Planting palette

Oudolf × Rainer/West · native plant communities

Compose by habitat: A dry sun · B dry oak edge · C seasonal treatment meadow · D moist riparian edge. Select within each group, not one 38-species mix. Photographs show reference plants, not this parcel.

In this section

Oudolf + Rainer: a living composition
A · Dry sunny meadow + fence edge
B · Existing oak edge
C · Wet–dry treatment meadow
D · Moist riparian transition
Seasonal colour without plant conflict
Valley oak Quercus lobata
Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia
California buckeye Aesculus californica
Western redbud Cercis occidentalis
Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia
Coffeeberry Frangula californica
Coyote brush Baccharis pilularis
California sagebrush Artemisia californica
California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum
Black sage Salvia mellifera
Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra / Nassella pulchra
Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis
Great Valley gumplant Grindelia camporum
Yarrow Achillea millefolium
California fuchsia Epilobium canum
California fescue Festuca californica
Clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis
Santa Barbara / valley sedge Carex barbarae
Spreading rush Juncus patens
Common rush Juncus effusus
Meadow barley Hordeum brachyantherum
Tufted hairgrass Deschampsia cespitosa
Yellow monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata
Common spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya
Hardstem bulrush / tule Schoenoplectus acutus
Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii
Arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis
Red willow Salix laevigata
White alder Alnus rhombifolia
California box elder Acer negundo var. californicum
Blue elderberry Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea
California wild rose Rosa californica
Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea
Mugwort Artemisia douglasiana
Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus
Pacific ninebark Physocarpus capitatus
Northern California black walnut Juglans hindsii
Sky lupine Lupinus nanus

Oudolf + Rainer: a living composition

Habitat, form and behaviour

Oudolf/Kingsbury use repeated forms, a quiet grass matrix and lasting seedheads. Rainer/West match plants to place and to each other, layering framework, seasonal flowers and ground cover. Here, the palette follows winter rain and summer drought—not a summer-green European prairie.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat a few dependable plants within each habitat. Combine compatible water needs, light and mature spread; use flowering patches against bunchgrasses rather than mixing every species everywhere. Source local native forms: a California-native label alone does not establish Guadalupe-watershed provenance.

A · Dry sunny meadow + fence edge

Habitat, form and behaviour

A · Sunny, summer-dry campus beds and suitable outer on-parcel ground. Native bumble bees and monarchs are the protagonists. This flowering meadow is separate from short, sparse owl ground and required fire/security clearances.

Combine / keep separate

Start with purple needlegrass, white native yarrow and gumplant. Repeat milkweed in sunny host-plant patches and fuchsia in bounded late-flowering drifts; scatter sky lupine into open gaps. Put buckwheat/black sage at sunny edges and coyote brush behind—not over—the meadow. Keep separate bare-ground bee nesting patches.

Purple needlegrass · a form reference for the proposed matrix.

B · Existing oak edge

Habitat, form and behaviour

B · Dry-summer oak canopy and its outer edge. Retained trees, roots and leaf litter are the framework. Light shade suits California fescue; purple needlegrass needs brighter openings. Do not irrigate an old oak root zone to support a thirsty understory.

Combine / keep separate

Keep trunks, protected roots and existing litter undisturbed. Use fescue in suitable light-shade openings and coffeeberry at roomy outer edges; transition to needlegrass/yarrow as sunlight increases. Keep wet sedges, rushes and riparian thickets in other zones. New planting must fit around—not excavate through—retained roots.

Oak #59 and neighbors · the existing structure comes first.

C · Wet–dry treatment meadow

Habitat, form and behaviour

C · Engineered treatment cells: intermittently wetted bottoms, damp benches and dry upper banks are separate conditions. Stormwater treatment benefits downstream fish; a wet-looking planting does not establish a permanent wetland.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat Juncus patens with meadow barley in suitable seasonal zones. Give field sedge its own damp bands. Put yarrow/fuchsia on dry upper banks on a separate water regime. Common rush, valley sedge and monkeyflower need wetter pockets; omit them if summer moisture fails. Keep inlets, outlets and sightlines open.

