Quick answer: 16 native California plants have a recorded bloom range that includes February.
16 species
- Arroyo lupine Lupinus succulentus · 2 states
- Baby blue eyes Nemophila menziesii · 3 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- California bay laurel Umbellularia californica · 3 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Checker lily Fritillaria affinis · 3 states
- Common manzanita Arctostaphylos manzanita · 1 states
- Desert bluebells Phacelia campanularia · 2 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Fremont cottonwood Populus fremontii · 7 states
- Henderson's shooting star Dodecatheon hendersonii · 3 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Pacific trillium Trillium ovatum · 3 states
- Western redbud Cercis occidentalis · 4 states
February in a California native garden
February is a quieter month in California: 16 of the state's 131 native plants flower in February, compared with 105 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
13 start blooming in February, including Arroyo lupine, Baby blue eyes and Brittlebush.
12 of them grow in full or partial sun and 3 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arroyo lupine and Desert globemallow to trees such as California bay laurel and Common manzanita. For wildlife, 11 support pollinators, 3 provide food or cover for birds and 1 are caterpillar host plants.
9 of the 16 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · Sun · blooms Feb-Sep
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · Sun · blooms Feb-May
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · Full sun · blooms Feb-Sep (predominantly spring)