Drought tolerant plants for a Oakland area Garden.
In the 1500's
California went through an 80 year drought. During the winter there
were blizzards in Central California, the Salinas river froze solid
where it flowed into the Monterey Bay. During the summer there was no
humidity, no rain, and temperatures in the hundreds for many
months. During one year in the 1840's there was no measurable rain in
Santa Barbara. (The highest measured rainfall in an hour also was in
Southern California,11 inches in an hour) The same native
plants that lived through that are still on
the hillsides of California. California native plants that do not
normally live in the creeks and ponds are very drought
tolerant.
The best way to find your plant is to check
www.mynativeplants.com or the internal search on laspilitas.com, and do not water at all. But if you want a
simple list of drought tolerant plants that can work for your garden
here are some.
This partial search is full sun, with adobe soil, no water after
first summer, and shredded redwood bark as mulch.
| Plant Image | Short Description |
|---|---|
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Agoseris grandiflora Mountain dandelion Mountain dandelion is a little perennial with large dandelion seed 'balls'. These 'balls' (head of f... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos Baby Bear Manzanita Bush Manzanita by the
baby bear Dark red bark, bright rose pink flowers, liked by hummingbirds, butterflies, bumblebees and other na... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos densiflora Harmony Manzanita Harmony Harmony manzanita is an evergreen shrub with pink flowers that commonly grows two or three feet hig... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos glandulosa adamsii Laguna Manzanita ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos crustacea eastwoodiana Harris Grade manzanita A very refined manzanita. Foliage is a glossy green. As a groundcover, it is low, 2 1/2 to 3 feet h... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos glandulosa-glauca Evergreen bush, usually about 4' tall. It has 1 1/2" gray leaves, red-brown stems. Amoung the toughe... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos glauca Los Angeles Los Angeles Big Berry
Manzanita A Big berry manzanita, Arctostaphylos glauca, from the Santa Monica Mountains. This one was original... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos Ian Bush Manzanita Manzanita ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos Mama Bear Manzanita Mama Bear Manzanita ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos manzanita Dr. Hurd Manzanita Tree Northern
California Manzanita Dr. Hurd Manzanita is an evergreen, multi-branched, treelike hybrid shrub with glossy, light green f... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos manzanita_x_densiflora Austin Griffiths
Manzanita Austin Griifith's Manzanita ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos Margarita Pearl Big Big berry manzanita Margarita Pearl manzanita is a seedling of Arctostaphylos glauca that has very large flowers and ber... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos mariposa Mariposa Manzanita Mariposa Manzanita is native to the lower margins of the Sierra chaparral community. (see also A. g... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos Pacific Mist A green-green sprawling groundcover manzanita of hybrid origin. This was planting as the entrance gr... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos pechoensis Pecho Manzanita Pecho Manzanita is a rare evergreen shrub that grows to five feet in height on shaly to sand with h... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos pilosula pilosula Atascadero Manzanita
Santa Margarita Manzanita This very gray, fuzzy manzanita with red stems grows 3' to 6' in height. It grows in the central c... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos pringlei drupacea Idyllwild Manzanita
Pinkbract Manzanita This manzanita has slightly fuzzy sticky foliage and flowers. Gray foliage starts out kinda brown pi... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos pungens Pointleaf Manzanita Mexican manzanita is an evergreen shrub around six foot tall, (usually taller than wide) that grows ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos silvicola Ghostly Manzanita Santa Cruz
Manzanita A very gray almost white-pink plant with red bark. One of the most gray plants I've ever seen, much ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos Sonoma Manzanita Bush Stanford Manzanita Sonoma manzanita was not impressive until it flowered. The large pink flowers made quite an impress... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos stanfordiana stanfordiana Zin Manzanita
Napa Manzanita We planted this manzanita out a few years ago and forgot to label it. The sin of sins in an operatio... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos tomentosa subcordata Tranquil Cliff Santa
Cruz Island Manzanita Arctostaphylos subcordata is a manzanita that is supposed to only occur on the channel islands, but ... Learn more |
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Arctostaphylos viscida ssp. viscida Whiteleaf manzanita Whiteleaf manzanita grows from Kern County north to about the Oregon Border. It is not very garden t... Learn more |
