Summer Drinks with Native Plants

Yerba Buena

Clinopodium douglasii

Available in D-16 pots for $7.70 each!

• This prostrate herbaceous perennial grows to 1” tall to 6’ wide.
• Yerba buena spreads by stolons and takes low amounts of 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 as a border, ground cover, and in part to full shade under conifers, oaks, or around rocks in a woodland setting.
• Leaves are quite delicious steeped for tea (see above)!
• Previously named Satureja douglasii

Lemonade Berry

Rhus integrifolia

Available in D-40 pots for $11.45 each!

• This large evergreen shrub has dark, glossy green leaves which tend to be leathery and rounded at the tips. Growth rate is moderate to 4′-5′ tall, spreading to 15′ or more across.
• Native to California slopes above the coast. Pink flowers put on quite a show in February and March (January to July if particularly happy) before giving way to red, hairy, sticky berries.
• Performs fairly well as a hedge; grows quite well in the shade of Oaks; tolerates clay, but does better in loam, sandy, or rocky soils. Tolerates clipping and is virtually pest-free!
• Lemonade berry is also great for erosion control.

Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

50% off in sale D-16 for $3.83, or D-16 for $7.70, and 1-gallon pots for 15.25 each!

• This semi-evergreen herbaceous perennial grows 1-3 ft tall and is a perfect choice for growing in a meadow garden.
• The ferny foliage will stay green all year with some summer water and the white umbels make good cut flowers. Cut back after blooming which takes place from March through June.
• Yarrow spreads by rhizomes, a characteristic of a good slope stabilizer. It makes a wonderful lawn alternative! Also, Checkerspot butterflies are attracted to this plant.
• Foliage can be used in a tea to relieve cold symptoms.

Coyote Mint

Monardella villosa

Available in D-16 containers for $7.70 apiece!

• Coyote Mint is a perennial wildflower found only in California, and grows as a small mat forming shrub about 2′ tall and wide.
• Widespread on rocky outcrops of chaparral habitat along California’s foothills, Coyote Mint prefers well-draining soil.
• The summer lavender flowers provide valuable nectar for butterflies and the leaves have a lovely musky-minty scent. Light irrigation in summer will encourage extra blooming!
• This plant can be used as a remedy for stomach upset, respiratory conditions, and sore throat. It may also be steeped into a bitter mint tea.

California Bay Laurel

Umbellularia californica

Available in D-40 pots for $11.45 each!

• This handsome evergreen tree can grow to 80′ when fully mature (80-100 years). Space 20’ apart.
• The leaves are aromatic like its cousin from Greece. Thrives in fairly moist soils, but tolerates dry soil as well. In its natural coastal montane habitat, it likes sun. If planted in a dry inland habitat, make sure it has access to shade and moderate water. It releases terpenes that inhibit seedlings (weeds). Surprisingly enough, this species is also good in containers!
• Yes, our California Bay Laurel leaves can be used in cooking much like the leaves of the European Laurus nobilis, but they are much stronger: 1 CA Bay leaf is comparable to 2-3 European Bay leaves.

Blue Elderberry

Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea

On sale in D-40 pots for $8.59 each!

• A deciduous shrub to small tree that grows to 15 feet tall.
• The attractive light green foliage and large clusters of fragrant creamy white flowers appearing abundantly in spring and early summer. Edible fruits attract birds towards the end of summer.
• Its berries are also, excellent in jelly, pie or for making elderberry wine. They do take quite a bit of processing–view a guide by Mother Nature’s Backyard here.
• While this tree is deciduous, it comes out into leaf very early in the spring and drops its leaves late in the fall, so it is only bare for a short time.
• Pruning helps keeps its shape.
• Previously named Sambucus mexicana

California Sagebrush

Artemisia californica

Available 50% off in D-16 for $4.47, and in 1-gallons for 16.50 apiece!

• This perennial shrub grows 3 to 4 feet tall and wide.
• California sagebrush looks great growing with sticky monkey flower 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. Fresh greenery can be lightly steeped for tea, or used in a stew for flavoring.

White Sage

Salvia apiana



Available in D-40 pots for $11.45 apiece!

• White sage is a 2′ to 5′ tall and wide evergreen perennial shrub.
• It makes a very large white to lavender flower spike (5′) with more than a hundred 1″ flowers.
• A great bee plant especially prized for honey production. The flowers emerge in summer, but pucker back, giving the bees fits because they can’t get in and out very well.
• Beautiful for mass planting on dry slopes. Likes summer drought & good drainage, full sun, and no extra water.
• Considered sacred by many Native Americans who use this plant in may ways.

Las Pilitas Hummingbird Sage

Salvia spathacea ‘Las Pilitas’

Available in 1-gallon pots for $15.25 apiece!

• ‘Las Pilitas’ is a selection of Hummingbird Sage from the Las Pilitas Nursery that only grows less than a foot tall. It is a perennial herb that spreads by rhizomes. Space 4 feet apart. 
• Hummingbird sage is native to coastal California from Napa to Orange. As the name implies, Hummingbirds work this species very heavily while it blooms in spring and summer.
• Fragrant foliage (smells like sour candy), showy rose pink blooms, a compact form, and its ability to tolerate a wide variety of conditions make this species a hit in the garden.
• Excellent as a groundcover, or woodland garden edge paired with Yerba Buena, Yampah, Soap Plant, and Coffeeberry. 
• Hummingbird sage is prone to powdery mildew.

Western Redbud

Cercis occidentalis

Available in D-40 pots for $11.45, and TP4 for $11.78 apiece!

• This deciduous shrub to small tree grows to 14′ tall. In the garden, this multi-trunked tree is a great choice in a perennial border or woodland garden. The large, rounded leaves have attractive heart-shaped bases. New growth can be coppery red, and grow into a lovely lime green.
• The attractive magenta flowers appear in late summer to fall when the foliage turns light yellow to red. The reddish-purple seed pods hang on the tree in winter.
• Western redbud is native to dry slopes, usually next to a spring or seasonal creek, but in the garden, don’t overwater. Combines well when paired with Ceanothus, Douglas iris, and Coral bells.