Plants For Yellow Pine Forest

Oxytropis oreophila, Oxytrope, is a larval food plant for Blue butterflies, but deadly poisonous to livestock.  - grid24_12
Oxytropis oreophila Locoweed

A beautiful perennial that forms silver clumps a foot across. In early spring it makes a delightful show of purple flowers followed by the locoweed pods. It is a high elevation plant that grows in ful... Learn more.

Paeonia brownii Browns Peony

Paeonia brownii is a steely-gray perennial with maroon flowers. Like its cousin Paeonia californica you'll find it tucked under bushes on dry slopes. This peony grows mostly in northern California abo... Learn more.

Penstemon Margarita BOP flowers vary from purple to blue depending on water and temperature.  - grid24_12
Penstemon 'Margarita BOP' Foothill or Mountain Penstemon

Penstemon heterophyllus X 'Margarita BOP' is a nice tidy perennial that looks like candy tuft or a dwarf boxwood when not in flower, and a mass of bright sky blue to reddish purple flowers when in ... Learn more.

A close up of Penstemon azureus. - grid24_12
Penstemon azureus Azure Penstemon

Penstemon azureus, is a blue-purple (azure) flowering penstemon that is  a little perennial with bluish green leaves. and is native to the foothills and middle elevations of the Sierras. It likes sun... Learn more.

Penstemon caesius - grid24_12
Penstemon caesius Purple mountain bugler

Purple mountain bugler grows in rocky mountain areas of Southern California. In red fir and yellow pine forest openings at 6700 to 11,200 feet. The soil has a great deal of limestone in it but loo... Learn more.

Penstemon centranthifolius is loved by hummingbirds - grid24_12
Penstemon centranthifolius Scarlet Bugler

Penstemon centranthifolius Is an one to two foot perennial with a 2-4' spike of one to two inch red flowers in April-July. Native to dry slopes in the coast ranges and Southern Sierras up to 6500'... Learn more.

Penstemon deustus Hot Rock Penstemon

A rather ugly 1-2' perennial with light green foliage and a rather nondescript flesh colored flower. A collector's item. Not for mainstream gardeners. Use if you have a high elevation rock garden. Nat... Learn more.

Penstemon heterophyllus, Foothill Penstemon  - grid24_12
Penstemon heterophyllus Foothill Penstemon

Foothill Penstemon is a rather long lived(30 years?) perennial with hundreds of one inch violet flowers on three foot spikes in April- Aug.. Native to dry hills in the coast ranges. It likes full sun,... Learn more.

Penstemon heterophyllus subsp. purdyi (Purdy's penstemon  - grid24_12
Penstemon heterophyllus var. purdyii

Very similar to Penstemon heterophyllus but a little lower, darker green and little less cold hardy. Use this one if your rainfall is above 30 inches. In garden situations this form is happier than P.... Learn more.

Penstemon labrosus, Scarlet Penstemon with Woolly Yerba Santa - grid24_12
Penstemon labrosus Southern California Scarlet Penstemon

Penstemon labrosus, San Gabriel Penstemon,  is native to mountains of Southern California from Ventura Co. to Baja from about 3000-10000'(it seems to need the extra rainfall at the higher elevation... Learn more.

Penstemon laetus, Gay Pentstemon - grid24_12
Penstemon laetus Gay Penstemon

Many forms exist for this species. One is a one foot perennial that grows two feet across with one inch blue-violet, soetimes blue, sometime pale lavender, flowers on one foot spikes in May-Oct.. Nat... Learn more.

We lost this beautiful Penstemon in the early 1990's. Penstemon neotericus,  Keck Penstemon wanted a little more sun and water, less cold. - grid24_12
Penstemon neotericus Keck Penstemon

A 1-2' perennial with grey foliage and bright blue 1" flowers that start out yellow. The flowers are decent but the plant is not vigorous and unstable in many settings (even though our soil and climat... Learn more.