Existing basin palette · to be redesigned by hydrologic zone, not copied unchanged.

D · Moist riparian transition

Habitat, form and behaviour

D · Existing on-parcel moist edges, or ground with a viable low-water water balance. Retained willow/cottonwood support riparian birds. The riverbank beyond the existing trail is outside this planting footprint; work there needs a separate partnership.

Combine / keep separate

Retain viable trees; use elderberry on higher, seasonally moist ground. On wetter ground, choose rose OR dogwood/snowberry patches with rushes at open margins. Do not stack all vigorous shrubs together. Keep alder, tule and spikerush for genuinely wet locations; never create continuous irrigation demand simply to include them.

Willow · form reference; use the inventory map for existing trees.

Seasonal colour without plant conflict

Habitat, form and behaviour

Spring: redbud, lupine and fresh grass growth. Summer: yarrow, milkweed and gumplant. Late season: fuchsia, rusty buckwheat heads and coyote-brush flowers. Winter: evergreen shrubs, toyon fruit and standing native stems. Bloom timing varies with weather and water.

Combine / keep separate

Keep clonal spreaders in maintainable patches; thin encroaching shoots before they smother slower neighbours. Preserve some open soil for annual renewal and ground-nesting bees. Accept summer-gold grasses and dormant milkweed. Establish with temporary irrigation, then taper by habitat; retain seedheads only outside drainage/fire/service clearances.

Valley oak Quercus lobata

Habitat, form and behaviour

B / broad A openings · large deciduous canopy. A Santa Clara Valley native with long-lived habitat structure. New trees need deep, generous rooting ground and establishment water; this is not a small-pit or permanently flooded tree.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with needlegrass/yarrow in sunny outer openings, fescue where light shade develops. Keep wetland planting and routine summer irrigation away from the root crown. Allow eventual canopy spread to change the understory; do not promise a sun meadow beneath a closed crown.

Broad, irregular mature crown: design the future shade and rooting space, not just a nursery-sized tree.

Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia

Habitat, form and behaviour

B · evergreen habitat anchor, native and already present on the parcel. Its dense canopy, acorns and leaf litter support woodland life. Root disturbance and persistently wet summer soil can damage established oaks.

Combine / keep separate

Pair with coffeeberry and California fescue only in suitable outer openings. Leave protected roots, collars and litter intact. Keep wet sedge/rush irrigation away; place colourful meadow plants beyond the heavier shade.

Evergreen canopy against spring grassland: preserve both shaded refuge and sunny openings.

California buckeye Aesculus californica

Habitat, form and behaviour

A–B transition · native small tree/large shrub with creamy spring flower spikes. Often drops leaves during summer drought; its exposed branching is part of the design. Seeds are toxic and are not a community-food resource.

Combine / keep separate

Use with coffeeberry or toyon for an evergreen counterpoint, and dry grasses in sunny gaps. Do not rely on buckeye alone for summer seating shade, or increase irrigation just to hold its leaves. Keep fruit away from food/play interpretation.

Flowering crown at landscape scale; summer leaf-drop changes this silhouette.

Western redbud Cercis occidentalis

Habitat, form and behaviour

A–B transition · native deciduous shrub/small tree. Magenta spring blossom, rounded leaves and autumn colour create a seasonal focal point. Tolerates clay; flower display depends partly on winter conditions.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat near entrances or sunny woodland edges with yarrow and fescue in their respective light zones. Give the multi-stem crown room rather than routinely shearing it. Keep out of saturated basin bottoms; do not substitute eastern redbud cultivars.

Magenta blossom over a clear branching framework; western redbud, not an eastern-redbud cultivar.

Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia

Habitat, form and behaviour

A–B edge · native evergreen shrub/small tree. White summer flowers and red winter fruit provide seasonal continuity. It can become a substantial crown, not a permanently compact hedge.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with coffeeberry as a loose evergreen framework behind open grass/flower areas. Space for mature crowns and air movement; keep lower meadow plants outside their eventual shade. Avoid repeated hard clipping that removes blossom and fruit.

A fruiting shrub with strong red accents against evergreen foliage.

Coffeeberry Frangula californica

Habitat, form and behaviour

B / roomy A edge · native evergreen shrub for sun to partial shade and low summer water. Rounded foliage and red-to-dark fruit create a quiet structural background. The species grows much larger than dwarf nursery selections.

Combine / keep separate

Pair with fescue in light shade and toyon as a complementary framework. In sunny areas keep needlegrass/yarrow beyond its mature crown. Specify the intended form and local provenance; do not place a large shrub where visibility demands constant clipping.

Natural shrub form and foliage mass; allow its width to develop.

Coyote brush Baccharis pilularis

Habitat, form and behaviour

A edge · native evergreen pioneer, already part of the site's vegetation. Upright forms grow rapidly; late flowers extend insect forage. Seedlings and expanding shrub crowns can gradually close an open meadow.

Combine / keep separate

Use as occasional framework or habitat patches with buckwheat and sagebrush. Keep it out of the grass/forb matrix and owl ground; remove unwanted recruits there. Specify upright local form, not a prostrate ornamental clone when a shrub is intended.

Upright coyote-brush habit: a woody anchor, not a low lawn substitute.

California sagebrush Artemisia californica

Habitat, form and behaviour

A dry edge · native grey-green, aromatic shrub with fine-textured foliage. Suitable for sunny, summer-dry ground; dislike of wet summer roots matters even where winter clay is tolerated.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with black sage and California buckwheat in a dry scrub group; needlegrass belongs in the intervening sunny openings. Keep separate from irrigated sedges and saturated basins. Allow loose branching, outside required fire and inspection clearances.

Fine silver-grey foliage adds a contrasting texture to broader-leaved shrubs.

California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum

Habitat, form and behaviour

A dry edge · native flowering subshrub. Pale flower clusters age through pink to rust, retaining structure after bloom. Use locally appropriate material; the photograph shows var. foliolosum.

Combine / keep separate

Pair with black sage/sagebrush and adjacent needlegrass/gumplant for dry-season structure. Allow its woody crown to occupy its own patch, not overtop small annuals. Keep its roots out of persistently wet treatment bottoms; retain sound seedheads where access permits.

A flowering mound; pale flower heads later become the rust-coloured seasonal layer.

Black sage Salvia mellifera

Habitat, form and behaviour

A dry edge · locally native sage with aromatic foliage and pale flower whorls. A sunny dry-scrub plant rather than a wet-meadow perennial. Mature shrubs can shade low neighbours.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat with buckwheat and sagebrush behind lower meadow plants. Keep on well-drained upper ground, on the dry irrigation regime. Leave its natural outline rather than forcing a clipped hedge; separate it from dense groundcover at the crown.

Repeated flower whorls and a rounded, fine-textured shrub outline.

Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra / Nassella pulchra

Habitat, form and behaviour

A / sunny B openings · local native bunchgrass and the primary dry-meadow matrix. Fine spring growth becomes golden seed structure. It is clump-forming, not a weed-proof turf; invasive annual grasses can establish between clumps.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with restrained yarrow patches, gumplant and sky lupine in gaps. Use milkweed/fuchsia as distinct drifts, not a spreading carpet through every tussock. Keep out of deep shade and permanent wetness; remove invasive grasses without scalping all native seedheads.

Golden seedheads show the movement and fine texture of the summer meadow.

Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis

Habitat, form and behaviour

A · locally native milkweed; host foliage for monarch caterpillars and pale summer flower clusters. Dies back seasonally. Sunny host-plant patches need room and must remain free of systemic insecticides.

