Eriogonum umbellatum polyanthum Shasta Buckwheat

Eriogonum umbellatum var. polyanthum, is a wide ranging form normal in the middle elevation Sierra Nevada mountains, with yellow flowers on a 1 ft high by 3 ft wide plant; likes good soil, some summer water, and good drainage. This Shasta Buckwheat is a mounder, making a wonderful border planting in sharp gravel soils. Grows in clay soils, but in sandy loam or loam soils it can be spectacular in early summer flowering, in a mass of yellow fading to orange in summer. The foliage is a respectable green in fall and winter. Mix with Penstemon heterophyllus or Penstemon "Margarita BOP" and Zauschneria species/hybrids for extended gaarden color. Mix the three together and you can get flowers from April through December. Throw a few nonnative bulbs (Tulips or Daffodils) in there and the flowering goes from Jan through December. with a few hiccups here and there. Click here for more about California Buckwheats