Plant List
Things to Consider
- Remember the Seasons
- Bees Need More Blooms in Summer and Fall
- It’s Not a Crime To Add Non-Natives
- Think Long Term – Size of Mature Plants
- Maintenance
- Leave areas of undisturbed soil and aged wooden posts or logs for native bee nesting sites.
Resources
Here are some resources for pollinator-friendly, drought-tolerant native plants:
- Plants Native to Santa Clara County for Bees and Butterfes – Valley Water
- Waterwise Plant List – UC Master Gardeners, Santa Clara County
- Bee-friendly Gardening – California Native Plant Society
- Plant Sales – Grassroots Ecology
- Birds and the bees — creating a welcoming garden for pollinators – Mercury News
Water Conservation
Water will always be a challenge in our area.
Fire Safety
Another consideration in our area is fire danger, especially if your home is near the border of an urban area in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI).
Zones
Most gardening books, catalogs, seed packets, and plant tags refer to plant hardiness zone, climate zone, or growing zone. In California, the most commonly used plant hardiness systems are:
| Location | Sunset Zone | USDA Zone |
| Morgan Hill, San Martin, Gilroy, and Hollister | 14 | 9b-10a |
| Aromas, Prunedale | 16 | 9b |
| Salinas, Soledad | 15 | 9b |