Easy-to-Grow Natives
for the East Bay

This Easy-to-Grow plant list is our compilation of East Bay plants that are good subjects for a gardener who is not yet familiar with native plants. They are easy-to-moderate to grow and will tolerate a variety of conditions.

Name	Common Name	Description	Plant Type	Sun	Water	Flower Color	Pollinators
Achillea millefolium	yarrow	Perennial herb 1-3 ft tall; sun to partial shade; creeping; summer dormant if dry	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	White	Bees, Butterflies
Arctostaphylos auriculata	Mt. Diablo manzanita	Evergreen shrub 4-15 feet tall; grows on dry sites once established	Shrubs	Full Sun	Low	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Arctostaphylos crustacea subsp. crustacea	brittle-leaf manzanita	Evergreen shrub 4-9 ft tall; sun; needs dry, well-drained soil	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Very low	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Arctostaphylos glauca	bigberry manzanita	Evergreen tree-like shrub 6-20 ft tall; sun; well-drained, rocky slopes	Shrubs	Full Sun	Low	Pink	Bees, Birds, Hummingbirds
Arctostaphylos manzanita subsp. laevigata	Contra Costa manzanita	Evergreen shrub to small tree 6-20 feet tall; needs sun, well-drained soil	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	White	Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Arctostaphylos manzanita subsp. manzanita	common manzanita	Evergreen shrub 6-12 feet tall or more; needs well-drained soil	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Pink	Bees, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Arctostaphylos pallida	pallid manzanita		Shrubs
Aristolochia californica	pipevine	Perennial vine 6-12 feet long; winter deciduous, shade, summer water	Vines	Part Shade	Low, Mod	Green	Butterflies
Artemisia californica	California sagebrush	Evergreen shrub 1-4 feet tall; hot, dry slopes, no summer water	Shrubs	Full Sun	Very low	Inconspicuous	Birds, Butterflies
Asarum caudatum	wild-ginger	Perennial herb 3-5 inches tall; evergreen in deep shade or light watering	Perennials	Full Shade	High	Red	Birds, Butterflies
Asclepias fascicularis	narrow-leaf milkweed	Perennial herb up to 9 feet tall; dry clay to loam soils, winter dormant	Perennials	Full Sun	Low, Mod	White	Birds, Butterflies, Monarch
Baccharis pilularis subsp. consanguinea	coyote brush	Evergreen shrub up to 8 feet tall; grows in many conditions	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Very low	Inconspicuous	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Berberis aquifolium var. dictyota	Oregon-grape		Shrubs
Carex praegracilis	deer-bed sedge	Perennial grasslike plant to 1.5 feet tall; rhizomatous, moist shade to sun	Grasses	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Mod	Inconspicuous	Butterflies
Ceanothus cuneatus var. cuneatus	buckbrush	Evergreen shrub 3-11 feet tall; dry slopes and ridges; deer resistant	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Blue, Lavender, White	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Ceanothus leucodermis	chaparral whitethorn		Shrubs			Blue, Lavender, White	Butterflies
Ceanothus oliganthus var. sorediatus	Jim brush	Evergreen shrub 3-9 feet tall; full sun or part shade; dry slopes; deer resistant	Trees	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Blue, White	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus	blue blossom	Evergreen shrub 8-12 feet tall; full sun or part shade; blue flowers; evergreen	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Blue	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Chlorogalum pomeridianum var. pomeridianum	soap plant	Herbaceous perennial bulb, stems to 5 feet tall; well-drained soil	Bulbs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	White	Bees, Butterflies
Clinopodium douglasii	yerba buena	Perennial ground cover 2-4 inches tall; evergreen, partial shade	Perennials	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	White
Diplacus aurantiacus	bush monkeyflower	Evergreen shrub 2-3 feet tall or more; grows in many site conditions	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Very low	Orange	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Elymus glaucus subsp. glaucus	blue wildrye	Perennial grass up to 4 feet tall; rhizomatous, full sun to partial shade	Grasses	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Inconspicuous	Butterflies
Epilobium canum	California fuchsia	Perennial herb 2-3 feet tall; spreading, sunny sites, fall dormant	Perennials	Full Sun	Low, Very low	Red	Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Eriogonum fasciculatum var. polifolium	California buckwheat	Evergreen mat or low shrub 3-12 inches tall; variety of well-drained sites	Shrubs	Full Sun	Very low	White	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Festuca californica	California fescue	Perennial grass 1.5-4 feet tall; clumping, sun to partial shade, dry soils	Grasses	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod, Very low	Inconspicuous	Butterflies
Fragaria vesca	wood strawberry	Perennial herb 4-6 inches tall; evergreen in shade	Perennials	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	White	Birds, Butterflies
