Many plants are native to dry, arid places in the world and are well-adapted to living without much water. They even manage to look beautiful while doing it! We recommend planting a few of these in your landscape this year. Not only will they help to conserve water but they will add some new and interesting dimension to your garden! All the plants on this list* are well-adapted to our climate and are available at the Evergreen Nursery!
Perennials, Shrubs, and Ornamental Grasses
- Agave species (Agave)
- Alyogyne huegelii (Blue Hibiscus)
- Arctostaphylos species (Manzanita)
- Artemisia species (Sagebrush)
- Ceanothus species (California Lilac)
- Chamelaucium uncinatum (Geraldton Waxflower)
- Cistus species (Rockrose)
- Dudleya species (Live Forever)
- Echeveria species (Hens-and-Chickens)
- Galvezia speciosa (Island Bush Snapdragon)
- Grevillea species (Grevillea)
- Heteromeles arbutifolia (Toyon)
- Lavandula species (Lavender)
- Leucophyllum species (Texas Ranger)
- Lobelia laxiflora (Mexican Bush Lobelia)
- Mahonia varieties
- Melalueca nesophila (Pink Melaleuca)
- Myrtus communis (Common Myrtle)
- Many ornamental grasses
- Penstemon species (Penstemon)
- Rhus species (Sumac)
- Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary)
- Salvia, selected species (Sage)
- Sisyrinchium bellum (Blue-Eyed Grass)
- Tapetes lemmonii (Copper Canyon Daisy)
- Verbena, selected species (Verbena)
Trees
- Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree)
- Chitalpa tashkentensis (Chitalpa)
- Geijera parviflora (Australian Willow)
- Laurus nobilis (Sweet Bay)
- Olea europaea: several varieties both fruiting and non-fruiting
- Pinus eldarica (Afghan Pine)
- Prosopsis chilensis (Chilean Mesquite)
- Quercus agrifolia (Coast Live Oak)
- Rhus lancea (African Sumac)
- Lagerstroemia (Crape Mytrle)
Vines
- Bougainvillea species (Bougainvillea)
- Macfadyena unguis-cati (Cat’s Claw)
- Vitis californica (California Wild Grape)
Ground Covers
- Acacia redolens ‘Desert Carpet’
- (Dwarf Prostrate Acacia)
- Achillea species (Yarrow)
- Baccharis species (Coyote Brush)
- Cotoneaster dammeri (Bearberry Cotoneaster)
- Lampranthus species (Ice Plant)
- Lantana montevidensis (Trailing Lantana)
- Myoporum parvifolium (Myoporum)
- Sedum species (Stonecrop)
* List thanks to the California Water Service Co.
What makes this list especially valuable to East Bay gardeners is that these plants are actually available NOW at your nursery. For folks who aren’t “plant experts,” it can be confusing to find the right plants off a generic list. I’ll be posting this to my website and Facebook page (crediting EN, of course). Thanks for the list!
Thank you Tisa. It’s always so difficult to know what works where! We are trying to expand our range of drought tolerant plants this year so you should see some new ones over the coming months, but if there’s anything you particularly want, speak to Dan and he’ll try to find it for you.
Can you tell me if this list of plants are animal friendly? I have both a dog and cat that love to chew on plants.
Also my allergies really act up if there are too many combinations of strong fragrant blooms. Are there any plants above that are extremely fragrant that I should try and avoid. Sometime when purchasing plants they are not in bloom, so it’s hard to know whether they will be fragrant or not.
I know this is a lot and I do apologize, but I do have 1 more question. Are there Hostas that would do well in our area, and in clay soil.
Thanks so much for your time. I was in the nursery today trying to get an idea of what appeals to me. As I need to start all over in both my yards. I’m not doing them now, but trying to come up with an idea of what I’d like to do.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
I love the fact that there are lists of plants. Some of them I am familiar with. Is it possible to have photos of the plants attached to the names?