Red buckwheat

Eriogonum grande var. rubescens

Description

Red buckwheat is one of the most attractive of our California native buckwheats. This variety comes from parts of San Miguel and Santa Cruz Islands, has a clumping habit and produces rose-pink flowers that ascend on 18-24 in. tall above attractive pale green foliage.

Red buckwheat is recommended for bank and border plantings in combination with other California drought-tolerant perennials and wildflowers. It contributes to a garden’s interest with its elegant flowering and attraction to butterflies. This variety needs well-drained soils and low amounts of summer water; it is often a short-lived plant, lasting 3-5 years.

Plant Type: Perennial, Native
Foliage Character: Evergreen
Habit: Compact, Mounding
Growth Rate: Moderate
Foliage Color: Pale green
Flower Color: Red, Pink
Flower Season: Summer
Soil Adaptations: Well-draining soil, Clay, Calcareous soil
Exposure Adaptations: Heat, Drought, Coastal salt air, All day sun
Function: Wildlife value, Slopes, Banks, Attracts butterflies, Small spaces
Height: 1 ft. – 3 ft. (with flowers)
Width: 2 ft. – 3 ft.

Watering Schedule: Low 1

For most situations, we recommend watering deeply every 3-4 weeks after establishment.

Learn how to apply this watering schedule to your landscape on our How to water waterwise and California native plants page.

Important Notes

These are general guidelines. Always observe and adjust as necessary for your landscape.
If it rains over 1” you will likely not need to water for at least another 3-4 weeks. Before watering again, check the soil. It should be significantly dry at least 4” below the soil surface before watering.
If you have a “smart timer” or weather sensitive irrigation controller, it is best not to use the automatic weather adjusting features for plants in this category. While very useful for watering higher water demanding plants, those in this category have natural drought adaptations which mean they do not need to be watered more in warm weather. Using the weather adjusting features will result in either overwatering in summer or underwatering in fall and spring.
It is important to group plants with the same water needs together in the landscape to avoid needing to over or under water plants when running your irrigation system.

After flowering, leave spent flowers to dry into red / brown clusters. This is part of the desired look of native buckwheats. The seeds develop into valuable wildlife food and help shade the plant in the summer heat (1). “Deadheading” buckwheats would be tedious and time consuming and would take away much of what there is to love about this plant. Keep things easy and don’t worry about it (S). If desired, remove dried seed heads beginning in mid-September and into the fall (1). Older plants that look like they need refreshing can be cut back hard into older wood in November. Expect new growth to emerge within a few weeks (1) References