Frangula californica var. californica	California coffeeberry	Evergreen shrub 6-15 feet tall; grows in many garden conditions	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Green	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Grindelia camporum	gumplant	Perennial herb 1-3 feet tall; sunny conditions, winter dormant	Perennials	Full Sun	Low, Mod, Very low	Yellow	Bees, Butterflies
Heteromeles arbutifolia	toyon	Evergreen shrub or tree to 20 feet tall; wide range of site conditions	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	White	Birds, Butterflies
Holodiscus discolor var. discolor	oceanspray	Deciduous shrub 3-18 feet tall; full or partial sun,some summer moisture	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Mod	Cream
Iris douglasiana	Douglas' iris	Perennial herb 12-18 inches tall; evergreen, partial shade	Perennials	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	Purple	Bees
Juncus patens	blue rush	Perennial grasslike plant 1-3 feet tall; clumping, moist to dryish sites	Grasses	Full Sun, Part Shade	Mod	Inconspicuous
Lonicera hispidula	California honeysuckle	Perennial vine 12-16 feet tall; evergreen, partial shade	Vines	Part Shade	Low	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Lupinus albifrons var. albifrons	bush lupine	Evergreen shrub 3 feet tall; well-drained sun to partial shade	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	Purple	Bees, Butterflies
Melica torreyana	Torrey's melic	Perennial grass 1 foot tall, nodding; clumping, dry to moist shade	Grasses	Full Shade, Part Shade	Low	Inconspicuous	Butterflies
Monardella villosa subsp. villosa	coyote-mint	Perennial herb 0.5-2 feet tall; dry, rocky sites, evergreen in partial shade	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Very low	Pink, Purple	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Polystichum munitum	western sword fern	Evergreen fern 3-6 feet tall; found in shady, wooded hillsides, variable moisture	Ferns	Full Shade, Part Shade	Low, Mod	None
Prunella vulgaris var. lanceolata	self-heal	Perennial ground cover 3-4 inches tall; evergreen, sun to partial shade	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Mod	Purple	Bees
Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia	coast live oak	Evergreen tree 30-75 feet tall; needs summer-dry soil once established	Trees	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Very low	Inconspicuous	Birds, Butterflies
Quercus lobata	valley oak	Large, deciduous tree 60-100 feet tall; grows in deep, well-drained soils	Trees	Full Sun	Low, Mod	Inconspicuous	Birds, Butterflies
Ranunculus californicus var. californicus	California buttercup	Perennial herb up to 2 feet tall; winter moist summer dry,dormant	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	Yellow	Bees, Butterflies
Ribes sanguineum var. glutinosum	pink-flowering currant	Deciduous shrub up to 10 feet tall; partial shade to full sun	Shrubs	Full Shade, Part Shade	Low	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Rosa californica var. californica	California rose	Deciduous shrub 2-8 feet tall; sunny, moist sites	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Mod	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Salvia mellifera	black sage	Evergreen shrub 4-5 feet tall; sun or light shade, no summer water	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	Blue	Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea	blue elderberry	Deciduous shrub or small tree 6-20 feet tall; variable sun and water	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	White	Bees, Birds
Sidalcea malviflora subsp. malviflora	checkerbloom	Perennial herb 1-2 feet tall; dry to slightly moist sites; summer dormant	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Sisyrinchium bellum	blue-eyed-grass	Perennial herb 6-8 inches tall; grassland or meadows	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod	Purple	Butterflies
Solidago velutina subsp. californica	California goldenrod	Perennial herb 1-5 feet tall; full to partial sun, summer water ok	Perennials	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod, Very low	Yellow	Bees, Butterflies
Stipa lepida	foothill needlegrass	Perennial grass 1-3 feet tall; clumping, full sun to light shade	Grasses	Full Shade, Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Very low	Inconspicuous	Butterflies
Stipa pulchra	purple needlegrass	Perennial grass 2-3 feet tall; clumping, dry sun to shade in many sites	Grasses	Full Sun	Low, Very low	Inconspicuous	Butterflies
Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus	snowberry	Deciduous shrub, 2-7 feet tall; dry shade or light summer water	Shrubs	Full Shade, Part Shade	Low, Mod	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Symphyotrichum chilense	California aster	Perennial herb 1.3-3 feet tall; spreading, many site conditions	Perennials	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low, Mod, Very low	Pink	Bees, Birds, Butterflies
Vaccinium ovatum	California huckleberry	Evergreen shrub 2-7 feet tall; cool sun or partial shade	Shrubs	Full Sun, Part Shade	Low	White	Bees, Birds, Butterflies, Hummingbirds
Vitis californica	California grape	Woody perennial vine to 30 feet long; winter deciduous.some water	Vines	Full Sun, Part Shade	Mod	Inconspicuous	Birds