El Rio Plant Palette
Heart of El Rio is dedicated to fostering a vibrant, sustainable community through the use of native, drought-tolerant, and non-invasive plants. By selecting plants that thrive in our local climate, we help conserve water, support biodiversity, and create resilient landscapes that benefit both people and wildlife.
We are working with a local native plant expert to develop a plant palette for our community. This involves selecting and growing a diverse set of plants based on the above mentioned principles, ensuring that our community has access to environmentally friendly options for their gardens and public spaces.
Special thanks to our native plant expert Antonio Sanchez. Antonio's grandparents raised their family in El Rio and we are grateful for his expertise, passion, and love for native plants and the community.
In the short term, we have grown the below plants and are looking forward to bringing them into our neighborhood!
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White Sage
Salvia apiana
Evergreen shrub to 5 ft. Aromatic, waxy grey-green to white leaves, with spikes of white to pale purple flowers in spring and summer. Attracts bees and hummingbirds, also provides seeds for quail and other birds. Used for smudging. Over harvested in the wild, so plant your own! Prune after bloom to maintain compact form. Full sun, low water. Tolerates clay, prefers fast draining soils. Hardy to 15º F.
Russian River Coyote Mint Monardella villosa
Coyote Mint is a spreading subshrub distinguished by its fragrant mint-scented foliage and delicate lavender flowers. During the summer blooming season, the flowers are attractive to bees and especially butterflies.
Coyote mint does best in well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant, but bloom and foliage quality improve with some summer irrigation, particularly inland. Light pruning helps maintain a neat appearance.
Mountain Marigold
Tagetes lemonnii
Evergreen shrub to 3 feet, with cheerful yellow flowers and a pungent tropical aroma. Native to Mexico. Flowers most abundantly in the cool season. Full sun to bright shade. Low water, appreciates occasional supplemental water. Can be coppiced. Hardy to 25° F
Photo Credit: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
California Goldenrod
Solidago californica
Evergreen perennial to 2 ft tall and spreading by rhizome. Yellow flowers in late summer and fall attract native bees and butterflies. Nice cut flower. Deadhead for tidier appearance. Grows near seasonal creeks; appreciates a little supplemental water in the garden. Cool sun to bright shade. Tolerates sandy soils and clay soils. Hardy to 10º F.
