Native Plants

Bruce Reed, the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s nursery manager has compiled a list of plants that are recommended for our area. They are both native and drought tolerant and would be a welcome addition to any Mission Canyon property. The criteria for the plants were “low growing, low water, full sun native species that might be good for revegetation.

  • Dwarf black sages would be great – Salvia ‘Terra Seca’, ‘Green Carpet’, ‘Mrs Beard’
  • Purple sages – particularly Salvia ‘Pt Sal’
  • Monkeyflower(Mimulus)
  • Chaparral morning-glory (Calystegia)
  • Lessingia ‘Smart Aster’
  • Chaparral mallow (Malacothamnus)
  • CA buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum)
  • Gumplant (Grindelia stricta)
  • Epilobium – any cv, all sun-loving annuals
  • Bush poppy (Dendromecon rigida)
  • Lupines – all
  • Coast sunflower (Encelia)
  • Dwarf coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis)

And some shrubs for accent plants:

  • Toyon (Heteromeles)
  • Chaparral laurel (Malosma),
  • Saltbush (Atriplex).

Also, here are the “Easy 8” as referenced by Steve Windhager of the SB Botanic Gardens during the Annual Meeting:

(link to the SBBG page)

Easy Eight

Arctostaphylos ‘Howard McMinn’ (Manzanita)
image of Erigeron glaucus
2. Erigeron glaucus cultivars (California Seaside Daisy)
image of Iris 'Canyon Snow'
3. Iris ‘Canyon Snow’
image of Rhus integrifolia hedge at SBBG
4. Rhus integrifolia (Lemonade-berry)
image of Salvia spathacea (hummingbird sage)
5. Salvia spathacea (Hummingbird Sage)
image of Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman'
6. Ceanothus ‘Ray Hartman’ (California Wild Lilac)
image of Salvia 'Winnifred Gilman' with Eriogonum giganteum
7. Salvia ‘Allen Chickering’ or ‘Winnifred Gilman’ (Sage)
image of Heuchera 'Canyon Quartet'
8. Heuchera cultivars (Coral Bells)

Another Easy Eight

image of Eriogonum grande var. rubescens
1. Eriogonum grande var. rubescens (Red-flowered Buckwheat)
image of Muhlenbergia rigens
2. Muhlenbergia rigens (Deergrass)
image of Verbena 'De La Mina'
3. Verbena ‘De La Mina’
image of Vitis californica 'Roger's Red' growing at aSBBG
4. Vitis californica and hybrids (California Grape)
image of Quercus agrifolia (California coast live oak), Meadow Oaks at SBBG
5. Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak)
image of Galvezia speciosa
6. Galvezia speciosa (Island Snapdragon)
image of Achillea 'Pink Island Form' (Yarrow from San Miguel Island)
7. Achillea ‘Pink Island Form’ (Yarrow from San Miguel Island)
image of Leymus 'Canyon Prince' at the entrance to SBBG
8. Leymus ‘Canyon Prince’ (Dwarf Giant Rye)