Bee-Friendly Gardens

Native bees are effective pollinators and essential to any flourishing garden. These gentle bees are often small, solitary and rarely sting. Make sure to leave some bare patches of mulch-free ground to allow these solitary bees to nest. Plant data from Calscape

Any Full Sun Part Shade Full Shade Full Sun Only Part Shade Only Full Shade Only

Any Low Moderate Tall

Any Perennial Herbs Shrubs Trees Annual Herbs Grasses Vines Ferns Succulents

Common Name Scientific Name	Sun	Height	Type	Humboldt Native
Common Yarrow Achillea millefolium		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Coast Onion Allium dichlamydeum		Low ~ 1 ft	P
Elk's Clover Aralia californica		Tall 7 - 10 ft	P	✓
California Aster Corethrogyne filaginifolia		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Seaside Daisy Erigeron glaucus		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Santa Cruz Island Buckwheat Eriogonum arborescens		Tall 2 - 7 ft	P
Arrowleaf Buckwheat Eriogonum compositum		Low ~ 2 ft	P	✓
Tall Buckwheat Eriogonum elatum		Moderate 2 - 5 ft	P
Red-flowered Buckwheat Eriogonum grande rubescens		Low 1 - 2 ft	P
Coast Buckwheat Eriogonum latifolium		Low ~ 2 ft	P	✓
Sulphur Buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum		Tall < 7 ft	P	✓
Common Woolly Sunflower Eriophyllum lanatum		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Scarlet Monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis		Low 2 - 3 ft	P	✓
Seep Monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata		Moderate 2 - 5 ft	P	✓
Beach Strawberry Fragaria chiloensis		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Woodland Strawberry Fragaria vesca		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Oregon Geranium Geranium oreganum		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Bigelow's Sneezeweed Helenium bigelovii		Moderate ~ 4 ft	P	✓
Seaside Bird's Foot Trefoil Hosackia gracilis		Low < 2 ft	P	✓
Meadow Lupine Lupinus polyphyllus		Moderate 1 - 5 ft	P	✓
Riverbank Lupine Lupinus rivularis		Moderate 1 - 5 ft	P	✓
Coastal Monkeyflower Mimulus dentatus		Low 1 - 2 ft	P	✓
Musk Monkeyflower Mimulus moschatus		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Coyote Mint Monardella villosa		Low ~ 2 ft	P	✓
Siskiyou Beardtongue Penstemon anguineus		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Scabland Penstemon Penstemon deustus		Low ~ 1 ft	P	✓
Low Beardtongue Penstemon humuilis		Low ~ 1 ft	P	✓
Roezl's Penstemon Penstemon roezlii		Low 1 - 2 ft	P
Rydberg's Penstemon Penstemon rydbergii		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Varileaf Phacelia Phacelia heterophylla		Moderate ~ 4 ft	P	✓
California Bee Plant Scrophularia californica		Moderate 2 - 4 ft	P	✓
Meadow Goldenrod Solidago elongata		Moderate 1 - 5 ft	P	✓
Coast Goldenrod Solidago spathulata		Low < 2 ft	P	✓
Desert Globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua		Moderate 3 - 5 ft	P
Mountain Apricot Mallow Sphaeralcea ambigua v. ambigua		Low 2 - 3 ft	P
Apricot Mallow Sphaeralcea ambigua var. rugosa		Low 2 - 3 ft	P
Ajuga Hedge Nettle Stachys ajugoides		Low < 1 ft	P	✓
Rough Hedgenettle Stachys rigida		Low 2 - 3 ft	P	✓
California Aster Symphyotrichum chilense		Low 1 - 3 ft	P	✓
Leafy Aster Symphyotrichum foliaceum		Low ~ 2 ft	P	✓
Kinnikinnick Arctostaphylos uva-ursi		Low ~ 2 ft		✓
Coyote Brush Baccharis pilularis		Tall 2 - 10 ft		✓
Oregon Grape Berberis aquifolium		Tall 4 - 7 ft		✓
Oregon Grape Berberis nervosa		Tall 1 - 7 ft		✓
California Lilac Ceanothus thyrsiflorus		Tall 2 - 30 ft		✓
Bush Monkeyflower Diplacus aurantiacus		Moderate 4 - 5 ft		✓
Red Bush Monkey Flower Diplacus (mimulus) puniceus		Low 1 - 2 ft
Seaside Woolly Sunflower Eriophyllum staechadifolium		Moderate 2 - 5 ft		✓
Coffeeberry Frangula californica		Tall 6 - 15 ft		✓
Climbing Penstemon Keckiella cordifolia		Tall 3 - 7 ft		✓
Silver Lupine Lupinus albifrons		Moderate 3 - 5 ft		✓
Sticky Monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus var. pubescens		Low < 3 ft
Red Bush Monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus var. puniceus		Low 1 - 2 ft
Western Chokecherry Prunus virginiana var. demissa		Tall ~ 20 ft		✓
Golden Currant Ribes aureum var. gracillimum		Moderate 3 - 6 ft
Stink Currant Ribes bracteosum		Tall 3 - 13 ft		✓
Spreading Gooseberry Ribes divaricatum		Tall 6 - 11 ft		✓
Red Flowering Currant Ribes sanguineum		Tall 7 - 13 ft		✓
California Wildrose Rosa californica		Tall 8 - 10 ft		✓
Nootka Rose Rosa nutkana		Tall 6 - 10 ft		✓
White Sage Salvia apiana		Moderate 3 - 5 ft
Cleveland Sage Salvia clevelandii		Moderate 3 - 5 ft
Purple Sage Salvia leucophylla		Moderate 2 - 5 ft
Black Sage Salvia mellifera		Moderate 3 - 6 ft
Black Elderberry Sambucus nigra		Tall 13 - 30 ft		✓
Snow Berry Symphoricarpos albus		Moderate 3 - 6 ft		✓
Morning Glory Calystegia purpurata		Low ~ 2 ft		✓
Farewell to Spring Clarkia amoena		Low 2 - 3 ft	A	✓
Punch Bowl Godetia Clarkia bottae		Low ~ 3 ft	A	✓
Red Ribbons Clarkia concinna		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Purple Clarkia Clarkia purpurea		Low ~ 3 ft	A	✓
Diamond Clarkia Clarkia rhomboidea		Low ~ 3 ft	A	✓
Chinese Houses Collinsia heterophylla		Low < 2 ft	A	✓
California Poppy Eschscholzia californica		Low < 2 ft	A	✓
Blue Field Gilia Gilia capitata		Low < 3 ft	A	✓
Tricolor Gilia Gilia tricolor		Low < 1 ft	A	✓
California Goldfields Lasthenia californica		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Common Meadow Foam Limnanthes douglasii		Low ~ 2 ft	A	✓
Sky Lupine Lupinus nanus		Low < 2 ft	A	✓
Spring Madia Madia elegans		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Five-Spot Nemophila maculata		Low ~ 1 ft	A
Bolander's Phacelia Phacelia bolanderi		Low < 3 ft	A	✓
Coast Phacelia Phacelia californica		Low 1 - 2 ft	A	✓
Lacy Phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia		Moderate 2 - 4 ft	A
Cream Cups Platystemon californicus		Low ~ 1 ft	A	✓
Henderson's Aster Symphyotrichum hendersonii		Moderate 2 - 5 ft	A	✓
Douglas Aster Symphyotrichum subspicatum		Low 2 - 3 ft	A	✓
Choke Cherry Prunus virginiana		Tall 15 - 25 ft		✓
Coastal Willow Salix hookeriana		Tall 26 - 33 ft		✓