California Buckeye is one of our most drought-tolerant species and is tolerant of a wide range of soils. It often grows with oaks in the foothill regions of the state surrounding the Central Valley.
In the words of John Thomas Howell, author of Marin Flora, the California Buckeye is a sight to behold in all seasons, “…whether it is the tracery of bare branches etched against the winter sky, or the vernal opulence of leaf and flower conformed into a huge bouquet, or the dull, rich tone of colored foliage bronzing the autumnal countryside.”
Description: California Buckeyes are usually multi-trunked, but can be pruned to a single trunk. Branches are quite sculptural and the tree can be pruned to a variety of shapes.
We have compiled a short list of native plants compatible with buckeyes. Plants are grouped by form: grasses, small shrubs, tall shrubs, spreading groundcovers, herbs, bulbs and wildflowers. All of those listed are available at native plant nurseries and/or California Native Plant Society sales. CalScape is an excellent reference for locating plants.
Buckeyes occupy DRY habitats and lose their leaves in early summer. This means the area under the canopy can get quite a bit of light in the summer and fall. Your California Buckeye landscape plan could include species from the following groups.
Grasses: Native perennial grasses will be happy under and around a buckeye. Our state grass, Purple Needle Grass (Stipa pulchra), will do well here. I suggest trying a variety of the native grasses that fit your textural and/or color scheme.
Many small shrubs will thrive along the canopy edge. This would be a great habitat forour native buckwheats (Eriogonum spp), which are pollinator favorites and milkweeds (Asclepias spp). Other small shrubs include the sages, monkeyflowers (Diplacus spp), prostrate coyote bush (Baccharis spp), and prostrate manzanitas (Arctostaphylos spp) and ceanothus (Ceanothus spp).
My favorite tall shrub is Service Berry (Amelanchier) with its edible fruit. Other tall shrubs include currants or gooseberries (Ribes), manzanitas (Arctostaphylos), Coffeeberry (Frangula californica) and Spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis).
Spreading Ground covers: California fuchsia (Epilobium spp), hummingbird sage (Salvia spathacea), Yarrow (Achillea spp), purple-flowered coyote mint (Monardella villosa).
Perennial Herbs, Bulb, and Wildflowers: This is a great location for bulbs and wildflowers. Wild hyacinth (Dichelostemma multiflorum), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium spp), yarrow (Achillea millefolium) and Ithuriel’s Spear (Triteleia laxa) will do well in the understory.
Would you like online help with a plan? https://bayarea.calscape.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/111022_Woodland-1.pdf
Resources
Calflora http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-taxon=Aesculus+californica