Common name:California Goldenrod
Botanical name:Solidago velutina ssp. californica
California Goldenrod is a native perennial herb that grows in northern, southern and central California. It tends to grow in open grassy places, at elevations from 0-7500 feet. It produces masses of yellow flowers when many other plants are dormant. Birds and pollinating insects love this plant. Grows well in central oak woodlands. It likes to be wet in winter/spring and dry in summer but can take extra water. It is a spreader from a creeping rootstock and may become invasive, so plant it where it will have plenty of room. Otherwise it is very garden tolerant and easy.
Common name:Reed Grass
Botanical name:Calamagrostis foliosa
This tufted perennial bunchgrass is native to the northern California coastal scrub. It forms a beautiful, dense mound of grey greeen leaves that reach 2' tall, with showy arching flower stalks to 3' tall. Reed Grass leaves assume an attractive purple
coloration in the fall and winter. This evergreen should be grown under sun, with little or no summer watering required. -Monterey Bay Nursery
Designer:
Photographer: Vicki Anderson
Practice grass-cycling by leaving short grass clippings on lawns after mowing, so that nutrients and organic matter are returned to the soil.
Attract, or buy beneficial insects such as ladybugs and lacewings to control pest outbreaks in your garden.