The California coastline is a popular spot to visit as well as reside. The sunny weather coupled with the beautiful area beaches are enough to encourage visitors to stay for a while. Many people in the area enjoy the drier conditions as well as the cooler and damper air that the proximity to the ocean can bring. This unique mix of dry desert climate mixed with moisture filled air from the ocean has created a beautiful mix of plants that thrive in the area. Check out these plants you will see everywhere in Huntington Beach, California.
California Lilac
This native beauty can be seen in many of the botanical gardens near Los Angeles, like the Huntington Botanical Gardens, as well as along roadsides thanks to its many attributes. The California Lilac is easy to grow and can handle drought prone soil as well as salty air conditions. This shrub can also be considered a small tree due to its size and will bloom the most beautiful shades of blue flowers starting in spring and continuing on through winter. California Lilac’s offer a sweet scent that can be noticed all around the Huntington Beach area and are very popular with gardeners. They are a native plant that support area pollinators like butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds making them an important part of the local environment.
Common Yarrow
There are many different varieties of Common Yarrow that can be easily spotted all around the Huntington Beach area as well as the Bolsa Chica Conservancy. You’ll find this plant in different shades of white, pink, red, and yellow to perfectly compliment the sunny conditions. The flowers arrive in May and June and you’ll find that many are covered with butterflies as this plant is a native plant that supplies precious nectar. Gardeners choose to grow this flowering plant in cultivated areas but it can also be spotted along roadways and in open forests. Common Yarrow is easy to grow and is quite aggressive so you will most likely spot bunches of the plant together due to its ability to spread easily.
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Manzanita
This super popular plant in the is widely grown in the area with many different species available to area residents. The Manzanita is known for its red or mahogany colored bark as well as their pink or white blooms that appear in the spring. They are a low maintenance plant that can be seen in many gardens and they are a large part of the native environment as a common source of food for pollinating butterflies. Manzanitas don’t require extra watering or fertilizing and can handle harsher environments like the dry climate of Huntington Beach. You can spot them along the beach on sloped surfaces all around the area.
Teddy Bear Southern Magnolia
This compact evergreen can be used as a large shrub or a small tree depending on its location. It produces large and beautiful white magnolia flowers that can reach up to 8 inches wide. The smaller size of the Teddy Bear Southern Magnolia allows homeowners with smaller garden areas to use them and still get the great benefits of the magnolia flowers that appear in the summer. This shrub can handle mild drought conditions and will be found in a sunny location.
Mountain Mahogany
This shrubby and slow growing tree can be seen all over the dry and arid regions of Huntington Beach. The Mountain Mahogany isn’t actually a true Mahogany but is a part of the rose family. They are known for their unique and contorted growth habit as well as their ability to stand up to drought prone regions. It can be multi trunked with white and gray bark colors as well as shrubby leaves that tend to curl as they mature. Spring will bring on small flowers that are white or yellow in color as well. Look for Mountain Mahogany in Bartlett Park along Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach.
The unique desert conditions of the Huntington Beach area provide an interesting mix of plants, shrubs, and trees that call this arid region home. You’ll see a wide variety of flowering shrubs, trees, and plants that support the environment by attracting area pollinators. Check out all of these plants you will see everywhere in Huntington Beach, California on your next stop in the area.
