Native Plants

Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?

A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.

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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants

Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.

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Please forgive us, but Mr. Smarty Plants has been overwhelmed by a flood of mail and must take a break for awhile to catch up. We hope to be accepting new questions again soon. Thank you!

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Friday - May 14, 2010

From: Livermore, CA
Region: California
Topic: Trees
Title: Native trees for Alameda County, California
Answered by: Nan Hampton

QUESTION:

I looking for trees native to my area to plant on my property. I am located in Livermore CA.

ANSWER:

You can find commercially available native plants in our California—Northern Recommended list. If you use the NARROW YOUR SEARCH option, you can select 'Tree' from the GENERAL APPEARANCE box. You could also make choices in other areas, such as SOIL MOISTURE and LIGHT REQUIREMENT. Here are a few possibilities that are native to Alameda County:

Cercis orbiculata (California redbud)

Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber (birchleaf mountain mahogany)

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea (redosier dogwood)

Quercus agrifolia (California live oak)

Umbellularia californica (California laurel)

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (Port Orford cedar) and here are photos and more information

You can find more possibilites on the California—Northern Recommended page and you can check for their nativity to Alameda County by scrolling down to ADDITIONAL RESOURCES on the species page and choosing the USDA link. On the USDA page for the species, click on the California map and you will see the counties where the species occurs naturally.

Here are photos from our Image Gallery:

Cercis orbiculata

Cercocarpus montanus var. glaber

Cornus sericea ssp. sericea

Quercus agrifolia