
California buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Eriogonum fasciculatum

Golden Abundance barberry
Berberis 'Golden Abundance'
Berberis 'Golden Abundance'

Coast live oak
Quercus agrifolia
Quercus agrifolia

Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
Heteromeles arbutifolia

Hummingbird sage
Salvia spathacea
Salvia spathacea

Creeping barberry
Berberis repens
Berberis repens

California buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Eriogonum fasciculatum

Island alum root
Heuchera maxima
Heuchera maxima

California buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Eriogonum fasciculatum

California buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Eriogonum fasciculatum

California buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Eriogonum fasciculatum

Canyon Prince Wild rye
Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince'
Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince'
Description
This design creates a shady and cooling area vibrant with the beauty of California native plants. This plant palette also works well planted around many trees which may already be existing in your yard if you are renovating your landscape but keeping your trees. Most of these plants also thrive on the seasonally-shady north side of houses, garages, and other buildings.
While focused on providing a shady and relaxing oasis for your yard, these plants are also great at providing food and shelter for songbirds, hummingbirds, and many pollinators.
This plant palette is available as an option for the Waterwise Community Center's Landscape Design Assistance Program. Visit cbwcd.org/desgin for more details.
Plant List

Coast live oak
Botanical Name: Quercus agrifoliaPlant Type: Tree, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 25 ft. - 45 ft. Width: 30 ft. - 40 ft.

Toyon
Botanical Name: Heteromeles arbutifoliaPlant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 12 ft. - 25 ft. Width: 12 ft. - 18 ft.
Shrubs

California buckwheat
Botanical Name: Eriogonum fasciculatumPlant Type: Shrub, Ground cover, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 4 ft. Width: 3 ft. - 6 ft.

Chaparral currant
Botanical Name: Ribes malvaceumPlant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Moderate shade, Partial sun
Height: 4 ft. - 6 ft. Width: 4 ft. - 6 ft.

Coffeeberry + cvs
Botanical Name: Rhamnus californicaPlant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 8 ft. - 10 ft. Width: 8 ft. - 10 ft.

Concha wild lilac
Botanical Name: Ceanothus 'Concha'Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun
Height: 6 ft. - 9 ft. Width: 6 ft. - 10 ft.

Coyote brush
Botanical Name: Baccharis pilularisPlant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 12 ft. Width: 6 ft. - 12 ft.

Creeping barberry
Botanical Name: Berberis repensPlant Type: Shrub, Ground cover, Native
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: Morning sun, Moderate shade
Height: 1.5 ft. - 3 ft. Width: 2 ft. - 3 ft. then slowly spreading

Fragrant pitcher sage
Botanical Name: Lepechinia fragransPlant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: Moderate shade, Partial sun
Height: 3 ft. - 5 ft. Width: 3 ft. - 6 ft.

Golden Abundance barberry
Botanical Name: Berberis 'Golden Abundance'Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: Morning sun, Partial sun
Height: 6 ft. - 8 ft. Width: 6 ft. - 10 ft.

Pigeon Point Coyote brush
Botanical Name: Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point'Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 18 in. - 24 in. Width: 6 ft. - 9 ft.

Pozo Blue sage
Botanical Name: Salvia 'Pozo Blue'Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft. Width: 4 ft. - 7 ft.

Sunset manzanita
Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos 'Sunset'Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 5 ft. - 7 ft. Width: 5 ft. - 7 ft.

White sage
Botanical Name: Salvia apianaPlant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft. Width: 4 ft. - 5 ft.
Perennials

California fuchsia
Botanical Name: Epilobium canumPlant Type: Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 0.5 ft. - 4 ft. (in flower) Width: 3 ft. - 3 ft. then slowly spreading

California strawberry
Botanical Name: Fragaria vescaPlant Type: Ground cover, Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: Moderate shade, Partial sun
Height: 2 in. - 8 in. Width: 2 ft. - 6 ft.

Common yarrow + cvs
Botanical Name: Achillea millefoliumPlant Type: Ground cover, Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: Moderate shade, All day sun
Height: 18 in. - 30 in. Width: 18 in. - 24 in. then slowly spreading

Evergreen currant
Botanical Name: Ribes viburnifoliumPlant Type: Shrub, Ground cover, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, Moderate shade
Height: 5 ft. - 7 ft. Width: 5 ft. - 7 ft.

