When given regular water, western columbine will remain green through the summer. If allowed to dry out it will follow the…

Sierra columbine is found at mid- to high elevations in the southern Sierra Nevada. It forms a small, rounded clump of deeply lobed leaves. In spring the intricate columbine flowers appear in various hues of white, lavender, and/or yellow. These are upright, rather than pendent as in the more common…

One encounters elk clover in mountainous riparian areas throughout the state. After winter dormancy, this member of the ginseng family sends up a dramatic fountain of compound leaves with large oval leaflets. In the spring each stem is topped with clusters of white flowers. These produce dark purple berries in…

The Madrone has much to commend it for use in the landscape. The growth pattern is upward and open. Large, leathery leaves stand out against smooth, peeling orange-red bark. Clusters of white flowers in late winter give way to bright red berries the following winter. Disadvantages include overall size (though…

The Santa Cruz manzanita occurs in one of several locations in California with exceptional diversity of manzanita species. These sites are characterized by substantial coastal influence. Within its range, the Santa Cruz manzanita grows in chaparral and in openings among mixed deciduous and redwood forests. Its form is open and…

This lovely manzanita is one of many with a very limited natural range. Mt. Diablo manzanita grows exclusively on the slopes of the mountain which lent it its name. It grows as an upright shrub to six feet or so, with gray, hairy clasping (“auriculate”) leaves. The leaves are spaced…

This exceptional manzanita is endemic to the Mt. Diablo region in the SF Bay Area. It grows as an upright shrub or small tree with hairy (“tomentose”) stems and gray-green, waxy (“glaucus”) leaves. The leaves have very short stems (“pedicals”) and are lobed at the base. When the plant is…

Austin Griffiths’ manzanita is thought to be a hybrid between A. densiflora ‘sentinel’ and A.’Dr. Hurd.’ It reflects the strengths of both parent plants. The growth pattern is upright and rounded with leaves the same shape as in A. densiflora, but larger. The flowers are pink and are a valuable…

Baby bear is a chance hybrid that was discovered on the Las Pilitas Nursery site in Santa Margarita, CA, by Bert Wilson. It is reported to involve Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Sentinel’ and Arctostaphylos bakeri Louis Edmunds. It grows as a rounded shrub to about eight feet tall and wide with purple…