California

Native plants in Santa Maria

331 plants are genuinely native to this area — not merely able to survive here. They are grouped below by what they do in a garden, from canopy trees down to groundcovers.

Best represented here: perennials (194), shrubs (92), grasses (58) · 173 of them need no watering beyond Santa Maria’s own rainfall

Showing 42 plants · 289 more are native here but not in the catalog yet

Sort

Trees2

Toyon

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

No watering needed
Sensation Boxelder

Sensation Boxelder

Acer negundo 'Sensation'

Shrubs12

White Sage

White Sage

Salvia apiana

No watering needed
Pozo Blue Sage

Pozo Blue Sage

Salvia x leucophylla 'Pozo Blue'

No watering needed
Toyon

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

No watering needed
Ocean Spray

Ocean Spray

Holodiscus discolor

Hummingbird Sage

Hummingbird Sage

Salvia spathacea

No watering needed
White Sand Lupine

White Sand Lupine

Lupinus albifrons

No watering needed
Tree Lupine

Tree Lupine

Lupinus arboreus

Red Twig Dogwood

Red Twig Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Red Twig'

Snowberry

Snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

Pigeon Point Dwarf Coyote Bush

Pigeon Point Dwarf Coyote Bush

Baccharis pilularis 'Pigeon Point'

No watering needed
Sacred Datura

Sacred Datura

Datura wrightii

No watering needed
Chamisso Bush Lupine

Chamisso Bush Lupine

Lupinus chamissonis

Grasses4

Deergrass

Deergrass

Muhlenbergia rigens

No watering needed
Carman's Grey Rush

Carman's Grey Rush

Juncus patens 'Carmans Grey'

Blue Arrows Soft Rush

Blue Arrows Soft Rush

Juncus effusus 'Blue Arrows'

Woolly Sedge

Woolly Sedge

Carex pellita

Perennials28

Improved Rugen Strawberry

Improved Rugen Strawberry

Fragaria vesca 'Improved Rugen'

California Poppy

California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica

No watering needed
Western Blue-eyed Grass

Western Blue-eyed Grass

Sisyrinchium bellum

Hummingbird Sage

Hummingbird Sage

Salvia spathacea

No watering needed
Common Yarrow

Common Yarrow

Achillea millefolium

Common Sunflower

Common Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

No watering needed
Carman's Grey Rush

Carman's Grey Rush

Juncus patens 'Carmans Grey'

narrowleaf milkweed

narrowleaf milkweed

Asclepias fascicularis

No watering needed
Tidy Tips

Tidy Tips

Layia platyglossa

No watering needed
Bird's Eyes

Bird's Eyes

Gilia tricolor 'Bird's Eyes'

No watering needed
California Buttercup

California Buttercup

Ranunculus californicus

Scouring Rush

Scouring Rush

Equisetum hyemale

Checker Mallow

Checker Mallow

Sidalcea malviflora 'Rosaly'

White Baby Blue Eyes

White Baby Blue Eyes

Nemophila menziesii 'Snow White'

No watering needed
Globe Gilia

Globe Gilia

Gilia capitata

No watering needed
Arroyo Lupine

Arroyo Lupine

Lupinus succulentus

No watering needed
Woodland Clarkia

Woodland Clarkia

Clarkia unguiculata 'Woodland Clarkia'

No watering needed
Chinese Houses

Chinese Houses

Collinsia heterophylla

No watering needed
Tufted Poppy

Tufted Poppy

Eschscholzia caespitosa

No watering needed
Tidy Tips

Tidy Tips

Layia glandulosa

No watering needed
Tarragon

Tarragon

Artemisia dracunculus

No watering needed
Lacy phacelia Bluebell phacelia

Lacy phacelia Bluebell phacelia

Phacelia tanacetifolia

No watering needed
California Poppy

California Poppy

Platystemon californicus

No watering needed
Sticky Phacelia

Sticky Phacelia

Phacelia viscida

No watering needed
Sacred Datura

Sacred Datura

Datura wrightii

No watering needed
Hairy Gumweed

Hairy Gumweed

Grindelia hirsutula

No watering needed
Rosilla Sneezeweed

Rosilla Sneezeweed

Helenium puberulum

Western Thistle

Western Thistle

Cirsium occidentale

No watering needed

More of California

Browse every city

Design a Santa Maria garden with these plants

Snap a photo of your yard and Sow places real, zone-matched plants into it — then keeps the watering and care schedule for everything you plant.

Join Sow for Free