Hummingbird sage
Botanical Name: Salvia spathaceaPlant Type: Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, Moderate shade, Partial sun
Height: 12 in. - 18 in. Width: 18 in. - 24 in. then slowly spreading

Island alum root
Botanical Name: Heuchera maximaPlant Type: Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: Moderate shade
Height: 12 in. - 18 in. Width: 12 in. - 18 in.

Margarita foothill penstemon
Botanical Name: Penstemon heterophyllus 'Margarita BOP'Plant Type: Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 1 ft. - 2 ft. Width: 1 ft. - 2 ft.

Silver carpet aster
Botanical Name: Lessingia filaginifolia 'Silver Carpet'Plant Type: Ground cover, Perennial
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 in. Width: 2 ft. - 3 ft.
Grasses

California fescue
Botanical Name: Festuca californicaPlant Type: Grass, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Partial sun
Height: 1 ft. - 2 ft. Width: 1 ft. - 2 ft.

Canyon Prince Wild rye
Botanical Name: Leymus condensatus 'Canyon Prince'Plant Type: Grass, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 ft. - 5 ft. Width: 4 ft. - 5 ft.
Horticultural Preferences
The plants in the Woodland Garden palette are easy to grow and are adapted to a wide range of soils, from sand to clay.
If you are starting a woodland planting without any pre-existing shade, it will take quite a few years for the trees to become large enough to cast the shade to create a woodland effect, but the wait is worth it. In this situation, you may need to select additional plants that thrive in full sun, until the shade canopy from the trees grows in, beyond the options available in the Woodland Garden plant palette. In that case, you can find easily compatible good choices in the Butterfly and Songbird Garden, Pollinator Garden, and California Native Color Garden plant lists.
The plants in this palette are easy to care for and generally do not require any pruning more than once or twice per year to keep them looking great in the garden, but it is important to do that at the right time of year for each plant. Refer to the “maintenance” entry for each individual plant.
Aesthetic Character
Moisture Needs
Beyond this, bloom season and plant appearance may be improved with a bit of additional summer irrigation provided to some of the plants on this list including chaparral currant, creeping barberry, fragrant pitcher sage, California strawberry, common yarrow, hummingbird sage, and island alum root. In many cases, these plants can survive perfectly well with the lower level of irrigation, but an occasional hose-watering by hand of just these mentioned plants, in between monthly deeper irrigations to the whole planting may provide for a longer flowering season for the pollinators and a more lush look for the humans enjoying the plants.
All of the plants in this palette, other than the coast live oak are well adapted to being used under many established trees, even those considered to be medium or moderate water-demanding trees, which are generally watered deeply twice per month to keep them thriving. Plants in this list were carefully selected to be low water-demanding, but tolerant of this more frequent “established” water schedule to allow for maximum flexibility in using an existing shade canopy in your yard to create a woodland garden.
The chart shown below provides a baseline guide to the monthly irrigation schedule and volume of supplemental water needed to maintain healthy growth. Several winter months noted by an asterisk (*) indicate when rains can provide sufficient moisture and irrigation is not needed. It is important to note that these plants can successfully grow within a range of supplemental moisture each month; the actual irrigation schedule should be adjusted to reflect specific soil, slope and exposure conditions to achieve best plant performance.
Irrigation Schedule and Graph
Low Water Use Plants
Irrigation Schedule 1
Jan* | Feb* | Mar* | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov* | Dec* | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Runs per Month | 0x to 2x | 0x to 2x | 0x to 2x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 1x | 0x to 2x | 0x to 2x |
Inches per Run | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" |
Inches per Month | 0" to 2" | 0" to 2" | 0" to 2" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 1" | 0" to 2" | 0" to 2" |
Range of supplemental summer water: 7"
Range of supplemental winter water: 0"-10"
0"-2" |
0"-2" |
0"-2" |
1" |
1" |
1" |
1" |
1" |
1" |
1" |
0"-2" |
0"-2" |
|
Jan* | Feb* | Mar* | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov* | Dec* |
For more information on how to use this Irrigation Schedule and Graph, follow this link.
For information how to calculate your irrigation system’s schedule and precipitation rate, please follow this link.
For information how to calculate your irrigation system’s schedule and precipitation rate, please follow this link.