Combine / keep separate

Group with gumplant and nearby needlegrass for contrasting form and nectar through the season. Do not let shrubs shade the patch or groundcover swallow emerging stems. Leave occupied foliage intact and recognise dormant crowns; do not replace with evergreen tropical milkweed.

Flowering stems in a patch: allow seasonal dieback and caterpillar feeding.

Great Valley gumplant Grindelia camporum

Habitat, form and behaviour

A · locally listed native perennial for sun and dry to seasonally moist clay. Yellow daisies and persistent heads supply a robust flowering accent. Its branching habit needs more room than a small bedding flower.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat among needlegrass with milkweed and white yarrow; place fuchsia in adjacent drifts. Allow mature height and spread to read above the matrix without crowding the path. Retain useful seedheads, but remove recruits where they overwhelm smaller plants.

Bright yellow daisies with resinous buds and branching stems.

Yarrow Achillea millefolium

Habitat, form and behaviour

A / brighter B edge · locally native yarrow provides ferny foliage and white flower plates. Spreads by rhizomes, faster with extra water. Colourful commercial yarrow hybrids are not equivalent to local native stock.

Combine / keep separate

Use limited patches between needlegrass, with gumplant as the stronger upright partner. Thin encroaching shoots around smaller annuals and young bunchgrasses. Keep it off the wet irrigation circuit; retain the local white-flowered form rather than choosing colour from a hybrid catalogue.

White flower plates above finely divided foliage: the native form selected for this palette.

California fuchsia Epilobium canum

Habitat, form and behaviour

A / C dry upper banks · locally native fuchsia gives late red-orange flowers and grey foliage. Forms spreading patches and needs seasonal cutback. The illustrated 'Uvas Canyon' selection originated near San José; it is a form reference, not a requirement for clonal restoration stock.

Combine / keep separate

Use bounded drifts beside needlegrass/yarrow, with gumplant nearby. Keep runners out of small annual gaps and away from drains. Cut back after flowering when unoccupied, not while providing the season's main nectar display. Keep wetter sedge planting separate.

'Uvas Canyon': scarlet-orange flowers against silver foliage, extending colour into the late season.

California fescue Festuca californica

Habitat, form and behaviour

B · locally recorded native bunchgrass for light shade and low summer water. Arching blue-green leaves and tall airy flower stems give woodland structure. Best here in sheltered oak-edge openings, not the hottest reflective paving edge.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with coffeeberry at the outer oak edge; transition to needlegrass as the ground becomes sunnier. Keep wet sedge/rush beds separate. Avoid disturbing retained roots to install it, and leave room for full clumps rather than treating it as close-cut turf.

Cascading bunchgrass in light woodland shade: a local structural counterpart to the sunny needlegrass meadow.

Clustered field sedge Carex praegracilis

Habitat, form and behaviour

C damp bands · locally native rhizomatous sedge. Can create a continuous ground layer; summer greenness needs more water, while dry-season dormancy is natural. It is not interchangeable with a dry bunchgrass matrix.

Combine / keep separate

Give it its own bands alongside Juncus patens and meadow barley where moisture matches. Keep it out of small lupine/needlegrass patches and thin spreading edges. Accept summer browning rather than irrigating the whole landscape to maintain a lawn effect.

Sedge foliage and seed stems form a dense ground layer; not a flowering-grass substitute.

Santa Barbara / valley sedge Carex barbarae

Habitat, form and behaviour

C wetter pockets / D · locally native, robust spreading sedge with arching leaves. Suits moist or seasonally wet soil; its strong root system can fill a wet planting quickly. Not the default plant for a dry upper bank.

Combine / keep separate

Use broad patches beside rushes; reserve open pockets for monkeyflower rather than tightly intermixing it with young, slower plants. Keep spread clear of inlets, drains and paths. If summer moisture is insufficient, use the drier Juncus patens option instead.

Arching green blades with pendant seedheads: a bold, spreading wet-ground texture.

