Fall and winter color in California native plant garden.

Las Pilitas Nursery | Shop

| Looks different? Website Upgrade

Native Plants Nature of California Native gardens Native Plant Pictures Selected Native Plants Garden DIY Birds and the Bees.

Wildflower Pictures August Flowers February Flowers Plant communities. May Flowers November Flowers Winter color

Here are some California native plants that have some late fall or winter color.

I've tried to include a variety of plants that have leaf color, fruit color or flowers in the period from about the first of December to March. You'll still need to match plant conditions with your garden.

Acer circinatum Vine Maple with fall color - grid24_12

Vine maple, Acer circinatum has fall or early winter leaf color, just before the leaves fall off. AND, flowers in late winter.

Arctostaphylos glauca, Ramona Big Berry Manzanita - grid24_12

The Southern form of Big Berry Manzanita, Arctostaphylos glauca, 'Ramona'

Populus fremontii, Zapata Fremont Cottonwood tree with fall color - grid24_12

Cottonwoods also commonly turn color between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Bushtits are really cute eating the flowers of Arctostaphylos manzanita x densiflora, Austin Griffiths Manzanita - grid24_12

Arctostaphylos manzanita_x_densiflora Austin Griffiths Manzanita flowers in late December or January.

The strange and beautiful flowers of Aristolochia californica, California Pipevine. - grid24_12

Aristolochia californica, California Pipevine flowers in late winter.

Cornus stolonifera, Red Stem Dogwood fall color with it's red stems makes the California stems turn red in fall. - grid24_12

Cornus stolonifera, Red Stem Dogwood has great fall color that extends into December.

Cornus californica, California Dogwood fall COLOR - grid24_12

Cornus californica, California Dogwood fall COLOR

Crataegus douglasii, Western Thorn Apple fall leaves - grid24_12

Western Thorn Apple, Hawthorn, Douglas Thorntree and Black Haw, Crataegus douglasii can have spectacular fall color.

Leaf coloration of Mahonia Nevinii. New growth is commonly red to brown. - grid24_12

Oregon Grape, Mahonia aquifolium can be a very good in contrast in a snow covered garden.

Malus fusca, Western Crabapple fall color - grid24_12

In many coastal areas of California, Malus fusca, Pacific Crabapple has fall color where other plants have none.

Zauschneria latifolia johnstonii, Aster chilensis and Chrysothamnus nauseosus all flower in late fall.
- grid24_12

Chrysothamnus nauseosus. Rabbitbrush.; Aster chilensis California Aster, and Zauschneria latifolia johnstonii Bush California Fuchsia have great fall color. Ours are commonly in flower until the first killing frost freezes the bejesus out of them.

Fall color on the Quercus kelloggii can be better good. - grid24_12

Kellogg Oak, California Black Oak can have good fall color.

California Buckwheat, Eriogonum fasciculatum foliolosum, showing fall color. - grid24_12

California Buckwheat holds its flowers all winter.

Here is the closeup of the large colorful leaves of Platanus racemosa, California Sycamore, at the Santa Margarita nursery, California. - grid24_12

Platanus racemosa, California Sycamore can have leaf color in fall that will be yellow one year, almost red other years.

A Sycamore showing its fall colors along the Salinas river at the Las Pilitas bridge. - grid24_12

Heteromeles arbutifolia, Toyon berries are loved by native birds. The berries start getting ripe in November and are heavily eaten in December and January. - grid24_12

Toyon or Christmas Berry has great big clusters of red berries in winter.The berries are not very toxic, regular Holly berries are.

Fall Color on California Grape - grid24_12

California Grape can have fantastic fall color.

Rhus trilobata, Squaw Bush Sumac with the fall color of red. - grid24_12

Squaw Bush Sumac, Rhus trilobata, has great fall color in early December in most of California.

Snowberries in winter. - grid24_12

Snowberries can add interest to a native winter garden.

One of our bird baths frozen in winter. - grid24_12

This Xylococcus bicolor was in flower for Christmas. - grid24_12

Mission Manzanita, Xylococcus bicolor in flower for Christmas

The morning frost and the winter light high lighted this otherwise invisible web. - grid24_12

Keep your eyes open in winter, there are all sorts of cool things out there.

Other places you might find us roaming about:

Donation Gift Certificate Help Buying plants online

Santa Margarita Inventory Escondido nursery Santa Margarita nursery About laspilitas.com

Do you like what we're doing with the pages?
Email SHORT questions or suggestions

Copyright 1992-2014 Las Pilitas Nursery
Edited on Sep 19, 2013. Authors: Bert Wilson