Recommended Landscape Plants for Sonoma County | UC Agriculture and Natural Resources

Landscape Plants for Sonoma County

We offer a number of plant lists to help you find the right plants for each place in your garden, or the right place for that plant you couldn't resist. The selection of plants on these lists is not intended to be exhaustive. There are many more plants that can be — and are — grown successfully in Sonoma County, but the selected plants are likely to be the most successful.

Characteristics of the ideal plants for a Sonoma County home garden:

They can survive our wet winters and dry summers with minimal care.
Some are California natives while others are native to other Mediterranean climates.
Many require little supplemental irrigation, attract few harmful insects, are relatively disease free, and flourish here in Sonoma County.

Firewise gardening

All vegetation, including native plants and ornamental plants, is flammable. Firewise landscape design considers plant placement and spacing and includes non-flammable hardscape, such as granite paths and stone walls, to separate planted areas. See our Wildfire Preparedness in the Home Landscape page for more information.

Consider your garden's microclimates when selecting and placing your plants

Plant list for Sonoma County include many salvias

You need to take your location into account when using these lists, as Sonoma County has many climate zones. Your own microclimate and precise planting location will affect the way your plants grow. Plants in coastal microclimates can withstand more sun and can get by with less watering than those in hot, inland areas. Plants should be grouped in the garden by their water needs. For best results, follow the advice given on our Sustainable Gardening page.

In partnership with Santa Rosa Water, we developed a list of “Climate Forward Trees”, a recommended palette of trees species that are likely to thrive with the forecasted changes in climate in Santa Rosa over the next 30-50 years.

Lists of Ideal Sonoma County Plants by Plant Attributes:

On these lists, single-letter descriptors are used to describe the characteristics of each plant. You can find the plants having the characteristic you are looking for by scanning the column for that characteristic. Click here to see the definitions of these indicators.