July 2026 Plant Availability

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Greetings ,

In any garden, there will be the inevitable nuisance. Around the nursery, we’ve used screening cages to keep birds from stealing acorns, mesh to keep rodents away from their preferred snacking species (Island Mallow, or Malva assurgentiflora), and we manually squish aphids aplenty to keep our native milkweed plants healthy. Thankfully, within the nursery’s fence, we haven’t had to worry about deer browsing, or pocket gophers “disappearing” plants. (Though it feels like we might be jinxing ourselves to even write those words!)

Outside the gates, our demonstration/seed collection gardens cope with two challenges that many Bay Area gardeners know too well: pocket gophers and deer. Read on to learn more about our neighbors!

We polled our newsletter recipients a few months ago about their techniques for gardening alongside our native wildlife, and we compiled a few quick tips and some recommended species below for y’all. Now, lists like this are a starting place–deer & gophers don’t read the guides humans write! Depending on the time of year, how hungry they are, and whether they’ve yet learned what plants are tasty, wildlife will inevitably cause some plant loss. As one client wrote in our survey:

“We fortunately are living in a wooded area. I get to choose plants or wildlife. Or both. I’m choosing both now and it’s so frustrating to lose plants, but incredible to have the animals part of our lives. We see fawns playing and hear turkeys chirruping in contentment. Planting in containers, [using] plant cages and making strategic choices (like choosing some big plants that will withstand wildlife when mature) have become a happy way through for me… Living together with nature is hard and good, rewarding work.”

And, readers, remember that deer and gophers are native wildlife! Browsing by deer pinch-prunes plants, and gophers’ excavations shift nutrients around and aerate our soils. And…native plants are not without their defenses, having evolved alongside these critters.

Columbian Blacktail Deer

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

(above, more common along the coast)

Mule Deer

(Odocoileus hemionus, more common inland)

Found in urban landscapes, woodlands, coastal mountains, in the transitional zone of forest and meadows

Browse, rather than graze, preferring tender young leaves, bark, green stems, young grasses, or any plant when options are limited.
When spooked, can jump 15 feet forward, and clear obstacles over 10 feet high!
Deer come into our gardens seeking food, water, and safety. Developed areas have fewer natural predators (mountain lions) for deer.
Signs of deer activity in the garden: plants with ripped leaves or stems, scratched bark where they’ve rubbed their antlers, and plants that have been stepped (or lain) upon.

Prevention:

fencing (8 feet high)
screening or caging young plants
repellant (applied often)
planting deer-resistant species (see below)
Overseeding
Consider netting or fencing new plants during heavier-browsing times of year as well as for the first few years to allow their roots to establish.
Competitive plants–rhizomatous species, annuals or perennials that reseed well
Fragrant, spiky/thorny, leathery, or poisonous plants; those with milky sap

Botta’s Pocket Gopher

(Thomomys bottae is the most common species in CA)

These subterranean ecosystem engineers are typically underground in their burrow systems, sometimes seen feeding at the edge of a burrow, or poking their head up after taking a plant into the burrow.

There are five native species of pocket gophers in California, named for their expandable fur-lined cheeks (pockets) that they use to transport food.
Signs include mounds of fresh soil, and plants that disappear seemingly overnight. When digging in the garden, you may come across tunnels, cavities, or loose pockets of soil
Gophers’ digging helps aerate soil, in burrows covering 200-2000 square feet.
They can dig up to 150 feet of tunnel and eat up to 60% of their body weight in a day!
Predators such as owls do cut down on gopher populations but do not eradicate them

Prevention:

Below-ground cages (1/2-3/4 inch wire mesh baskets, large enough to allow plant roots to establish, homemade or commercially available). Extend the cage above ground to prevent further predation.
Raised beds with wire mesh bases, container gardening
Plant during the rainy season, avoid heavy irrigation during the dry season
Plant strong-smelling plants or those with milky sap. Overseed with native annuals.
Competitive plants–rhizomatous species, annuals or perennials that reseed well.
Note–even if a species is gopher-resistant, their tunnels may divert water away from plants

Douglas Iris

Iris douglasiana

Available in D-40 and 1-gallon pots for $10.90-16.30 apiece!

Douglas Iris is an herbaceous perennial that grows 1-2′ tall and will spread and self sow.
It can grow in dry shade under oaks. Other uses include planting in a container, rock gardens, slopes, and massing together to form dense clumps. Combine with woodland strawberry.
The large dark purple flowers (occasionally white, rarely yellow) are seen late winter – spring. Iris contain toxic compounds that prevent above and belowground munching!

Narrowleaf Milkweed

Asclepias fascicularis

Available in D-16 and 1-gallon pots for $8.20-16.30 apiece!

This hardy perennial herb grows to 3′ tall and 1′ wide.
Narrow leaf milkweed is the most favored larval Monarch butterfly host in California.
Great for a bird garden or a butterfly garden.
Can tolerate clay soils sopping wet in winter and rock hard during the summer drought.
Antique pink flower clusters abound in the summer.
Keep an eye out for aphids!
Rhizomatous, milky sap and toxic compounds make native milkweed a great option for deer or gopher-prone gardens

Black Sage

Salvia mellifera

Available in TB2, D-40, 1 gallon, and TB4 pots for $2.24-17.70 apiece!