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Artemisia ludoviciana White Sagebrush Artemisia ludoviciana, White Sagebrush is a rhizomatous perennial native from Baja to Ontario Canada... Learn more |
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Asclepias fascicularis Narrowleaf Milkweed Narrow-leaved Milkweed has narrow leaves and a wider native range and a whole lot more garden toler... Learn more |
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Baccharis pilularis consanguinea Coyote Brush Deer proof throughout Ca. (so-far). You might want to cover it for the first year. Drought tolerant,... Learn more |
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Ceanothus Celestial Blue ... Learn more |
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Ceanothus Concha California Mountain Lilac Ceanothus 'Concha' is one of the oldest and best hybrid ceanothus. Ours are 4' high by 4' wide, and ... Learn more |
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Ceanothus Frosty Blue Frosty Blue Mountain Blue Ceanothus Frosty Blue' is an evergreen mountain lilac that grows to six or eight feet tall and about... Learn more |
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Ceanothus griseus Carmel Ceanothus Ceanothus griseus, is a large bush or small tree, with beautiful, large, rounded, shiny dark green ... Learn more |
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Ceanothus impressus impressus Santa Barbara Mountain Lilac
Ceanothus impressus impressus is an evergreen six to ten foot shrub with very small 1/4-1/2" leave... Learn more |
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Ceanothus Remote Blue Ceanothus Bush Lilac 'Remote Blue' is a hybrid that arose on the nursery grounds, and is believed to be a hybrid between ... Learn more |
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Ceanothus Tassajara Blue Ceanothus Mountain Lilac ... Learn more |
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Ceanothus Wheeler Canyon Blue Mtn. Lilac A hybrid Ceanothus that looks a great deal like a squat 'Concha'. Flowers are small but numerous. Of... Learn more |
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Cercocarpus betuloides Mountain Mahogany Mountain Mahogany is an evergreen shrub, 8', found in Oregon, California, and east to the Rocky Moun... Learn more |
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Cercocarpus ledifolius Desert mountain mahogany Curl leaf mountain mahogany is an evergreen shrub or small tree to 15 feet tall, that grows in deser... Learn more |
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Cupressus forbesii Tecate Cypress Tecate cypress is native to the southern California mountains looking down into Tijuana. It is fas... Learn more |
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Cupressus goveniana ssp. goveniana Gowen Cypress Gowen cypress is a shrubby tree to 15'. Native to Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach Ca. where it grows on ... Learn more |
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Cupressus sargentii Sargent Cypress In the wild a small evergreen tree. In most gardens it will grow real fast to 10 feet, then slowly (... Learn more |
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Deschampsia elongata Slender hairgrass A grass that disappears in summer(drops to a faint brown patch), a light grass that blows in the bre... Learn more |
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Diplacus longiflorus Conejo monkey flower Conejo Monkey
Flower A BIG monkey flower from the Thousand Oaks Area. This monkey flower can almost be the size of a shru... Learn more |
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Diplacus puniceus X clevelandii San Diego Sunrise San
Diego Sunrise monkeyflower Diplacus puniceusX San Diego Sunrise is an attractive monkey flower with red flowers that turn an o... Learn more |
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Elymus glaucus Blue Wildrye A big grass that grows in open meadows, fields, ditch banks, road cuts, etc.. Beautiful if you are a... Learn more |
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Eriodictyon californicum Yerba Santa A five ft. perennial shrub. Indians and early settlers used it for cure-all. Now used for soil stabi... Learn more |
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Eriogonum umbellatum Sulfur Flower Eriogonum umbellatum, is the lowest of these, it grows only 3 inches tall and 3 foot wide, showy yel... Learn more |
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Helianthemum scoparium Sun Rose A little non-descript perennial that grows in openings amoungst shrubs,. When it flowers it turns in... Learn more |
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Helianthus gracilentus A 1' perennial with 2" yellow daisy flowers in May-Oct.. Native to central and south coast ranges. A... Learn more |
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Iva hayesiana Hayes iva An evergreen groundcover in warm winter areas, deciduous in colder areas. It is supposed to spread b... Learn more |
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Keckiella breviflora Yawning Penstemon This bush penstemon is a sprawling subshrub that usually props itself up on a rock or neighbor so yo... Learn more |
