Valley Oak Interior Live Oak

Welcome to Vacaville’s

California Native Tree and Shrub Demonstration Garden

In spring 2016, Solano Resource Conservation District (RCD) and the City of Vacaville created a small demonstration garden in the southwest corner of the Irene Larsen Ballfield Park (located at 1800 Alamo Drive in Vacaville). The 10 species of trees and shrubs featured are native to California and are adapted to our dry climate. Once established, they require very little water to survive and thrive. They also provide excellent habitat and food resources for local wildlife species, and many do quite well in Vacaville’s heavy clay soils.

This flyer provides information on each species planted in the Demonstration Garden. Please use the key below to quickly determine favorable features of these plants and visit the Demonstration Garden to see what they look like.

Solano RCD holds workshops for Solano County residents on how to use native plants in the landscape, reducing irrigation needs and improving wildlife habitat. Please contact us at 707-678-1655 x101 for more information.

The Larsen Demonstration Garden was funded by the California Natural Resources Agency with an Urban Greening grant and Proposition 84 bond funds.

Attracts Hummingbirds Suitable under oaks

Attracts Songbirds Fragrant

Attracts Butterflies Slope stabilizer

Valley oak Interior live oak

Quercus lobata Quercus wislizeni

• Full to part sun © 1995 Br. Alfred • Part to full sun Brousseau, Saint Mary's College This evergreen oak can This deciduous oak has a live to be more than 200 broad rounded crown years old. The simple and is the largest of the © 2014 Neal Kramer leathery leaves come in California oaks. It can two forms; younger leaves © 2001 Julie live to be 400-600 years old. The leaves are have spiny toothed edges deeply lobed and the bark is light gray with Kierstead Nelson to discourage herbivory rectangular patches. In the past, acorns were the while older leaves are smooth edged. The bark primary daily food of the majority of California is dark gray and furrowed. This tree has a Native Americans. Today, many animals, birds much narrower crown than the valley oak and and insects depend upon oak acorns and oak also grows more slowly than the valley oak. pollen for food. Once the most common oak in Interior live oak is shade tolerant and provides the Central Valley, habitat loss due to agriculture important forage and habitat for wildlife. It is and urbanization has greatly reduced valley oak native to California’s foothills.

Box elder California sycamore Acer negundo Platanus racemosa

This deciduous tree blooms in The California Sycamore April before its leaves appear. has an irregularly Male flowers are pale pink shaped crown and large © 1995 Saint Mary's while female flowers are green. maple-like leaves. The College of California Box elders are pollinated by the beautiful bark forms a wind, not insects. Female trees produce seeds puzzle pattern in cream, called samaras which spin like helicopter blades as tan and gray. Sycamores

they fall to the ground. Leaves are compound and © 2014 Neal Kramer drop large quantities of fuzzy. This fast growing tree produces large amounts leaves each fall. of samaras which must be cleaned up from Fall foliage color is yellow to brown, and ball- underneath them. Box elders are often planted as a shaped flowers/seeds persist on bare branches street tree in the Central Valley. Native to streams through the winter. The spherical fruits provide and rivers in the Central Valley, box elders are quite food for birds. Sycamores flower in the spring drought tolerant once established. and are wind pollinated. These trees can live to more than 200 years old.

California buckeye Western redbud Aesculus californica Cercis occidentalis

© 2001 Julie This broadly-canopied One of the earliest Kierstead Nelson deciduous tree provides plants to flower, year round beauty. Candle- © 1999 Joseph Dougherty redbud blooms with /ecology.org like inflorescences of © 2012 Julie magenta colored fragrant pale pink flowers Kierstead Nelson flowers before their bloom in spring attracting simple bright green heart shaped leaves appear. pollinators. Buckeyes lose their bright, apple green This deciduous plant can grow as a large shrub or compound leaves in midsummer, exposing smooth, small tree with a smooth reddish brown trunk. beautiful grayish-white bark. Pear-shaped fruit develop Cinnamon brown seed pods persist on bare in the fall. The leathery skin splits to reveal single large branches through the winter. California Native shiny brown seed resembling a male deer’s eye thereby Americans coppice the plant to produce straight giving buckeye its common name. In the past, Native new stems for basketry. Redbud grows naturally Americans crushed the seeds and sprinkled them on in foothill woodlands. Redbud has root nodules water to stupefy fish. that allow it to use atmospheric nitrogen.

