Shrubs

Despite being an incredibly diverse plant group with many important functions, shrubs are some of the most overlooked plants. They may lack the showy blooms of herbs, the unique shape of ferns, or the grandiosity of trees, but shrubs perform crucial ecological functions. Not only do they improve air quality by filtering dust and pollutants, but they also provide essential cover and food for wildlife. Sustainability aside, shrubs also have some of the most delicious berries. Don’t judge them at a glance! Shrubs are some of the most handsome and providing plants out there.

Common Deerweed

Acmispon glaber

Deerweed is a large, woody plant with long, branching stems coated in small clusters of leaves.

Coyote Brush

Baccharis pilularis

Coyote bush is a large, leafy shrub with multiple woody branches reaching 1-3 meters in height.

Sticky Monkeyflower

Diplacus aurantiacus

Sticky Monkey Flower is a woody shrub with dark green sticky leaves growing up to 1.2 meters tall.

Salal

Gaultheria shallon

Salal is a leathery-leaved shrub that forms dense thickets 1-10 feet tall. The ruddy brown branches are

White Pitcher Sage

Lepechinia calycina

White Pitcher Sage is a mint-like shrub with erect, woody stems. The tall stems, which are woody

Manycolored Lupine

Lupinus variicolor

Many-colored Lupine is a low-lying, shrubby lupine growing up to 20 inches tall. The spreading, hairy branches

Red Flowering Currant

Ribes sanguineum

Red flowering currant is a large deciduous shrub, growing up to 10 feet tall and broad. The multi-stemmed

Black Sage

Salvia mellifera

Black sage is a branching, woody shrub that grows quickly up to 3 ft tall, but can reach up to 6 ft in

Poison Oak

Toxicodendron diversilobum

Poison oak’s appearance is quite variable: it can form a spreading shrub, a dense thicket reaching ½ to 4 m in

Chamise

Adenostoma fasciculatum

Chamise is a large evergreen shrub, growing up to 4 meters tall. This plant’s tall branches are

Buck Brush

Ceanothus cuneatus

Buck Brush is a large, spreading shrub with thick woody branches reaching 3 meters in height. The

California Buckwheat

Eriogonum fasciculatum

California buckwheat is a spreading, bushy evergreen shrub growing nearly two meters high and three wide.

Toyon

Heteromeles arbutifolia

Toyon is a large, tree-like shrub, growing anywhere from 8 to over 30 feet tall. The evergreen leaves are

Silver Bush Lupine

Lupinus albifrons

Silver lupine is a large, woody lupine species with silvery leaves and gorgeous purple flowers. The shrub is

Pacific Ninebark

Physocarpus capitatus

Pacific Ninebark is a dense, spreading deciduous shrub growing 1 to 2.5 meters tall. The multiple woody stalks

Western Thimbleberry

Rubus parviflorus

Thimbleberry is a dense shrub with tall, slender stalks reaching up to 2.5 meters. The erect, flexible

Bluewitch Nightshade

Solanum umbelliferum

Blue nightshade is a rounded, spreading shrub growing 2-3 ft high and about as wide. The greenish

California Sagebrush

Artemisia californica

California sagebrush is a large rounded shrub growing 1.5 to 2.5 meters tall. The long, slender stems

Blueblossom

Ceanothus thyrsiflorus

Blueblossom is a large, leafy shrub reaching from 3-30 feet tall. The appearance of this plant varies greatly

Flannel Bush

Fremontodendron californicum

The flannel bush is a fast-growing evergreen shrub growing 8–18 feet tall and 6–10 feet wide. The dark

Ocean spray

Holodiscus discolor

Ocean spray is a fast-growing deciduous shrub with many spreading, arched stems. The slender gray stems

Coastal Bush Lupine

Lupinus arboreus

Yellow Bush Lupine is a tall, bushy lupine, growing up to 2 meters tall, though it is typically 1-1.5 meters tall.

Hillside Gooseberry

Ribes californicum

Hillside gooseberry is a sparse erect shrub with spindly, thorny branches, reaching a max height of 1.4

Pacific Blackberry

Rubus ursinus

The Pacific Blackberry is a spreading, viney shrub with thorny branches, typically growing 2-5 ft high

Common Snowberry

Symphoricarpos albus

Common snowberry is a spindly branched shrub that thickens into a thicket 4-6 ft wide. The wiry twigs