California is blessed with an incredible diversity of native plants, but not all are easy to grow in managed landscapes. To look their best, some plants require an exact match to their native water, soil, and sun exposure preferences. 

The following three are exceptions – and they are exceptionally well suited to gardens. All are evergreen shrubs, so they look great year-round. They attract pollinators with their colorful flowers and birds with their small fruits, and they need no irrigation after establishment. Now that is a water savings!

COFFEEBERRY

Frangula californica 

• Beautiful, dense foliage
• Uniform and fast growing. Easy to shape and keep to desired size.
• Subtle flowers are followed by good-sized berries that slowly turn from green to red to black. 

CALIFORNIA LILAC

Ceanothus species

• Shiny, wrinkled, emerald-green foliage
• Naturally grow into large groundcovers or medium-sized shrubs
• Late winter bloom in shades of blue, from white to palest baby blue to deep violet, depending on species and variety.
• Produces small fruits that pop open when dry, scattering seeds that are relished by birds.

MANZANITA

Arctostaphylos species

• Distinctive red bark and small, uniform leaves that look neat year-round – like boxwood
• Available as ground cover, shrub, or small tree 
• Early spring flowers are pink or white and shaped like tiny urns. These are followed by small, round fruits. (Manzanita is Spanish for “little apple”.)
• Easy to maintain – just clip off any dead branches