Spreading rush Juncus patens

Habitat, form and behaviour

C · locally native clumping rush; blue-grey to green vertical stems and tan flower clusters. Tolerates seasonal wetness and established dry conditions, making it a stronger wet–dry bridge than permanent-marsh species.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat with meadow barley in seasonal cell zones, with field sedge in distinct damp bands. Put yarrow/fuchsia on separately managed upper dry banks. Keep stems away from hydraulic openings; choose local material rather than assuming every blue cultivar has local provenance.

Strong upright clump and tan flower clusters: a repeatable structural rhythm.

Common rush Juncus effusus

Habitat, form and behaviour

C wetter pockets / D · locally native rush with greener, denser upright stems than Juncus patens. Naturally associated with wet ground. Use a local native form, not spiral-stem ornamental selections.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with valley sedge or monkeyflower where summer moisture persists. Keep separate from the dry sage/buckwheat group. Give mature clumps space and remove unwanted recruitment near outlets; choose Juncus patens for the more summer-dry treatment zones.

An upright green clump with loose brown flower clusters in wet-ground vegetation.

Meadow barley Hordeum brachyantherum

Habitat, form and behaviour

C · locally native tufted meadow grass with upright, bristled seedheads. Suits seasonal moisture and heavier soil. It can lose its lush appearance as soil dries; it is not evergreen ornamental lawn.

Combine / keep separate

Repeat among Juncus patens in suitable seasonal zones; keep field sedge in separate bands so it does not engulf young clumps. Use with monkeyflower only in wetter patches. Retain seed structure where appropriate, with clear path and drainage margins.

Meadow barley's upright seed spikes add a different rhythm from the fine needlegrass matrix.

Tufted hairgrass Deschampsia cespitosa

Habitat, form and behaviour

C cooler edge · California native with Santa Clara County records. Fine foliage and airy panicles give lightness; provenance and microclimate affect performance. It is a selective cool/moist accent, not the exposed campus's main dry-meadow grass.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with meadow barley and Juncus patens where light and summer moisture match. Use small repeated groups away from reflected heat, and do not let vigorous sedges enclose them. Prefer needlegrass in hot, dry sunny beds; avoid imported ornamental cultivars.

Airy, pale-gold panicles catch the light; photographed California-grown species material.

Yellow monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata

Habitat, form and behaviour

C wet pockets / D · locally native seep monkeyflower, also listed as Mimulus guttatus. Yellow flowers brighten damp ground. Plants may disappear when the seep dries and return from seed; continuous flowering is not assured without moisture.

Combine / keep separate

Use small sunny openings beside rushes, not underneath dense sedge or shrub cover. Treat it as a seasonal accent rather than permanent ground cover. Keep out of dry sage/needlegrass beds; do not add irrigation solely to prolong its display.

Yellow flowers scattered through a moist planting: seasonal brightness, not permanent bedding.

Common spikerush Eleocharis macrostachya

Habitat, form and behaviour

Wetland-only option · locally native rhizomatous spikerush for saturated/shallow-water margins. Fine green stems form colonies. Regular moisture is central to its appearance and function; most summer-dry treatment cells will not supply this.

Combine / keep separate

Use only in a justified wet feature, in open margins beside compatible rushes. Keep taller tule in a separate patch so it cannot shade out the lower layer. Omit from ordinary dry-season cells and protect all hydraulic openings from encroachment.

Fine upright stems and small terminal spikes form a low wetland texture.

Hardstem bulrush / tule Schoenoplectus acutus

Habitat, form and behaviour

Wetland-only option · locally native tule with tall vertical stems and marsh habitat value. It needs a spacious, reliably wet setting and can develop dense stands. It is not a low-water ornamental accent for a compact underdrained basin.

Combine / keep separate

Reserve for a water-balanced wetland concept; do not plant it into the standard campus meadow. Maintain distinct lower spikerush/rush margins, open water where intended, and clear conveyance. Keep its height away from surveillance and road sightlines.

