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> Here's a list of California Native Plants planted at about 7500 feet in openings in the Yellow Pine Forest.

California Native Plants tested at Big Bear City.

Most were planted at about 7000 feet in Big Bear City, California by Bill LaHaye

Acer glabrum – survives, but stem may get frost burnt, regrows from base in spring

Achillea millefolium – does well

Actea rubra – does well, needs water

Agastache urticifolia - looks like hell in the pots,  outstanding once planted

Amelanchier utahensis – does well

Aquilegia formosa - looks like hell in the pots,  outstanding once planted

Aquilegia pubescens – does well, needs water

Arctostaphylos patula – does well

Artemisia ludoviciana – does well

Artemisia tridentata – does well

Asclepias fascicularis - survives & flowers, probably prefers more heat

Aster ascendens – too early to tell, looks good in pots, but no inflorescences yet

Balsamorhiza sagittata – does well, unusual flower, no ray flowers

Betula occidentalis – weak, needs more heat

Cercocarpus ledifolius – does well

Chamaebatiaria millefolium – does well

Clematis ligusticifolia – does well

Corylus cornuta – survives winter, growth is weak, probably needs more heat

Dicentra Formosa - does fine, probably prefers a  warmer  spring temperatures

Epilobium angustifolia – does well

Epipactis gigantea – does well

Eriogonum umbellatum – does well, non-native form not recognized by pollinators

Eriogonum wrightii – does well

Fallugia paradoxa, has done well in sun

Fremontodendron californicum – low elevation forms do not survive, local plants just began blooming in early July

Heuchera hirsutissima – outstanding

Horkelia rydbergii - looks like hell in the pots, outstanding once planted, tough sell at the nursery

Iris missouriensis – does well

Jamesia Americana - survives, but is performing poorly (maybe my soil), too bad, I love this plant

Koeleria macrantha – low survival

Lililum parryi – does well

Lilium humboldtii – does well

Linum lewisii – does well

Lobelia cardinalis – does fine, probably prefers a little more summer heat

Lupinus excubitus – sells well, a little picky on site placement, can be outstanding

Mimulus cardinalis – survives & flowers, lacks vigor, probably prefers a little more heat

Monardella australis - looks like hell in the pots, outstanding once planted

Oenothera caespitosa – survives, vigor seems low with a few exceptions

Oenothera calilfornica – does well

Penstemon azureus – does well

Penstemon caesius – not true species, looks like hybrids with P. eatonii, single stem red flowers

Penstemon centranthifolius - survives & flowers, needs heat, only a shadow of itself in habitat

Penstemon eatonii – looks like hell in the pots,  outstanding once planted

Penstemon grinnellii – looks like hell in the pots, mixed performance once planted, vigor appears low

Penstemon labrosus - looks like hell in the pots,  outstanding once planted

Penstemon newberryi – weak, lives a couple years and fades away, doesn’t flower well

Penstemon palmeri – does well, would like more heat, shadow of itself in habitat

Penstemon procerus – does fine when properly cared for, needs moisture

Penstemon pseudospectabilis - survives & flowers, needs heat, only a shadow of itself in habitat

Penstemon spectabilis – survives & flowers, needs heat, only a shadow of itself in habitat, seeds won’t germinate

Philadelphus microphyllus – survives & flowers, needs periodic moisture to perform well

Pinus edulis – suffered in pots over winter, fine in ground

Pinus jeffreyi – does well

Poa fendleriana – does well

Polemonium pulcherrinum – low survival

Potentilla glandulosa – does well

Prunus andersonii – does well

Prunus emarginata – too early to tell

Prunus virginiana – survives and generally does well, growth rate is medium to slow

Ribes cereum – does well

Ribes nevadense – does well

Ribes Roezelii – does well

Rudbeckia californica – outstanding, needs water

Salvia pachyphylla – outstanding

Sambucus caerula – survives and does well

Sidalcea neomexicanum – no data

Silene parishii – too early to tell, mine are budding up right now

Solidago confinis – does well

Sphaeralcea munroana – a little weak, survives a year or two, fades away

Strawberry hybrids – do fine, not outstanding

Zauschneria latifolia – not sure

Zauschneria latifolia viscosa– arctic circle – does well

Note: "Keep in mind, some (many, most) performance issues may be my soil (mostly cobbles with clay in between) or my site (partial shade, no blistering suns). I've loved every minute of it, though." Bill
A Ponderosa Pine tree up at Big Bear - grid24_12
Epipactis gigantea, Stream Orchid. I think this was at Big Bear - grid24_12
Lupinus excubitus at Big Bear City. - grid24_12
A couple of Pinus jeffreyii pines above Big Bear. - grid24_12
Arctostaphylos parryana as it appears above Big Bear City. Much grayer than the forms around Frazier Park. - grid24_12
Arctostaphylos patula in it's habitat above Big Bear under White fir and Jeffrey Pine. - grid24_12
Sequoiadendron giganteum, Giant Redwood in a Big Bear garden.Turns brown every winter, green in spring, gray in fall. - grid24_12
Sulfur Buckwheat in a garden in Big Bear at 6800 feet.  At this elevation this buckwheat looked right at home, but also looks great at both nurseries. - grid24_12
Apache Plume in a Big Bear garden at 7000 ft. - grid24_12
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Edited on Feb 03, 2013. Authors: Bert Wilson
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