Autumn Sage
Salvia greggii
Stays green when everything else drops — for sand, rocky, and loam ground and 2–3 ft tall, good for winter shelter.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 2–3 ft
- Blooms Apr–Oct
- Home
- By state
- California
- Evergreen
California · Zones 5–10
Native Evergreen Plants in California
Native shrubs, groundcovers, and ferns that hold their leaves through winter for year-round green, screening, and cover. For California, the right natives are shaped by Coast Ranges, Central Valley & Sierra Nevada and a Mediterranean, summer-dry climate. Every species below, from Autumn Sage and California Lilac to the rest of the list, is genuinely native to California and hardy through zones 5–10. Evergreen natives carry the garden through the bare months, giving structure, privacy, and winter shelter for birds when the deciduous plants have dropped their leaves. Site broadleaf evergreens out of harsh winter wind and afternoon sun to prevent leaf scorch, and water them deeply going into a dry fall so they enter winter fully charged.
The plants
7 native species for California
Each one native to your region and hardy in zones 5–10 · see this collection in other states.
California Lilac
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Year-round foliage for privacy and shelter when the rest of the garden sleeps, happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil and electric blue flowers.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 6–20 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Apache Plume
Fallugia paradoxa
Keeps its foliage all winter for cover when the deciduous plants are bare, hardy in zones 5–9 and happy in sand and rocky soil.
- Full sun
- Dry
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Apr–Sep
Oregon Grape
Berberis aquifolium
An evergreen anchor that never goes bare, bright yellow flowers and 3–6 ft tall.
- Sun to shade
- Dry–average
- 3–6 ft
- Blooms Mar–Apr
Hairy Manzanita
Arctostaphylos columbiana
Carries the planting through winter with leaves intact, for sand, rocky, and loam ground and 4–8 ft wide.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 3–9 ft
- Blooms Mar–May
Bearberry
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Holds its leaves through winter for year-round green and cover, hardy in zones 2–6 and reaching 4–8 in.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 4–8 in
- Blooms Apr–May
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
Keeps its foliage all winter for cover when the deciduous plants are bare, hardy in zones 7–10 and happy in sand, rocky, and loam soil.
- Full–part sun
- Dry
- 8–15 ft
- Blooms Jun–Jul
Sourcing
Where to find these in California
Seeds & live plants on Amazon
Seed packets, plugs, and starter plants for many of these species ship to your door.
Browse on AmazonSome links here are affiliate links — we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. The surest source of locally-adapted stock is a native-plant nursery or a native plant society sale in your area.