Plant List

Top Pollinator Plants - Native Trees

 

Blue elderberry

Botanical Name: Sambucus mexicana
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 10 ft. - 25 ft.   Width: 10 ft. - 25 ft.
 

Catalina Cherry

Botanical Name: Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii
Plant Type: Tree, Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun, Partial sun, Morning sun
Height: 25 ft. - 30 ft.   Width: 6 ft. - 25 ft.
 

Desert Museum palo verde

Botanical Name: Parkinsonia x 'Desert Museum'
Plant Type: Tree, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 20 ft. - 30 ft.   Width: 20 ft. - 25 ft.
 

Desert willow + cvs

Botanical Name: Chilopsis linearis
Plant Type: Tree, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 15 ft. - 30 ft. (rarely)   Width: 15 ft. - 20 ft.
 

Toyon

Botanical Name: Heteromeles arbutifolia
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 12 ft. - 25 ft.   Width: 12 ft. - 18 ft.
 

Western Redbud

Botanical Name: Cercis occidentalis
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: Morning sun, Moderate shade, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 10 ft. - 15 ft.   Width: 10 ft. - 20 ft.

Top Pollinator Plants - Native Shrubs

 

Allen Chickering sage

Botanical Name: Salvia 'Allen Chickering'
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 5 ft.   Width: 8 ft. - 12+ ft. can be kept to appx. 8' with annual pruning
 

Ashyleaf buckwheat

Botanical Name: Eriogonum cinereum
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 ft. - 5 ft.   Width: 4 ft. - 6 ft.
 

Bee’s Bliss sage

Botanical Name: Salvia 'Bee's Bliss'
Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 1 ft. - 3 ft.   Width: 5 ft.
 

Black sage

Botanical Name: Salvia mellifera
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 5 ft. - 7 ft.
 

Bladderpod

Botanical Name: Isomeris arborea
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 ft. - 6 ft.   Width: 4 ft. - 6 ft.
 

Brittlebush, Incienso

Botanical Name: Encelia farinosa
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 5 ft.   Width: 3 ft. - 5 ft.
 

California buckwheat

Botanical Name: Eriogonum fasciculatum
Plant Type: Native, Shrub, Ground cover
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 3 ft. - 6 ft.
 

Coffeeberry + cultivars

Botanical Name: Rhamnus californica
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun, Partial sun, Morning sun
Height: 8 ft. - 10 ft.   Width: 8 ft. - 10 ft.
 

Concha Ceanothus

Botanical Name: Ceanothus 'Concha'
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun
Height: 6 ft. - 9 ft.   Width: 6 ft. - 10 ft.
 

Hollyleaf cherry

Botanical Name: Prunus ilicifolia ssp. ilicifolia
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun, Partial sun, Moderate shade
Height: 5 ft. - 30 ft.   Width: 5 ft. - 30 ft.
 

Indian mallow

Botanical Name: Abutilon palmeri
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 ft. - 5 ft.   Width: 4 ft. - 5 ft.
 

John Dourley manzanita

Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos 'John Dourley'
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 5 ft. - 6 ft.
 

McMinn manzanita

Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos 'Howard McMinn'
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun, Morning sun
Height: 6 ft. - 8 ft.   Width: 6 ft. - 8 ft.
 

Pozo Blue sage

Botanical Name: Salvia 'Pozo Blue'
Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 4 ft. - 7 ft.
 

Ray Hartman ceanothus

Botanical Name: Ceanothus 'Ray Hartman'
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun
Height: 15 ft. - 20 ft.   Width: 15 ft. - 20 ft.
 

Santa Cruz Island buckwheat

Botanical Name: Eriogonum arborescens
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 5 ft. - 6 ft.
 

Sunset manzanita

Botanical Name: Arctostaphylos 'Sunset'
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: Morning sun, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 5 ft. - 7 ft.   Width: 5 ft. - 7 ft.
 

Western Redbud

Botanical Name: Cercis occidentalis
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: Morning sun, Moderate shade, All day sun, Partial sun
Height: 10 ft. - 15 ft.   Width: 10 ft. - 20 ft.
 

White sage

Botanical Name: Salvia apiana
Plant Type: Shrub, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 4 ft. - 5 ft.

Top Pollinator Plants - Native Perennials

 

Common yarrow + cvs

Botanical Name: Achillea millefolium
Plant Type: Ground cover, Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: Moderate shade, All day sun
Height: 18 in. - 30 in.   Width: 18 in. - 24 in. then slowly spreading
 

Lilac verbena

Botanical Name: Verbena lilacina 'De La Mina'
Plant Type: Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 3 ft.   Width: 2 ft. - 4 ft.
 

Narrow leaf milkweed

Botanical Name: Asclepias fascicularis
Plant Type: Perennial, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 2 ft. - 3 ft.
 

Red buckwheat

Botanical Name: Eriogonum grande var. rubescens
Plant Type: Native, Perennial
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 1 ft. - 3 ft. (with flowers)   Width: 2 ft. - 3 ft.

Top Pollinator Plants - Native Grass

 

Deer grass

Botanical Name: Muhlenbergia rigens
Plant Type: Grass, Native
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 4' (to 5' with flowers)   Width: 4 ft. - 5 ft. (to 6 ft. with flowers)

Top Pollinator Plants - Non-Native Plants Highly Used by Native Pollinators

 

Autumn sage + cvs

Botanical Name: Salvia greggii
Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 3 ft. - 4 ft.
 

Catmint

Botanical Name: Nepeta x faassenii
Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate 4
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 12 in. - 15 in.   Width: 2 ft. - 4 ft.
 

Creeping rosemary

Botanical Name: Rosmarinus officinalis 'Prostratus'
Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 24 in.   Width: 5 ft. - 6 ft.
 

Germander sage

Botanical Name: Salvia chamaedryoides
Plant Type: Shrub, Ground cover
Water Needs: Low 1
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 2 ft. - 3 ft.   Width: 3 ft. - 4 ft.
 

Rosemary + cvs

Botanical Name: Rosmarinus officinalis
Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 ft. - 7 ft.   Width: 10 ft. - 12 ft.
 

Russian sage

Botanical Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia
Plant Type: Perennial
Water Needs: Moderate 3
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 3 ft. - 4 ft.   Width: 3 ft. - 4 ft.
 

Spanish lavender + cvs

Botanical Name: Lavandula stoechas
Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 18 in. - 24 in.   Width: 2 ft. - 3 ft.
 

Sweet lavender

Botanical Name: Lavandula x heterophylla
Plant Type: Shrub
Water Needs: Low 2
Exposure: All day sun
Height: 4 ft. - 5 ft.   Width: 3 ft. - 4 ft.