Pollinator Garden Pollinator Garden

TheSierra Nevada Foothills in Nevada and Placer Counties boast a wide range of soil types, making our region a great place to grow a variety of California native plants right in your own backyard!

“Geology plus our elevation and the topography leads to a diversity of flora,” says Justin Maciulis, Horticulture Chair for our local California Native Plant Society, Redbud Chapter. Justin grows starts for BriarPatch in spring through his business Nevada County Native Plants. “Pollinators are essential for everything. They not only pollinate plants they feed wildlife. It is a huge, significant part of the cycle. They sustain us.”

Bear Brush or Silk Tassel (Garrya fremontii) –

This moderate-growing, drought-tolerant, large evergreen shrub enjoys full sun and is a winter bloomer with long yellowish to pinkish flowers that attract many species of bees.

California Buttonbush (Cephalanthus occidentalis) –

Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis) – This fastgrowing, drought-tolerant, small deciduous tree or shrub has bright and showy pink or magenta blooms in spring. Hummingbirds and bees dig ‘em.

California buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum) –

This small perennial shrub is easy to grow and drought tolerant. Enjoy blooms all summer long in shades from white to rosy, pink to yellow that attract the Square Spotted Blue Butterfly. The plant attracts quail who love to forage the seeds.

Large deciduous shrub with profuse, fragrant blooms – Father's Day to early Autumn. Butterflies love this plant. Expect to attract Monarchs and Pipestem Swallowtails. In the wild, look for this lovely plant at South Yuba River State Park at Bridgeport.

Ceanothus (Ceanothus sp.) – There are 172 different ceanothus native to California! These fast-growing native lilacs, ranging from ground covers to shrubs and small trees, are spring bloomers in white, lavender, purple and blue flowers. A great host plant for butterfly eggs and caterpillars.

California Fuschia (Epilobium canum) – You’ll love the gray foliage on this drought-tolerant perennial ground cover that blooms in late summer. Orange-to-scarlet tubular flowers are a hummingbird magnet. Does well in rock gardens and traditional perennial border gardens. Great on slopes for erosion control.

Here are a dozen California native plants that do well in backyard gardens in our foothill neighborhoods. Every plant has different requirements, so do a little research for optimal growth in your own space.

Coyote Mint (Monardella villosa) – Found on the ridges of the Sierra Nevada, this pretty plant with purple flowers is easy to grow as a perennial border, and the butterflies adore it.

Manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita) – A beautiful shrub with white and pink blossoms. Indigenous to the area, yet considered flammable when planted en masse. Instead, consider featuring this beauty as a centerpiece or solitary, isolated specimen away from the house with lower-profile vegetation, to be wildfire safe. Essential for winter pollinators.

Common Wooly Sunflower (Eriophyllum lanatum)

– Drought-tolerant and deer-resistant evergreen perennial with sunny yellow flowers about the size of a quarter. This plant enjoys full sun and attracts pipestem swallowtail butterflies and bees.

California Melicgrass (Melica californica) – It’s all about that companionship when planting a garden. Grasses add microbes to the soil biology, creating a healthier environment for other perennial plants in a pollinator garden. A staple of any natural environment, grasses help provide water conservation and support for other plants with shallower root systems.

Creeping or Sonoma Sage (Salvia sonomensis) – An evergreen ground cover with profuse purple-tolavender flowers that bees and butterflies love. An extremely drought-tolerant and fireresistant plant that tolerates many soil types. Great for erosion control. Flowers in spring.

For more tips on growing and identifying plants in the wild, go to Redbud Chapter’s website chapters.cnps.org/ redbud. Also be sure to check out their annual plant sales and seasonal guided walking tours. Calscape is a great resource, too! Learn more at calscape.org.

Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia) – A beautiful perennial shrub in the rose family that blooms white with hawthorn-like scent in summer visited by butterflies and other insects. In winter, edible red berries are an important food source for birds like American robins and cedar waxwings. The city of Hollywood was named for this plant.