Some of the California native plants that can be used as less than a foot high ground cover.

Arctostaphylos Pacific Mist

Pacific Mist loves coastal sandy gardens where it grows one foot high and 6-8 feet across.

Arctostaphylos edmundsii Carmel Sur Manzanita is a delightful small ground cover for small scale gardens. Carmel Sur prefers part-shade inland and full sun next to coast. Tolerates the heaviest of adobe soils yet grows ok in beach sand.

Arctostaphylos edmundsii Danville Manzanita is a close cousin to Carmel Sur but is much more of the artsy one. Needs regular water, can't take full sun, except maybe next to the coast, and isn't that frost tolerant. A real nice looking sissy.

Arctostaphylos hookeri Monterey Carpet Manzanita. A sissy ground cover for under pine trees, in sandy soil, near the coast.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Point Reyes Manzanita really needs part shade and regular water. Looks like a green lawn.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Radiant Manzanita is a little less touchy than Point Reyes but still needs regular water. Very low, an inch or two tall is common.

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi suborbiculata San Bruno makes a low mounding ground cover that looks kinda like a lawn flowing over boulders, with pink flowers.

Ceanothus gloriosus Hearts Desire is one of the gloriosus cultivars that we can actually grow. Most freeze here. Use as the middle layer to lower a ground cover height.

Ceanothus gloriosus gloriosus, Holly Ceanothus is useful in coastal gardens. Best within site of the coastal fog. Summer heat or winter cold fries it. Very low and green.

Ceanothus gloriosus porrectus is a wonderful low ground cover for north slopes in coastal gardens.

Ceanothus hearstiorum is a flat Ceanothus, no higher than 2-3 inches. It needs part shade in the interior and some summer water.

Ceanothus maritimus. Maritime California Lilac is native to San Luis Obispo county where it grows on old ocean beaches and bluffs.

Ceanothus prostratus. Squaw Carpet is an evergreen ground cover that grows on open slopes and under Jeffrey or Ponderosa pines from 4000' to 7000' elevation.

Corethrogyne filaginifolia Silver carpet is a nearly flat ground cover for sunny borders.

Danthonia californica California Oat Grass is the closest native we have to a 'real' lawn.

Deschampsia caespitosa, Tufted hairgrass is a perennial bunch grass from mountain meadows

Erigeron Wayne Roderick Daisy makes a delightful small scale ground cover.

Erigeron glaucus Cape Sebastian makes delicate ground cover for those small coastal gardens. Butterflies will love you.

Eriogonum umbellatum, Sulfur buckwheat makes a stunning ground cover in mountain gardens.

Eriogonum ursinum. Hey, it's called mat buckwheat!

Eriogonum wrighti subscaposum is a really nice small ground cover for mountain gardens or adventurous folks.

Erysimum menziesii is a coastal wallflower that grows in beach sand. Very useful to spot color in amongst other coastal ground covers.

Fragaria chiloensis, Sand Strawberry grows in wet spots in the sand dunes. If you have a sandy or light loam soil that's moist and maybe cool coastal sun or inland part shade, this is a great ground cover.

Fragaria virginiana platypetala, Mountain strawberry is a flat perennial strawberry with gray leaves.

Gaultheria shallon looks like something to use in a salad. spreads in shade and best in coastal areas under redwoods.

Grindelia stricta venulosa is a low ground cover that works well in coastal gardens.

Heuchera hirsutissima is a glorious little perennial that makes a nice small ground cover for pocket gardens.

Heuchera rubescens glandulosa is another small scale ground cover. Basically a flat mat of green with pink flowers.

Horkelia parryi is a small low ground cover type perennial that brings a pine forest into your yard.

Juncus phaeocephalus phaeocephalus is a wonderful creeping ground cover for seasonally wet (winter) spots near the coast, with heavy clay soils.

Juniperus communis montana. This dwarf juniper trails along the ground at less than a foot high. Put a couple of rocks in and you have a beautiful ground cover.

Mahonia aquifolium Compacta can be very low in coastal beach sand.

Mimulus tilingii is a higher elevation seep monkey flower.

Monardella macrantha. Got a small, partly shady spot that needs a low perennial?

Monardella odoratissima. Western Pennyroyal is a great addition to a small rock garden.

Monardella villosa. Coyote Mint can work very well with flat rocks to create a mini-ground cover.

Oenothera californica is a creeping little perennial that can fill in a bare spot.

Penstemon 'Margarita BOP has been used to fill in borders and those annoying small strips where nothing fits and you need a spot of color.'

Penstemon azureus works as a ground cover at mid elevations where it likes to be under snow in winter.

Penstemon heterodoxus makes a turf like ground cover in places like Lake Tahoe.

Salvia Gracias is similar to Bee's bliss but appears to like abuse more.

Salvia sonomensis Farmar-Bower is a very stable creeping sage.

Salvia somonensis Mrs. Beard is a neat, clean sage ground cover.

Salvia sonomensis works great on those rock quarries that some of you call yards.

Salvia spathacea works in full sun on coastal bluffs, full shade under oaks in the interior.

Salvia spathacea Las Pilitas grows as a flat hummingbird sage under other shrubs or bushes.

Satureja douglasii, Yerba Buena covered much of the Bay area and San Francisco was originally named after it.

Sedum oreganum works on wet shady boulders.

Solidago spathulata is a low form of Goldenrod that grows on coastal bluffs.

Symphoricarpos mollis is a creeping snowberry that grows in fairly heavy shade inland, full sun near coast.

Zauschneria californica, the pink form likes part shade and near garden conditions.

Zauschneria californica White California fuschia also grows in part shade with regular watering.

Zauschneria californica Ghostly Red makes a fuzzy gray ground cover.

Zauschneria californica Uvas Canyon grows in low mats with red flowers in late summer.

Zauschneria latifolia viscosa is a higher elevation form of California fuchsia.

Zauschneria septentrionalis Mattole River makes a real splash in late sumer in coastal garden.