Natives Plants for Containers

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Compiled by the Theodore Payne Foundation for Wildflowers and Native Plants, Inc.

Photos by Ken Gilliland ©2002-2006

Container gardening is limited only by your imagination and willingness to try new things. In general, plants with fibrous roots (small perennials, grasses, wildflowers) adapt better to container culture than plants with deep woody roots (Manzanita, Ceanothus). Creeping plants such as Yarrow grow best in containers that give them room to spread. Fast-growing plants such as White Sage require periodic root-pruning or transplant to larger containers

GRASSES AND THEIR KIN

• Carex spp., Sedges – lush green leaves in different widths, heights; easy to grow; like water

• Elymus condensatus ‘Canyon Prince’ Wild Rye Grass – robust, big grass; would look great in a glazed pot

• Equisetum hyemale, Horsetail – spreads widely, so best in container

• Juncus patens, Spreading Rush – dark, spiky green leaf; easy to grow; likes water

• Muhlenbergia rigens, Deergrass – our biggest bunch grass; looks great spilling out of pot

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  Wildflowers – many beautiful choices in different sizes and colors

PERENNIALS AND SMALL SHRUBS

• Eriogonum crocatum, Conejo Buckwheat  Y – a delicate small buckwheat with grey foliage and chartreuse flowers

• Iris spp., Iris  V/W/Y – easy to grow, bloom reliably; divide plants in fall to propagate

• Monardella spp., Coyote Mint  P/V/W – best in partial sun; tolerates watering; pretty butterfly flowers

• Penstemon spp., Penstemon/Beard-Tongue  B/P/R/V – likes to be on the dry side; give full sun

• Salvia clevelandii, Cleveland Sage, and cultivars  B/V – fabulous aroma, compact form, striking flowers

VINES AND SPREADERS FOR HANGING BASKETS

• Calystegia macrostegia, Morning Glory P/W – gorgeous, robust vine, lovely spilling out of pot or over wall

• Epilobium canum and E. canum latifolia, California Fuchsia  R/W – sprawling, fast-growing; attracts hummingbirds

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  Lonicera subspicata, Chaparral Honeysuckle  W=R/Y – attractive arching stems can be attached to trellis

CACTI AND SUCCULENTS

• Agave deserti, Desert Agave W – grey leaf looks great contrasted with terra cotta; separate ‘pups’ to propagate

• Dudleya spp., Dudleya, Live-Forever  P/R/Y/W – best in partial sun; guard against mealy bug attack

• Yucca whipplei, Our Lord’s Candle  W  or Nolina spp., Beargrass  W – great architectural shape; watch pointy tips!

SLOW-GROWING TREES

• Pinus jeffreyi and Pinus ponderosa, Pine – fragrant, shapely; slow growing as youngsters; prune frequently to dwarf

• Calocedrus decurrens, Incense Cedar – fragrant; slow-growing during first few years

• Cercis occidentalis, Western Redbud P – beautiful flowering specimen; great as focal point; treasure it for years

• Washingtonia filifera, California Fan Palm – looks striking in a pot; eventually must be transplanted to ground

BONZAI

• Arctostaphylos spp., (Manzanita) P/W, especially small-leaved varieties – slow-growing; beautiful bark

•  Calocedrus decurrens, Incense Cedar – slow-growing in youth; upright and bushy (thin for best form)

• Chaemacyparis lawsoniana, Port Orford Cedar – lovely blue-green foliage; strong thick trunk

• Pinus spp. (Pine), especially P. contorta contorta, Shore Pine – short needles; picturesque shape

• Quercus spp. (Oak), especially deciduous varieties such as Q. lobata, Valley Oak and Q. douglasii, Blue Oak