A guide to the plant communities of California.

Desert, Seaside, Grassland and Marsh Communities of California

Use rock mulch or a boulder for your mulch.

• Alkali Sink
• Alpine Fell-Fields
• Coastal Prairie
• Coastal Salt Marsh
• Coastal Strand
• Creosote Bush Scrub
• Freshwater Marsh
• Great Basin Sagebrush
• Joshua Tree Woodland
• Mountain Meadow
• Northern Juniper Woodland
• Sagebrush Scrub
• Shadscale Scrub
• Valley Grassland

In places like Malibu there are desert plants mixed with coastal bluff plants. Bladderpod at the seashore, weird.

Woodlands and Scrublands of California

Boulders near each plant and mulch between plants is best, but just mulch is ok.

• Bristle-cone Pine
• Chaparral
• Central (Foothill) Oak Woodland
• Coast Redwood Forest
• Coastal Sage Scrub
• Mixed-evergreen Forest
• Northern Coastal Scrub
• Northern Oak Woodland
• Pinyon-Juniper Woodland
• Riparian rivers and creeks
• Southern Oak Woodland

Chaparral is represented in most of the populated coastal communities.

Coniferous Forests of California

1-3" redwood, cedar or pine needle mulch is required by these plants!

• Closed-cone Pine Forest
• Coastal Coniferous Forest
• Douglas-Fir Forest
• Lodgepole Pine Forest
• Red Fir Forest
• Subalpine Forest
• Yellow Pine Forest

California forests are mostly at higher elevations or in Northern California.