California Natives

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) is an eastern North American perennial prized for vivid red flower spikes from midsummer into fall. It grows best in consistently moist soil in full sun to partial light and is well suited to rain gardens, pond edges, and wet meadows. The tubular flowers are especially attractive to hummingbirds and also draw butterflies and bees. Mature plants commonly reach 3 to 5 feet tall.

Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) is a native perennial with slender spikes of blue-violet flowers from summer into early fall. It performs best in moist soil in full sun to partial light and fits naturally into rain gardens, wet meadows, and pond edges. The flowers support butterflies, bees, and other beneficial insects, and the tall stems are suitable for cutting. Established plants commonly reach about 4 feet tall.

The California Bluebell Campanula is a very popular, beautiful and hardy annual that has been adapted to very arid environments. The stunning deep blue, bell-shaped flowers of this variety are highlighted by long golden stamens. It's leaves are heart-shaped, covered with soft white hairs closely resembling an African Violet. This flower prefers full sun in very sandy or well-drained soils. The California Bluebell is one of the most extravagant shades of blue.

The Showy Asclepias is just like its name, a beautiful showy plant that is an excellent nectar sources for butterflies and hummingbirds! This Butterfly Weed variety is similar to Common Milkweed, but its pinkish-purple flowers have longer petals that taper more and are covered with fine hairs. The Showy Asclepias will attract butterflies and hummingbirds, especially Queen and Monarch butterflies. This plant is aggressive and should be thinned every year.

The Poppy Formula Mix is a beautiful blend of bright, multicolored blooms that will grow all throughout the United States. This mix grows well in hot or cold regions (annual) and is easy to establish. Its foliage is beautiful and its flowers close at night and open in the morning.

The Poppy Ballerina Mix is an unique variety of California Poppy that flowers crimped petals in shades of orange, yellow, rose, white and scarlet. This variety grows to be 8-14 inches tall. The Ballerina Mix is usually considered a hardy annual, as it can be a short-lived perennial in zones 8-10.

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a native North American prairie grass with a rich history as a foundational species in tallgrass ecosystems, valued for its resilience and ecological benefits. It features fine-textured, upright blue-green blades that turn striking shades of red, orange, and bronze in the fall, reaching about 2–4 feet tall. Adapted to a wide range of soils, it thrives in full sun with minimal water or fertilizer once established, making it ideal for xeriscaping and low-maintenance landscapes.

The California Poppy is a bright orange wildflower that is the most known poppy variety and will grow well throughout the United States. This poppy's foliage is absolutely beautiful and has flowers that close at night and open in the morning. Despite it's name, the California Poppy, grows well in hot or cold regions (annual) and is easy to establish.

This flower mixture is for pollinator conservation in the western United States and southwest Canada. The eastern planting boundary would be a line straight south from the eastern borders of North and South Dakota. It contains a balanced blend of native annuals and perennials that provide nectar and pollen throughout the growing season.

The California Blend combines annual and perennial wildflowers selected for sunny ornamental planting in the western and southwestern United States. Its current component profile features Annual Baby’s Breath, Blue Flax, California Poppy, and Indian Blanket. California conditions vary sharply; this blend is best matched to sunny lower-elevation sites with a Southwest-type climate. The mixture contains both native species and non-native flowers adapted to the region, creating varied colors, heights and bloom periods. Sow in a sunny, prepared, weed-free seedbed and keep the surface consistently moist while seedlings establish.

June Grass, also called Prairie Junegrass and formerly Koeleria cristata, flowers early in North American upland prairies. Silvery-green seed plumes turn tan by midsummer, giving dry plantings fine texture. Birds can feed on the small seeds and use the tufted grass for cover. Choose full sun and lean, sandy or gravelly soil.

Blue Joint Grass is a widespread North American wetland grass with a long natural role in streamside and meadow plant communities. Pink-green summer seed heads rise above rhizomes that help hold damp soil in place. Its dense growth offers cover for wetland insects and birds, and it can spread quickly across restoration sites. Give it full sun to partial shade and moist to wet ground.

Narrowleaf Milkweed (Asclepias fascicularis) is a western North American perennial with narrow leaves and rounded clusters of pale pink flowers. It thrives in full sun and dry, well-drained soil and is well suited to native meadows and pollinator plantings. The foliage serves as a monarch caterpillar host, while the flowers provide nectar for bees and butterflies. Mature plants typically reach about 3 to 4 feet tall.

Carex comosa is a large tufted wetland sedge. The narrow leaves are lime green and shiny. In late spring triangular culms rise above the foliage to 5’ bearing large chartreuse bottlebrush shaped spikes. Attractive warm brown seed spikes follow. This bold sedge flourishes in sun or part sun in damp or wet sites. Plants prosper in difficult wet mucky soils or even in shallow water.

This mix contains annuals and perennials that are native to the northwestern United States and extreme western Canada. This area includes northern California, western Oregon, western Washington and coastal British Columbia. Use it for elevations below 7,000 feet elevation. For higher elevations, see our Mountain Native Mix.