A spring-flowering evergreen shrub with a fresh and spicy scent that deters herbivores. Reaches 3-6′ high x 6-8′ wide.
Drought tolerant when established; needs no summer water in most areas, but better looking with once-a-month water. An excellent plant for quickly covering dry sunny slopes & providing erosion control.
Many small birds and quail like to eat the seeds and the light blue to lavender flowers provide nectar that attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, & native bees.
Black sage is said by beekeepers to be one of the best nectar sources for honeybees.

Showy Milkweed

Asclepias speciosa

Available in D-16 and 1-gallon containers for $8.20-16.30 apiece!

Showy Milkweed is a perennial, with 3′ tall stems and large gray five” leaves.
Flowers splay like a Forth of July firework.
Plant in mixed borders, grassland gardens, or habitat gardens to attract Monarch butterflies, birds, and insects.
Spreads easily by underground stems. Use with large grasses such as wild rye, deer grass, and needlegrasses.

Yerba Buena

Clinopodium douglasii

Available in D-16 and 1-gallon pots for $8.20-16.30 each!

This prostrate herbaceous perennial grows to 1” tall and 6’ wide.
Yerba buena spreads by stolons and takes foot traffic. It will survive with no summer water but with some summer water or exposure to fog, it will look its best.
The natural habitat for this plant is in the understory of conifers, oaks, bays and madrones.
Its landscape uses include planting along borders, ground covers, under conifers, oaks, and around rocks in a woodland setting.
Leaves are quite delicious seeped for tea, and are very fragrant–deer and gophers won’t touch them!
Previously named Satureja douglasii

Bladderpod

Cleomella arborea

Available in D-40 pots for $12.30 each!

Bladderpod is a fast-growing evergreen, densely branching shrub with an average height and width of 3′ x 3′. Will self sow.
The flowers are beautiful, bright yellow, and stay on the plant most of the year, and attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It is highly fragrant, though the public is divided on whether it is pleasant or unpleasant.
It is one of the easiest California natives to grow in landscape applications. It tolerates weekly summer water but can also get by with only natural rainfall. This tough plant grows well even on south-facing slopes, in alkaline soils and in salty conditions.
Previously named Peritoma arborea
Fragrant leaves deter herbivory

Chaparral Yucca

Hesperoyucca whipplei

Available in D-40 and 2-gallon pots for $10.20-31.00 apiece!

Chaparral Yucca is a southern Californian desert plant. It has a moderate growth rate and grows from 2-12 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide.
It typically takes 5-10 years to reach maturity and when it produces its huge 10-15 foot flower spike with hundreds of bell shaped white to purplish flowers.
This plant has few or no pest problems. Pruning is not required; however, it may need to be removed when it dies after flowering. Spiky–deters herbivory!

Venus Thistle

Cirsium occidentale

Available in D-40 pots for $9.40 apiece!

Venus thistle is a rather large, annual-biennial thistle that can grow to 6′ tall. Unlike many introduced exotic thistles, this native species is not a troublesome weed.
This native thistle is covered with short, soft, matted, white hairs and has very showy 1-2″ bright red flowers in the summer from May – July. Plant in full sun.
Hummingbirds and adult swallowtail butterflies are attracted to the flowers. Spiky–deters herbivory!

Mugwort

Artemisia douglasiana

Available in D-16 pots for $6.15-8.20 apiece!

This herbaceous perennial grows 1-3 ft tall, and is a choice foliage plant.
Its aromatic leaves are dark green on top and silvery beneath, which provides nice contrast. In the garden, use Mugwort in a lush, riparian setting. Plant tolerates more shade and heavier soils than other sagebrushes.
Historical uses include its use as a tea to soothe poison oak rashes. Though we haven’t tried this yet, this plant is also reported to produce lucid dreams when placed under your pillow.
Blooming period: June to October

California Sagebrush

Artemisia californica

Available in D-16 and 1-gallon pots for $9.60-17.70 each!

This perennial shrub grows 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.
California sagebrush looks great growing with Sticky monkeyflower in the garden. The plant can be cut back periodically to keep it more compact.
California sagebrush is the preferred nesting site of the federally threatened California gnat catcher, and quail love it.
Botanically, it is not a true sage, but its silvery foliage has a pleasing, sage-like fragrance.

Deergrass

Muhlenbergia rigens

Available in D-16 and D-40 pots for $8.95-11.45 apiece!

A large evergreen bunchgrass grows 3’ tall and 3’ wide– easy to grow, even without summer water. Space 4’0″ apart.
This robust grass grows fast and will normally grow to a mature size in a season or two. It will also help to control erosion due to its extensive root system.
Remove old leaves to keep a clean look. Landscape uses: accent, mixed border, texture.
Once established, this sturdy bunchgrass should be left alone by critters.

Snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

Available in D-40 pots for $9.23-12.30 apiece!

This deciduous shrub grows 2′ tall by 3′ wide.
Snowberry is named for its attractive white berries that provide winter food for birds. When planted in the garden, one can expect to attract quail, pheasant and grouse.
Don’t indulge yourself as berries contain an alkaloid making it poisonous to humans.
Good plant choice under oaks and dry shade. Also, great for erosion control on steep banks with its vigorous deep roots.

Resources

Happy Summer from all of us at

The Watershed Nursery Cooperative!

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