Toyon Hollyleaf cherry Heteromeles arbutifolia Prunus ilicifolia

• establish then fast Full to part sun • Full to part sun

Toyon is a dense

evergreen shrub. It can Hollyleaf cherry has be trained as a small tree glossy, bright green or pruned into a hedge. © 2003 Michael leathery leaves with Charters Rounded clusters of smooth or spiny white flowers in late spring produce brilliant red margins. These berries in late autumn and winter. These berries are © 2011 Jean Pawek densely branched an important winter food source for birds. Toyon evergreen plants can be large shrubs or small has dark green leathery leaves with sharply toothed trees. Hollyleaf cherry has clusters of flowers up margins. In past times, California Native Americans to 5 in long that bloom in spring. Its fruits are cooked the berries to remove the bitter taste before deep red, dark purple or black with a very thin eating them. Early settlers made a cider-like drink covering of sweet pulp over the stone. Falling from the berries. The abundance of this shrub and fruits can create a nuisance on pathways. its resemblance to holly gave Hollywood its name.

California flannelbush California lilac Ray Hartman’ Fremontodendron californicum Ceanothus ‘

or evergreen shrubs. Ray This large evergreen shrub Hartman is an evergreen is most spectacular when variety. In April, flowering. Its dark green inflorescences bloom with ©2013 Jean Pawek felted foliage affords a sharp clear medium-blue small but contrast with the numerous showy yellow to orange showy flowers, releasing a to burnt red flowers. Stellate hairs on flannelbush sweet corn-like scent. These may be irritating to humans, however, and care blooms will soon be covered should be given to their placement in the landscape. © 2007 John J. Kehoe in bees mining flowers for It is best to set them back from pathways and patios nectar. This shrub produces nitrogen and releases to reduce the chance of brushing into them. Deer this important nutrient back into soil, fertilizing find its foliage very palatable. Flannel bush grows in other plants . It has a short lifespan of 8-20 years. woodlands and chaparral communities throughout Ceanothus is particularly adapted to California’s California and is capable of resprouting after a fire. gravelly soil, and is thereby susceptible to root rot.

Plant away from lawns or regularly watered areas.

Red willow Pond Plantings at the back of the garden Salix laevigata

Although most of the trees and shrubs in the demonstration garden are drought tolerant, • Up to 45’ H x 25’ W along the edge of the seasonal pond at the • Growth rate - fast back of the demonstration garden, you will • Full Sun find native trees that need regular watering to © 2014 Jean Pawek survive, including: Also known as pussy willow due to the young catkin buds covered Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii with silky white hairs, red willow Oregon ash Fraxinus latifolia is a deciduous tree. This plant Red willow Salix laevigata ©2011 Jean Pawek grows a rounded crown with rough reddish brown bark. The These three plants are typically found along long, narrow leaves have finely scalloped margins. stream banks or other areas with high soil Yellow pollen-bearing catkins bloom as or after leaves moisture. Since the seasonal pond along the emerge in the spring, causing problems for hay fever back of the garden already supported a sufferers. Red willow is easy to propagate by simply mature Cottonwood, these water loving burying cuttings and providing sufficient water. The California natives were planted as examples of root system aggressively seeks water sources and plants that are successful with access to should be planted away from drain pipes and seasonal water. pavement. Branches have been used for boats, baskets, and furniture. Willow bark tea has medicinal qualities similar to aspirin.

Fremont cottonwood Oregon ash Populus fremontii Fraxinus latifolia

• 40’-60’ H x 30’ W • 35’-80’ height • Growth rate - fast • Growth rate - moderate • Full Sun • Full to partial sun ©2009 Thomas Fremont cottonwood is found in Stoughton © 2014 Zoya Akulova While named Oregon ash, this riparian habitats in the inland plant’s native geographic range regions. This deciduous tree is from Northern Washington grows with a broadly rounded or to Southern California. Oregon cylindrical crown. The bark is ash live to about 250 years © 2016 Robert Sikora pale gray and separated by deep with crowns that can vary from furrows. The glossy yellow- short and narrow in forest green heart-shaped leaves have coarsely toothed stands to broad and rounded in margins and turn bright yellow in the fall. Catkins open stands. This deciduous appear in spring before the leaves open. Female plant thrives in heavy soils and © 2009 Neal Kramer trees produce masses of cottony seeds that blow poorly drained areas subject

around. Cottonwood is a critical habitat for wildlife. to seasonal flooding. It is fairly tolerant of summer This tree has aggressive surface roots and is best drought, but this stunts its growth and it drops it kept away from drain pipes and pavement. leaves when weather is hot and dry. The winged seeds are spread by wind early fall and are eaten by wildlife. Oregon ash wood is commonly used for lumber, tool handles, and baseball bats.