March 2024 Plant Availability

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Greetings,

With the first day spring around the corner, it’s time for annual wildflowers! We have some exciting new species to offer this year along with the classic fan favorites 🙂

Most of our native wildflowers in California are annuals, which have a remarkably efficient life cycle– germinating, flowering, and setting seeds in the span of only a few months (a single growing season)!

Our local annuals are uniquely adapted to our Mediterranean climate, sprouting with winter rains, blooming in spring and summer, and then producing seeds before they dry up and die in the summer heat. Thanks to this co-evolution with our climate, they usually require far less water and fertilizer, are less prone to disease, and are more tolerant of pests than non-native annuals.

California native annual wildflowers produce abundant seeds, allowing them to sprout up new individuals each spring. Their seeds are also delicious and nutritious for many bird species! Our native annuals are incredibly important for a plethora of our native pollinators too, providing nectar, pollen, and even their leaves as a source of food for species such as the endangered Mission Blue butterfly. These incredible wildflowers cater specifically to their pollinators as they have evolved particular shapes, colors, sizes, and perfectly timed flowering seasons to attract their target pollinators. They can also improve soil health, returning nutrients to the soil with each cycle of their life. They can help to prevent erosion and improve water quality too! Not to mention the vibrant colors, unique charm, and beauty of our native annuals are some of the most enchanting wonders that California has to offer.

Below are some of the annuals that we are extra excited about this spring 🙂

Farewell-to-spring

Clarkia amoena

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

Super showy pink and red wildflower, growing 1-3 ft tall
As the common name suggests, late spring blooms that are striking as the grasslands start turning golden-brown
Wants moderate to well-draining soil–moist just until flowering starts, then dry.
Flourishes in part- to full-sun conditions, and will self sow if it’s happy!
Flowers are nectar source for native bumblebees, mason bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects

Red Ribbons

Clarkia concinna

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

This low growing, rounded annual wildflower grows about 1 foot tall x 1 foot wide
Its bright pink flower petals are deeply lobed and ribbon-like
These flowers are often visited and adored by long-tongued moths
In the garden, plant in a wildflower display, along borders, or in containers
Space 18 – 24 inches apart
Expect late spring/early summer blooms from May to July

Elegant clarkia

Clarkia unguiculata

Available in 4″ pots for $7.30 each!

Endemic to California (found nowhere else in the world!)
Grows 18 – 24 inches tall
Pink to coral flowers bloom continuously throughout the spring and into the summer (April – July)
Primarily pollinated by specialist bees found in their native habitat
Very showy, easily grown, and readily reseeds for the following spring

Brewer’s Fairy Fans

Clarkia Breweri

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

Rare wildflower that is endemic to central California
Grows about 8 inches tall
The fragrant pink to lavender petals appear from April to June.
Plant this little beauty in full sun to part shade with very little water in nearly any soil

Chinese Houses

Collinsia heterophylla

Available in 4″ pots for $7.30 each!

A welcome annual herb that grows to be about a foot tall
Blooms mid spring to early summer with bi-colored purple and white pea-like flowers stacked in multiple levels
Host plant for Checkerspot Butterfly larvae, and adored by native bees!
Great choice for butterfly gardens and cottage gardens!
Grows in full sun to part shade with light to moderate water

Photo courtesy of Eric and Chun-Chih Hadley-Ives https://www.historylines.net/themepages/more_flowers2.html

Giant Blue-eyed Mary

Collinsia grandiflora

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

Erect annual herb that grows to be about a foot tall
Produces multiple levels of several pea-like flowers that are bright blue-purple with white upper lips.
A great option for dry rock gardens, seasonally wet meadow gardens, and butterfly/moth pollinator gardens
Larval host of the Variable Checkerspot butterfly, Edith’s Checkerspot butterfly, and Bilobed Looper moth.

Five Spot

Nemophila maculata

Available in 4″ pots for $7.30 each!

0.5 – 1’ tall x 1’ wide, does best in full sun
This species is a prolific bloomer all spring with a low spreading habit
It is especially valuable to native bees
Most common on slopes in the Sierra Nevada, Sacramento Valley, and coast ranges in the San Francisco Bay Area

Bird’s Eye

Gilia tricolor

Available in 4″ pots for $7.30 each!

Roughly 1’ tall x 0.5’ wide, thrives in both full sun or part shade
Light blue/violet flowers are a favorite among hummingbirds, and have a subtle sweet scent that make them an excellent choice for wildflower bouquets
Native to the Central Valley and foothills of the Sierra Nevada and coast ranges of California
Grows best in full sun to partial shade in clay or loam soil

Wind Poppy

Papaver heterophyllum

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

Wind poppy is a very colorful annual with deep red-orange crinkled petals and a dark center that bloom throughout March and April
The large ethereal flowers sit atop a long stem, appearing to float above its surrounding vegetation
Attracts bees, birds, and is deer resistant.
Has a preference for partial shade and is tolerant of a variety of soils
Does well as an oak understory plant!

Lindley’s Blazing Star

Mentzelia lindleyi

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

Upright annual wildflower that grows 1-2 ft. tall x 1 ft. wide
Named for its golden yellow, satiny petaled blooms centered with a fountain of extra long stamens
Flowers bloom from late spring to early summer, and may be extended with deadheading
Prefers well to medium draining soil
Tolerant of heat, drought, and wind
Perfect addition to open areas between trees/shrubs, pairs nicely in a meadow garden with other annuals, and does well in container gardens

Arroyo Lupine

Lupinus succulentus

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

2 feet tall x 1 foot wide
This annual grows quickly and blooms heavily with blue-purple flowers from late winter to late spring
Its 3 foot root system makes it a great option for bank stabilization
As with many of our native annuals, this species self sows for the following growing season
Hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies collect nectar from the flowers and birds eat the seeds

Bicolored Lupine

Lupinus bicolor

Available in 4″ pots for $7.30 each!

This small but mighty showy annual wildflower grows up to 1.5 feet tall
Makes a colorful addition to a dry meadow as it flowers throughout the spring
A common companion of the California Poppy
Adds nitrogen to the soil to the benefit of other plants in the community

Desert Bells

Phacelia campanularia

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

This annual is native to the deserts of California and is best known for its vibrant cobalt blue blooms that appear in late winter and spring
It naturally grows in sandy soils and desert-like climates, but is adaptive to other climates too
It grows very quickly and blooms early, reseeding itself if conditions are right
A favorite among bumblebees

Sticky Phacelia

Phacelia viscida

Available in 4” pots for $7.30 each!

Practically unknown, this beautiful annual bears lots of intense gentian-blue flowers all along its many 1-to-2′ arching stems. The plant grows to 2-1/2′ tall by 1-1/2′ spread.
Prolific and long blooming from March to June.
Does best in part shade with decent soil
Reseeds prolifically!

Happy Spring, ‘Bee’ Well, and Go Natives! from all of us at the Watershed Nursery

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