Plants For Riparian (rivers & creeks)

Big leaf maple, Acer macrophyllum, is a deciduous Tree, to 50 feet, but normally more like 30 feet ,often developing several trunks. Large maple leaves colorful in autumn. Native from Alaska to sou... Learn more.

California Box Elder is a deciduous tree, usually 30', possible to 50'. Native to the mountains of central and northern California. Acer negundo var. californicum has a bad rap because of the box el... Learn more.

This is a male California Box Elder. (So no seeds). A small flowering tree that is tidy, rather nice looking, not huge, somewhat tolerant of water or drought, and actually very useful. We found this a... Learn more.

California Buckeye is a deciduous, small tree, normally growing to 15'. The showy 6" creamy- scented flower spikes appear in April-May. Native to the central coast ranges and Sierra Nevada mounta... Learn more.

Licorice Mint is a perennial with whorls of lovely rose-colored flowers and a delicate fragrance. Best in sun if you want to attract the butterflies. This is a hardy perennial, that is very happy in ... Learn more.

A perennial grass of the sierra conifer forests. Growing in openings and meadows at 6-8000 feet.Syn. Agrostis humilis. Learn more.

Mountain Alder is small deciduous tree that grows from Tulare County in the Sierras to Alaska and into the Rocky Mountains. Mountain Alder frequents the stream banks and north slopes. If you are a fly... Learn more.

White alder is a fast deciduous tree to 20' first years then slower to 50 ft.. Native to moist canyons on the west coast. A nice- looking and fragrant shade tree. It likes sun and water. It is not ... Learn more.

Alnus rubra, Red Alder is a deciduous tree that grows  fast to 10', moderately to 20', slow to 50'. Red Alder is native to Berkeley, Crescent City, Pt. Reyes, up along the coast in British Columbi... Learn more.

Pearly Everlasting is a rather weedy perennial that Painted Ladies visit. If you're old and male don't get excited, Painted Ladies are butterflies. PE has an interesting flower that looks like a small... Learn more.

Yerba Mansa is a spreading groundcover that has large, waxy, gray-green leaves that lay flat and form mats that from a distance look like a permanent pasture. This is a marsh and creekside plant, that... Learn more.

Western Columbine, is similar to Aquilegia eximia but with a wider range, smaller flowers and more delicate- looking foliage. We've seen this species in the Sierra Nevada and in our own coastal moun... Learn more.

 Aquilegia shockleyi, Desert Columbine flowers are red-yellow, and the foliage is similar to formosa but more gray and with triple-divided leaves. This columbine is native to the upper Mojave Desert... Learn more.

Elk Clover, Aralia californica,  is our native relative to Ivy. Both are in the Ginseng family, But Aralia californica has medicinal uses as a tonic and is a whole lot cooler. Native from Palomar... Learn more.

Hoovers Manzanita is an evergray 10' X `6' bush with red stems that has proved intractable in our climate and soil. This species has an interesting leaf appearance, because of the long, silvery, hair... Learn more.

California Dutchman's Pipe or Pipe Vine is a deciduous vine with one inch purple striped pipe-shaped flowers. Pipe vine likes part-shade. This California native vine has become fairly drought tolerant... Learn more.

California's narrow-leaved Milkweed has narrow leaves and a wider native range and a whole lot more garden tolerance than most of the other native species. Asclepias fascicularis is a perennial wit... Learn more.

Western Aster is a highly variable perennial wildflower of the Western mountains. Use in perennial bed, the English California native garden. A higher elevation(to 10-11,000 ft.) rock garden plant. Ex... Learn more.

A 3 ft perennial with green-brown stems and green leaves. Very fast in wet-moist places. Baja to Humboldt and the Central Sierra. Baccharis species are the nectary sources for most of the predatory wa... Learn more.

This Baccharis looks like a natural, stable hybrid between Mulefat(Baccharis viminea) and Baccharis pilularis var. consanguinea(Coyote Brush). Common in sandy washes throughout the inner areas of sou... Learn more.

A deciduous willow -like shrub to 10 feet. Male and female flowers are on separate plants. Long, vertical stems make the appearance of this plant undesirable for the formal garden, but in a wild gard... Learn more.

A 4-6 ft, shrub that will be leafless under stress. In spring if it is happy it is covered with bright yellow flowers. Native from Inyo to Utah to San Diego. Learn more.

Western mountains 200-8000 ft. moist but not wet situations, deciduous tree to 20 feet a beautiful background for azaleas and such under high shade, won't look at its best under drought but seems to s... Learn more.

Joaquin Sunflower, Bidens laevis,  grows in marshy areas, along creeks, and pond edges in California and across to Virginia. A very showy yellow daisy that works well in wetter sections of the g... Learn more.

Blue Joint grows as a large creeping grass in wet places or meadows from Manitoba to New Mexico, Newfoundland to California. In California Blue-joint lives from about Tulare Co. north in the Sierras, ... Learn more.