November 2026 Plant Availability

View our ‘currant’ inventory on our website

View our ‘currant’ inventory in spreadsheet format

Greetings ,

There’s nothing like the smell of that first fall rain. We look forward to it all summer – that pungent petrichor that means planting time is here.

This year, with a “super” El Niño forecasted, we’re hearing your concerns about erosion control, flooding prevention, and the need for climate-resilient landscapes. Let’s turn the fear into facts, get to know ENSO, and discuss how native plants help in extreme weather events.

What is ENSO?

We’ll let the experts at NOAA explain it:

The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. On periods ranging from about three to seven years, the surface waters across a large swath of the tropical Pacific Ocean warm or cool by anywhere from 1°C to 3°C, compared to normal.

This oscillating warming and cooling pattern, referred to as the ENSO cycle, directly affects rainfall distribution in the tropics and can have a strong influence on weather across the United States and other parts of the world. El Niño and La Niña are the extreme phases of the ENSO cycle; between these two phases is a third phase called ENSO-neutral.

El Niño: A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST, see below), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to become reduced while rainfall increases over the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator (“easterly winds”), instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction (from west to east or “westerly winds”). In general, the warmer the ocean temperature anomalies, the stronger the El Niño (and vice-versa).

What’s different about this year’s El Niño?

By several measures, this is tied for or exceeding the strongest El Niño on record. Record near-shore water temperatures add moisture to incoming storms, and warm ocean water and the Kelvin wave raise ocean water levels. These together cause coastal flooding and increase the odds of wetter than average winter conditions extending into northern CA’s coast and farther inland. Check your flood risk & learn more about how to prepare for the rainy season here.

What does this mean for this year’s planting season?

Native plants are adapted to our rainy winters and dry summers, and are best equipped to handle extreme weather events. We’ve listed a few of our favorite fall finds that love a rainy winter below, and you can check out more of our inventory here, or search for other erosion control heroes through our Plant Finder tool. This time of year, plants sell out quickly, so be sure to call in advance if you’d like to reserve an order for pickup!
Take some time to assess where water flows and collects in your garden, and be conscientious about plant selection. Drainage-loving chaparral and some coastal species might need to be planted on a mound to help water drain away from their roots.
Taper down any irrigation you’re currently doing for established plantings, and pay attention to rain forecasts for when to stop watering new plantings. The predicted heavier rain events will help new roots establish.
Check in with your trees and larger shrubs for pruning needs ahead of storm events. If you’re looking for guidance, stop by our pruning workshop on November 14th at 1:00 pm!

Also, plenty of fun approaching for our last fall Bringing Back the Natives Native Plant Extravaganza, see below–this month we’re hosting a pruning workshop and Shakewell Herbalism!

New to TWNC

Seashore Lupine

Lupinus littoralis

Available in D-40 pots for $10.90 apiece!

Seashore Lupine is a prostrate perennial herbaceous sub-shrub reaching less than 1 ft tall and wide. Native to the coastal strand and scrublands of central and northern California, extending as far north as British Columbia.
Seashore Lupine’s summer blooms are a delightful lilac purple, attracting a large number of specialist native bees and butterflies.
Best planted in well-draining soil or containers, and pairs well with Coastal Sand Verbena, Seaside Daisy, and native buckwheats. If, like us, you don’t have a sand dune to plant into, try this Lupine in a terracotta container with added perlite or lava rock to improve drainage.
Young lupines are tasty to snails, slugs, birds, and more! Protect from herbivory while their roots establish.

Photos by Erin Ruark (CC0) and Cesar Garcia Olmos (CC-BY) via iNaturalist. We thank you!

Featured Species

Western Vervain

Verbena lasiostachys

Available in D-16, and 4″ pots for $8.20-8.90 apiece!

Western Vervain is a perennial herb that grows throughout many regions in California. Great for erosion control and attracts loads of butterflies and pollinators.
Verbena adapts to many garden conditions, usually growing between 2-3 ft tall and 4-5 ft wide. This plant has a long bloom period beginning in April and lasting until September. Purple-blue flowers are densely clustered on tall green stalks.
A great choice for containers and mixed borders. The violet flowers look great paired with seaside daisy, yarrow, monkeyflower, and gumplant.