Tall architectural stems and clustered heads; use the scale of a marsh, not a small planting pocket.

Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii

Habitat, form and behaviour

D · locally native, large fast-growing riparian tree; existing cottonwoods are mapped in the tree inventory. Reliable subsurface moisture and broad rooting space matter. Autumn yellow is a major visual asset, but shallow wet roots can conflict with pavement and services.

Combine / keep separate

Retain suitable existing trees. New planting belongs in spacious moist ground, with willow as a neighbouring canopy and elderberry on higher margins—not in small tree pits or beside buried utilities. Allow a changing light/shade mosaic beneath mature crowns.

Golden autumn canopy and major branching: a long-term spatial anchor.

Arroyo willow Salix lasiolepis

Habitat, form and behaviour

D · locally native deciduous willow, documented in the site's tree inventory. Flexible, branching shrub/tree structure and early catkins support riparian habitat. Naturally suited to moist ground, not to routine placement in dry campus beds.

Combine / keep separate

Retain viable existing structure; combine with cottonwood where both have room and moisture. Place rose/sedge in separate edge patches, leaving sunny openings. Keep roots and branches clear of utilities, levee-maintenance envelopes and inspection routes.

Willow's broad, branching outline with seasonal colour and fine twigs.

Red willow Salix laevigata

Habitat, form and behaviour

D · locally native tree/shrub associated with streams and seasonally wet ground. Summer-dry soil at the surface does not mean its roots lack access to moisture. Site reports mention both red and arroyo willow; individual stems need accurate identification.

Combine / keep separate

Use with retained cottonwood/willow groups only where root-zone moisture supports them. Keep sedges in wetter open margins and elderberry higher. Do not plant new willow into narrow dry strips or allow roots to compromise service infrastructure.

Open branching and fresh foliage in a landscape setting; red willow species reference.

White alder Alnus rhombifolia

Habitat, form and behaviour

D wet-ground option · locally native deciduous tree needing dependable moisture. Produces a dense cool canopy and strong root competition. It is not a drought-tolerant substitute for oak shade.

Combine / keep separate

Use selectively where a genuine moist rooting zone exists. Keep sun-demanding meadow plants outside its future shade; put compatible moist shrubs at outer margins rather than densely planting beneath the trunk. Prefer oak canopy in the dry campus landscape.

Upright trunks and a cool leafy canopy: a moisture-dependent woodland character.

California box elder Acer negundo var. californicum

Habitat, form and behaviour

D / higher moist edge · local native form of box elder. Deciduous canopy, winged seeds and autumn colour can make a sheltered transition. Established drought tolerance still depends on a suitable rooting site; it is naturally associated with water sources.

Combine / keep separate

Combine with elderberry, snowberry or rose on matching moist edges, in distinct patches. Specify California material, not variegated ornamental forms. Leave substantial rooting/crown room and keep sunny meadow plants beyond the eventual shade.

Autumn foliage and a spreading deciduous crown, shown at landscape scale.

Blue elderberry Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea

Habitat, form and behaviour

D higher margin / roomy B edge · locally native blue elderberry, often listed as Sambucus mexicana. Creamy flower plates and blue fruit support seasonal habitat. Established plants can tolerate dry summers when deep roots have suitable moisture access.

Combine / keep separate

Use as an occasional large shrub/small-tree anchor, with coffeeberry on drier edges or rose in moister patches. Keep it out of compact basins and narrow paths. Specify low-elevation local provenance rather than mountain material sharing a similar nursery name.

Cream-coloured flowering crown: a broad, soft form above smaller planting.

California wild rose Rosa californica

Habitat, form and behaviour

D edge · locally native rose with pink flowers, red hips and hooked thorns. Spreads into thickets; this is useful cover but a poor tightly intermingled companion for small meadow plants.