Side view of Penstemon newberryii flowers. - grid24_12
Penstemon newberryi Mountain Pride

A delightful perennial from the 5000-9000 ft. in the Sierras. Mountain Pride grows in nearly straight granite rock and granitic scree. It's spotted in between Pinus ponderosa, Abies concolor, Castanop... Learn more.

an old picture of Penstemon newberryi  sonomensis,  Sonoma Beardtongue. - grid24_12
Penstemon newberryi var. sonomensis Mountain Pride

A perennial, 12 inches in height, with two-inch, red flowers on two-foot-hight spikes in June-August. Native to Lake County area. It needs excellent drainage, full sun to part shade, a little summer w... Learn more.

Penstemon parvulus growing in the Sierras at 7400 feet. - grid24_12
Penstemon parvulus

Like Penstemon azureus less garden tolerant and has smaller flowers. We discontinued in 1989 because of ugliness. The form of the plant is almost always gauky, i.e. , no leaves for the first 6 inches ... Learn more.

Penstemon rattanii, Rattan's beardtongue flowers - grid24_12
Penstemon rattanii Rattan's beardtongue

Penstemon rattanii native is to northern coastal California. It has purple 1 1/2 inch flowers on 2 feet tall stalks, dark green leaves. Tolerates garden water as long as it has good drainage. It will... Learn more.

Also known as Penstemon bridgesii - grid24_12
Penstemon rostriflorus Mountain Fountains

(Penstemon rostriflorus,Penstemon bridgesii, penstemon bridgesii amplexicaulis.), Bridges Penstemon is a 1-2' perennial with 2-3' spikes of 2 inch red flowers in summer. It likes moderate to high elev... Learn more.

Penstemon speciosus,  Showy Penstemon flowers. - grid24_12
Penstemon speciosus Sagebrush Penstemon

A 2' perennial with 1-2" sky blue flowers, May-July. Native to southeastern Sierra Nevada to Wash., Idaho, Utah. It likes full sun good drainage and little water. It is a drought tolerant, a showy bor... Learn more.

Here is a closeup photo of the fragrant flowers of Philadelphus lewisii, Wild Mock Orange. - grid24_12
Philadelphus lewisii Wild Mock Orange

(Munz and McMinn both divide Philadelphus lewisii into two subspecies, but plants from both locations 'key out' the same here.) Wild Mock Orange is a deciduous shrub that grows fast to 6 ft. in heig... Learn more.

Philadelphus microphyllus, Littleleaf Mock orange and Desert Mock Orange.  - grid24_12
Philadelphus microphyllus Littleleaf Mock orange

Littlefeaf Mock Orange is a small banana/orange/pinapple/vanilla scented fragrant shrub that is drought tolerant. This mock orange grows in light shade to full sun and unlike it's cousin does not lik... Learn more.

Physocarpus capitatus Ninebark, flowers are white - grid24_12
Physocarpus capitatus Ninebark

Physocarpus capitatus, or Ninebark, is a deciduous bush with tiny white flowers in 3"-5" clusters, flowering May through July. Native to the coast ranges and the Sierra Nevada mountains to British Col... Learn more.

Pinus attenuata x radiata, P. attenuradiata, is a hybrid pine that we are growing out. - grid24_12
Pinus attenuataXradiata Monty Knob

A hybrid developed for interior plantings. It is ok, more stable than Monterey Pine. Similar in many ways to Knobcone but faster. Use on a spot where you want a small (30-40' ) pine . In most cases th... Learn more.

Pinus coulteri on pure serpentine - grid24_12
Pinus coulteri Coulter Pine

Coulter pine is a green to grey conifer that is native to the central and southern coast ranges of California. Stocky and gray inland, tall and greener in the forest. At lower elevations hard to tell ... Learn more.

Pictured here is the luscious Pinus jeffreyi, Jeffrey Pine, growing in our Santa Margarita garden. - grid24_12
Pinus jeffreyi Jeffrey Pine

Jeffery Pine, Pinus jeffreyi,  is a 60' conifer. Its leaves are blue-green and it grows in mountains of California, Oregon., Neveda., Baja, at elevations above Digger Pine. Pinus jeffreyi is toleran... Learn more.

Pinus lambertiana, sorry if we do not tag the picture immediately, no idea where or when. - grid24_12
Pinus lambertiana Sugar Pine

Sugar Pine, Pinus lambertiana, will grow to 200 ft. but slowly and narrow for first few years, but then Sugar Pine can become world's tallest pine. It is native at middle elevations in California an... Learn more.