Buttonwillow

Cephalanthus occidentalis

Available in D-16 and D-40 pots for $9.60-12.90 apiece!

Buttonwillow is fast growing winter deciduous shrub that grows from 6-12 feet tall.
It naturally occurs where the ground is damp or wet, so grow it in a similar spot in the garden.
It is a good choice for pond edges or rain gardens. However, this shrub is also well adapted to drier locations and can tolerate a dry site. Just be sure to keep it watered through its first season or two.
The cosmic dense spherical white flowers are long lasting, appearing in the summer through fall.
It adapts easily to various soil types and provides essential food for bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects

Thimbleberry

Rubus parviflorus

Available in D-40 pots for $12.30 apiece!

This fast-growing deciduous shrub reaches 4 feet tall by 6 feet wide
Thimbleberry can be used in the landscape as an accent, for the edible fruit, erosion control on damp slopes, and as a ground cover.
The notable white flowers (3/4 – 2 inches) emerge spring through summer, and the fruits are an important food source for many birds and mammals. Bark is an attractive reddish brown.
This shrub prefers moisture and good drainage.

Santa Barbara Sedge

Carex barbarae

Available in D-40 pots for $10.90 apiece!

This evergreen spreading perennial grows to 1-3′ tall and 3′ wide.
In the garden, this sedge is great for pond edges, containers, and soil stabilization due to its strong root systems.
Birds will eat the seeds and use grass fibers for nesting material. Kashia Pomo people used the fibrous roots for basket weaving.
Plant with water loving seep monkeyflower, rushes, hedgenettles, and yerba mansa.

Smooth Scouring Rush

Equisetum laevigatum

Available in 1-gallon pots, 50% off for $8.15 apiece!

This prehistoric relative of the fern grows throughout much of North America.
Native Americans use scouring rush to scrub and polish pots and pans, hence the name “scouring rush”. The grittiness comes from the high silica content of the plant cells.
Often forming clonal colonies of plants, the root system consists of spreading rhizomes with secondarily fibrous roots.
The bright green tubular stems grow vertically from 3 to 5 ft tall. If you need to fill in lots of empty space this is the perfect species, but the dense root structure can crowd out other plants. A beautifully zen choice for bogs and water gardens, as a parking strip specimen, or for container gardening.

Purple Needlegrass

Stipa pulchra

Available in stub pots for $2.60 apiece!

This perennial bunchgrass is long-lived, deep rooted, drought tolerant, and grows from 1-3’ tall. Space 2-3 ft apart
An excellent choice for dry meadow, accents in mixed border, in rock gardens or in containers.
Purple needlegrass is one of the key components of California’s native grasslands. Roots extend down 20 ft to tap soil moisture and provide erosion control.
Will stay green longer with a little summer water.
Purple needlegrass became the California State Grass in 2004!
Previously name Nassella pulchra

Marsh Gumplant

Grindelia stricta var. angustifolia

Available in D-16 and TB2 pots for $9.60 apiece!

This evergreen perennial sub-shrub grows to 3-5′ tall and 3-5′ wide.
Gumplants can be identified by the glossy, gummy liquid on the flower buds before they open (hence the name gumplant). In fact, the gummy substance was once made into a chewing gum and an adhesive.
Marsh gumplant grows in wet soils along with bulrush and other marsh plants. It produces many bright yellow flowers per bush from spring to fall.
It is also a very important plant in coastal restoration work and for providing protection and habitat for the California Clapper Rail.

Mulefat

Baccharis salicifolia

Available in D-40 pots for $12.30 apiece!

This deciduous perennial shrub is fairly drought-tolerant, and exhibits rapid growth to 8-10′ tall.
Excellent for erosion control, screening, and as a habitat plant.
Mulefat grows in dry rocky arroyos with an upright open form. It sprouts suckers, forming a graceful thicket which can provide good cover for birds.
Excellent screening replacement plant for Oleander.
Great for habitat gardens as both cover and food for birds and insects.

Resources

Happy fall from all of us at The Watershed Nursery Cooperative!

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