Combine / keep separate

Give rose its own generous patch beside elderberry or willow. Keep it back from seating, paths, gates and inspection strips; thin outward growth where it meets the meadow. Do not interweave it everywhere with dogwood, mugwort and sedge—all can expand.

Flowering thicket form makes the plant's habitat value—and space demand—visible.

Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea

Habitat, form and behaviour

D moist, sheltered edge · locally listed native dogwood with white flowers, seasonal foliage and red stems. Spreads by rhizomes and can fill wet ground quickly. It needs moisture; colour alone does not justify irrigating a dry site for it.

Combine / keep separate

Use a distinct patch with compatible rushes at its sunny margin, or beside larger riparian trees with space. Keep it separate from delicate meadow mixes and constrained drains. Select local native material, not exotic red-stem dogwoods or unrelated showy-flower dogwoods.

Red stems and fresh foliage; California red-stem dogwood, a synonym of the listed native taxon.

Mugwort Artemisia douglasiana

Habitat, form and behaviour

D edge · locally native mugwort with aromatic grey-green foliage. Colonising growth can be useful in robust bank vegetation but is a poor fit for finely mixed, small-scale flowering beds. It is a foliage plant, not a showy floral accent.

Combine / keep separate

Use only in a dedicated, maintainable patch near compatible willow/rose habitat. Keep it out of the needlegrass/lupine composition and away from small young plants. Limit expansion at patch boundaries and retain more varied vegetation alongside it.

Dense upright foliage provides a cool green texture; allow a patch, not isolated decorative sprigs.

Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus var. laevigatus

Habitat, form and behaviour

D / sheltered B outer edge · locally relevant western snowberry. Small summer flowers and white fruit accompany a deciduous, rhizomatous shrub. Gradually forms thickets; better fruit display generally follows better moisture conditions.

Combine / keep separate

Use a separate patch with box elder or coffeeberry where light and moisture match. Keep rhizomes from overrunning fescue or tiny annuals. Do not irrigate mature oak roots just to enhance berry display, and do not label the fruit as community food.

White fruit against green leaves creates a quiet seasonal contrast.

Pacific ninebark Physocarpus capitatus

Habitat, form and behaviour

D sheltered, moist edge · California native with Santa Clara County records. Arching stems, white flower clusters, colourful seed clusters and peeling bark create seasonal layers. In hot inland settings it benefits from partial shade and moisture.

Combine / keep separate

Use selectively with snowberry at compatible woodland margins, giving each shrub its own crown space. Avoid reflected heat, dry parking strips and dense mixtures of aggressive groundcover. This is Pacific ninebark, not purple-leaved eastern ninebark cultivars.

White flower clusters and arching foliage at shrub scale; fruit clusters add later colour.

Northern California black walnut Juglans hindsii

Habitat, form and behaviour

Existing-tree priority · California native black walnut is recorded on site; pure J. hindsii also occurs regionally. Individual site trees may have hybrid/rootstock ancestry. Retained canopy is valuable, but new planting is not an automatic palette requirement.

Combine / keep separate

Work around sound existing trees and their roots. Keep demanding flower mixes outside the strongest shade/root competition; do not assume the standard meadow will thrive beneath them. New trees need verified species/provenance and adequate crown/rooting space, not orchard rootstock substitutes.

Compound foliage and developing walnuts; use the existing-tree map for actual positions.

Sky lupine Lupinus nanus

Habitat, form and behaviour

A · locally native annual lupine with blue spring flower spikes. Completes its life cycle and dies back; future display depends on seed and suitable open ground. It cannot remain a permanent flowering layer under closed shrubs or dense sedge.

Combine / keep separate

Scatter into selected sunny gaps between established needlegrass/gumplant patches. Leave some seed and receptive ground; keep expanding yarrow/fuchsia from closing every gap. Do not irrigate to keep annuals alive through summer or expect identical coverage every year.

A blue spring wash through open ground; seasonal abundance, not year-round cover.