Quick answer: 8 native California plants have a recorded bloom range that includes November.
8 species
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- California bay laurel Umbellularia californica · 3 states
- Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens · 1 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
November in a California native garden
November is a quieter month in California: 8 of the state's 131 native plants flower in November, compared with 105 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
4 finish in November, including Coast redwood, Desert globemallow and Desert marigold, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
5 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 Desert globemallow and Desert marigold to trees such as California bay laurel and Coast redwood. For wildlife, 4 support pollinators.
5 of the 8 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Shrubby cinquefoil: 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.
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · Sun · blooms Feb-Nov
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jan-Jul, Dec
- Coast redwood Sequoia sempervirens · Sun · blooms Sep-Nov