5 California Native Flower Favorites
Recently I’ve been learning about just how beneficial native flowers are for any garden. Some of the benefits of planting natives include that they need less water (a huge benefit where I am!), they are low maintenance, have less pests, and provide a habitat for pollinators.
I live just north of San Diego, so this post will be all about my favorite California native flowers. Earlier this year, we worked with Wellness Landscape, who specializes in natives to help us plant them along a sunny bank of our backyard. Here’s what we decided to plant:
California Poppies (Eschscholzia californica) - seen above
These beauties are perennial, bloom in the summer, and do best in full sun. While I have had little success having them last in a vase, I have heard that searing the ends for 7-10 seconds with an open flame or boiling water can help their vase life. I just love looking at their bright orange blooms in the garden!
2. Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Yarrow is my absolute favorite filler flower. We planted 3 colors: white and two shades of pink. I think I use it in every arrangement I make. It is a perennial herb and usually flowers May through June, but I’m still seeing some flowers as I write this in September. Be sure to cut off the individual flowers that haven’t bloomed yet before putting them into a vase, as those will immediately wilt.
3. Cleveland Sage (Salvia clevelandii)
Cleveland sage provides such amazing foliage for arrangements and lasts in a vase for a long time. In fact, I have a vase full of just Cleveland Sage on my dining table right now that’s been there for at least 3 weeks and is still going strong. An amazing plus side is the magnificent fragrance that it has. People walk into the room and immediately comment on the beautiful smell. It blooms in the spring and summer and attracts all kinds of pollinators.
4. Blue Eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum)
This is another one of my favorites that Wellness Landscape planted. A perennial herb, Blue Eyed Grass flowers in the spring and winter. My friend, Lauren from Sound As Color, is an amazing natural dye expert, and we discovered together that it’s the perfect flower for “flower pounding.” Flower pounding is the art of transferring the pigment and shape of a flower onto fabric or paper through hammering them together.
Here’s for the scarf I made using Blue Eyed Grass with the flower pounding technique.
5. Bush Sunflowers (Encelia californica)
How can you go wrong with sunflowers? They are so bright and cheery and fill the garden with amazing pollinators including bees, butterflies, and birds. They have a slight fragrance, bloom in the spring and winter, and grow rapidly.
Soon, we’ll be adding lots of shade-loving natives to the other side of our yard. I can’t wait to share the before and after with you!
Thanks for reading and I hope this inspired you to check out some natives in your area!