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Lonicera interrupta Chaparral Honeysuckle A sprawling, deciduous shrub with yellow honeysuckle flowers. Native from central and northern Cali... Learn more |
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Lonicera subspicata denudata San Diego Honeysuckle This native honeysuckle makes a sprawling ground cover grows at the drip line of coast live oaks, s... Learn more |
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Lupinus albifrons Silver Bush Lupine A 3-5' perennial. The flowers 3" blue spikes on a white-silver bush. Many varieties range from S. Or... Learn more |
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Mahonia haematocarpa Red barberry syn.Berberis haematocarpa, Odostemon haematocarpus, .Red barberry grows in favorable spots in our So... Learn more |
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Malacothamnus densiflorus Many Flowered Bushmallow Malacothamnus densiflorus, or dense flowered bush mallow, grows from San Diego up to the west slopes... Learn more |
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Malacothamnus jonesii San Luis Obispo Bush Mallow Jones' Bush Mallow San Luis Obispo County Bush Mallow is a five foot tall gray evergreen shrub wit... Learn more |
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Penstemon centranthifolius Scarlet Bugler Penstemon centranthifolius Is an one to two foot perennial with a 2-4' spike of one to two inch ... Learn more |
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Penstemon heterophyllus Foothill Penstemon Foothill Penstemon is a rather long lived(30 years?) perennial with hundreds of one inch violet flow... Learn more |
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Penstemon Margarita BOP Margarita BOP Penstemon Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' is a nice tidy perennial that looks like candy tuft or a dwarf boxwood whe... Learn more |
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Penstemon speciosus Sagebrush Penstemon A 2' perennial with 1-2" sky blue flowers, May-July. Native to southeastern Sierra Nevada to Wash., ... Learn more |
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Pinus coulteri Coulter Pine Coulter pine is a green to grey conifer that is native to the central and southern coast ranges of C... Learn more |
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Pinus monophylla Pinyon Pine A very slow growing conifer. Do not expect 15 ft. in your lifetime. The biggest one we've been able ... Learn more |
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Pinus ponderosa Ponderosa Pine Ponderosa Pine can be fast to 50+ feet in its range. In the nursery here it has grown to 5' in 7 ye... Learn more |
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Pinus sabiniana Gray Pine Gray Pine. Foothill Pine. This conifer grows fast to 45 ft. in 15 years. It can gradually get to 75'... Learn more |
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Poa fendleriana Mutton Grass Mutton Grass is so called as it grows a bunch grass in many of the drier plant communities of the we... Learn more |
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Purshia tridentata Antelope Bitterbrush Antelope Bitterbrush is a gray small-leaved shrub to six feet. You will generally see it only 4-5 fo... Learn more |
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Rhus ovata Sugar Bush Rhus ovata, Sugar Bush is an eight foot evergreen shrub that can grow to twelve feet. This native ... Learn more |
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Ribes californicum Hillside Gooseberry A 3'-5' deciduous shrub. The flowers are white-purple in Feb.-Mar.. Native to the coast ranges. The ... Learn more |
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Salvia apianaXclevelandii Vicki Romo Vicki Romo white sage
Salvia Vicki Romo was apparently a hybrid between Salvia clevelandii, Salvia apiana, maybe Salvia le... Learn more |
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Salvia Celestial Blue Purple Sage Celestial Blue Sage is a hybrid between Salvia clevelandii and Salvia pachyphylla or a three way hy... Learn more |
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Salvia clevelandii Winifred Gilman Cleveland Sage Musk
Sage ... Learn more |
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Salvia pachyphylla Rose Sage Rose Sage is a 3 foot tall shrub with attractive blue flowers in showy purple bracts. This sage is s... Learn more |
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Salvia spathacea Las Pilitas Las Pilitas Hummingbird Sage A Hummingbird Sage from the Las Pilitas area that was found growing under chamise (Adenostoma fascic... Learn more |
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Symphoricarpos albus laevigatus Common Snowberry ... Learn more |
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Symphoricarpos longiflorus Desert Snowberry (synonym:Symphoricarpos fragrans) Desert Snowberry is a small-leaved plant with dainty, pink tubula... Learn more |
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Trichostema lanatum Woolly Blue Curls Woolly Blue Curls is a three to four foot evergreen shrub with flowers violet in fuzzy spikes in Ma... Learn more |
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Venegasia carpesioides Canyon Sunflower Canyon Sunflower is a rather large perennial with two inch yellow sunflowers. Canyon Sunflower look... Learn more |
