Most of California has a Mediterranean-type climate with cool, rainy winters followed by hot, dry summers. Many of the plants for sale in nurseries need help to survive in this climate, and often require a lot of water during the summer. However, plants native to California (meaning that they were present prior to the arrival of European explorers and colonists) have adapted to this climate with a variety of strategies that allow them to live with no water for long periods of time. One of these strategies is to bloom and grow during the rainy season and go dormant during the hottest part of the summer.
The cultivar ‘Howard McMinn' is a manzanita that does very well in home gardens. It can tolerate heavier soils, summer watering, partial shade and light shearing. Pale pink flowers begin blooming around February. It has fine-textured green leaves and grows to a more rounded form than other manzanitas. It grows to medium size (about four to six feet tall), making it a good choice for a foundation shrub or an informal hedge.
Pipevine (scientific name Aristolochia californica) is native to foothills and valleys of northern California. Also called California pipevine and Dutchman's pipe, it grows in both lower and upper Bidwell Park, usually near water. Its ten to fifteen-foot-long vines climb into shrubs or trees or along fences without harming them. Blooming in winter or early spring before its heart-shaped leaves appear, the pale green flowers with dark maroon veins are unusual in appearance, resembling curved pipes with flared bowls. It is the only local larval host plant for the pipevine swallowtail butterfly. Pipevine tolerates just about any soil but needs part to full shade and a little water in summer. While it can be grown as a groundcover, pipevine is most effective where the flowers can dangle at eye level to be appreciated.
Planting winter-blooming natives in your garden provides both food for wildlife and lovely flowers to enjoy when most of your garden is dormant.
Master Gardener 2025 Spring Workshop Series is about to start! Our Spring series of workshops begins with Stem Propagation on Saturday, February 8th (due to the possibility of rain, the original first workshop, Seed Starting on February 1st, has been re-scheduled). For more information about the series, which runs through early June, and to register for the upcoming workshops, visit the Master Gardener website.
The UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system, serving UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.