The Five Spot Nemophila creates a beautiful carpet of many, unique white and purple blooms that is really a stunning sight to see. This variety is an annual wildflower that easily and quickly grows from its seeds. The Five Spot grows fast and blooms profusely, and then it dies back with the first frost of fall. This variety may re-seed itself if the seeds fall on bare ground.

Baby Blue Eyes Nemophila is a quick growing low carpet blooms that fade from dark blue to sky blue centers and is often seen in the blooming in spring. This variety is an annual that is a profuse bloomer of simple flowers. The Baby Blue Eyes is known to re-seed itself for a display the following spring.

The Sneezeweed Helenium produces a numerous amount of beautiful, large, daisy-like yellow flowers that bloom in the late summer and early autumn! Despite its common name, this variety presents no problems for most allergy sufferers.

The Canada Wildrye is a cool-season bunchgrass grain variety that can be found throughout Canada and the U.S. except in the southeastern states. It is typically found in prairies, open woods, fields and disturbed sites. This grain tends to be short-lived but provides quick stabilization for erosion control seedings, and it makes a good, early successional component of prairie mixtures. The Canada Wildrye provides quality forage for livestock and wildlife.

Goldilocks produces fluffy double golden blooms with warm, darker centers. This compact selection flowers quickly and supplies abundant summer color in sunny beds, containers, and cutting gardens. Regular harvesting encourages branching and keeps new buds developing.

Water Horehound is native to nearly all of the contiguous United States and has long occupied open marshes, fens, and wet meadows. Although it belongs to the mint family, its foliage lacks the strong mint scent; small white flowers sit in the leaf axils. Those flowers can serve small pollinating insects, while the stems add cover in wetland habitat. Give it sun or partial shade and moist to wet soil.

Rice Cut Grass has a wide history across world wetlands and is native to North American floodplains and pond margins. Its sharp-edged leaves explain the common name and can form dense stands. Least Skipper larvae use the grass, adults feed in its habitat, and waterfowl eat the seed. Plant in sun or partial shade on wet, preferably silty soil.

Torrey's Rush is a North American wetland perennial with round flower clusters near the tops of slender stems. Its named species has long occupied marshes, wet prairies, and pond or river margins. Fast-spreading rhizomes help stabilize shorelines and create cover for wetland insects and small animals. Give it full sun and consistently moist soil.

Common Rush has been cultivated more widely than other rushes and occurs across much of the world, including North American wetlands. Bright green, nearly leafless stems make a fine-textured stand beside ponds. Wetland birds forage and shelter among the stems and seeds. Grow in full sun on medium to wet soil.

Fowl Manna Grass is one of North America's most widespread wetland grasses, occurring from shaded woodland pools to open marshes. Its airy panicles and soft foliage provide cover for small animals. Geese graze the leaves, and the moth Elachista irrorata uses it as a host plant. Grow it in sun or shade on moist to wet soil.

Blunt Spike Rush is a small North American wetland native with a different life history from many rushes: it is an annual that reseeds. Upright stems and compact seed heads offer cover for frogs and perches for dragonflies. Aquatic beetles, leafhoppers, and shore flies also use its wet habitat. Sow in full sun on mud or consistently wet soil.

Brown Fox Sedge takes its name from the fox-tail appearance of its midsummer seed heads. This abundant North American native grows across wet meadows and other moist open habitats. Fruiting clumps provide bird forage and cover for small wetland animals. It adapts to sun or partial shade and soils ranging from wet to moderately dry.

Awl-fruited Sedge has several long-used names, including Prickly Sedge and Fox Sedge, reflecting its pointed seed heads. It is native to North American riverbanks, floodplain forests, and marshes and establishes quickly in disturbed wetlands. Caterpillars feed on the foliage; woodcocks, ducks, and swamp sparrows eat the seeds. Plant in sun or shade with reliably moist to wet soil.

Broad-leaved Woolly Sedge is native to North American wet meadows and mineral-rich wetlands, where calcareous soil is common. Its broad, softly textured leaves and June seed spikes distinguish it from finer sedges. Native sedge foliage can host insects, while its seeds contribute to wetland bird forage. Plant it in sun or partial shade with consistently moist to wet, often alkaline soil.

Porcupine Sedge is a native of North American fens, marshes, sedge meadows, and wet prairies, also known as Bottlebrush Sedge. Its bristly seed heads give the common names their character. Wetland insects use its foliage and waterfowl forage for sedge seeds among the stems. Grow it in full sun and wet soil that may flood for short periods.

River Bulrush has long occupied shallow-water margins of North American lakes, rivers, and marshes; older botanical names placed it in Scirpus and Schoenoplectus. Its tall stems and spreading rhizomes make dense cover for wetland invertebrates and waterbirds. This vigorous perennial is suited to large restoration areas rather than a small ornamental bed. Grow it in full sun with consistently wet soil or standing water.