Quick answer: 70 native California plants have a recorded bloom range that includes July.
70 species
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- California bay laurel Umbellularia californica · 3 states
- California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum · 2 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common snowberry Symphoricarpos albus · 21 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coulter's Matilija poppy Romneya coulteri · 1 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Crevice alumroot Heuchera micrantha · 4 states
- Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimus · 5 states
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Elegant clarkia Clarkia unguiculata · 1 states
- Farewell-to-spring Clarkia amoena · 4 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus · 1 states
- Giant red paintbrush Castilleja miniata · 13 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Great Valley gumweed Grindelia camporum · 2 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Hooker's evening primrose Oenothera elata · 14 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Lewis' mock orange Philadelphus lewisii · 5 states
- Littleflower penstemon Penstemon procerus · 11 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Narrowleaf milkweed Asclepias fascicularis · 6 states
- Nettleleaf giant hyssop Agastache urticifolia · 9 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Pacific aster Symphyotrichum chilense · 3 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seaside daisy Erigeron glaucus · 2 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Siskiyou lewisia Lewisia cotyledon · 2 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Snowbrush ceanothus Ceanothus velutinus · 10 states
- Sticky monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus · 2 states
- Sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum · 10 states
- Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia · 1 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Western azalea Rhododendron occidentale · 3 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White sage Salvia apiana · 1 states
- Woollypod milkweed Asclepias eriocarpa · 1 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
July in a California native garden
July is a quieter month in California: 70 of the state's 131 native plants flower in July, compared with 105 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
2 start blooming in July, including Common sunflower and Pacific aster. 24 finish in July, including Arrowleaf balsamroot, Banana yucca and Bluebunch wheatgrass, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
60 of them grow in full or partial sun and 15 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as California bay laurel and Chokecherry. For wildlife, 55 support pollinators, 29 provide food or cover for birds and 10 are caterpillar host plants.
37 of the 70 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct