Native Plants for the Trinity Garden

Western DogwoodTrinity County and northern California have a wide range of native plants, some of which do well in the cultivated garden. Native plants can be attractive to wildlife, can be better suited to your soil and climate, and can help you create a garden that blends well with the natural landscape.

We present below some of our favorite California native plants that we often have available in the nursery. Unlike our other plant lists, this one is sorted by botanical name so that you can see all varieties of a particular species together.

Common Name Botanical Name
Vines
Western Virgin’s Bower Clematis ligusticifolia
Shrubs
Emerald Carpet Manzanita Arctostaphylos ‘Emerald Carpet’
Louis Edmonds Manzanita Arctostaphylos bakeri ‘Louis Edmonds’
Howard McMinn Manzanita Arctostaphylos densiflora ‘Howard McMinn’
Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Massachusetts Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Massachusetts’
Wood’s Compact Manzanita Arctostaphylos uva-ursi ‘Wood’s Compact’
Coyote Brush Baccharis pilularis
Victoria Wild Lilac Ceanothus impressus ‘Victoria’
Western Redbud Cercis occidentalis
Mountain Mahogany Cercocarpus montanus
Redtwig Dogwood Cornus stolonifera
Yellowtwig Dogwood Cornus stolonifera ‘Flaviramea’
Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia
Oregon Grape Mahonia aquifolium
Compact Oregon Grape Mahonia aquifolium ‘Compacta’
Creeping Mahonia Mahonia repens
Western Sword Fern Polystychum minutum
Coffeeberry Rhamnus californica
Western Azalea Rhododendron occidentale
Alpine Currant Ribes alpine
Gooseberry Ribes californicum
Western Spiraea Spiraea douglasii
Common Snowberry Symphoricarpos albus
Trees
Vine Maple Acer circinatum
Big Leaf Maple Acer macrophyllum
California Buckeye Aesculus californica
White Alder Alnus rhombifolia
Madrone Arbutus menziesii
Incense Cedar Calocedrus decurrens
Western Redbud Cercis occidentalis
Port Orford Cedar Chamaecyparis lawsoniana
Pacific / Western Dogwood Cornus nuttallii
California Black Walnut Juglans hindsii
Bristlecone Pine Pinus aristata
Jeffrey Pine Pinus jeffreyi
Ponderosa Pine Pinus ponderosa
California Sycamore Platanus racemosa
Western Cottonwood Populus fremontii
Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloides
Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii
Canyon Live Oak Quercus chrysolepis
Giant Sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum
Western Red Cedar Thuja plicata