Oak Woodland Plant Community

The oak woodland plant community varies by region – Northern and Southern California, and coastal and foothill. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the oak woodland plant community is dominated by the Coast Live Oak, and is under the influence of fog and ocean breezes. Because of our microclimates, plant communities often intermingle if conditions are right, but a typical base palate of plants include:

• Trees: coast live oak (Quercus agrifolia), California bay (Umbellularia californica), California buckeye (Aesculus californica), tanbark oak (Lithocarpus densiflorus), and madrone (Arbutus menziesii).
• Shrubs and understory: toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia), manzanita (Arctostaphylos manzanita), coyote brush (Baccharis pilularis), Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis), California sagebrush (Artemisia californica), California fescue (Festuca californica), common wood fern (Dryopteris arguta), and sticky monkey flower (Mimulus aurantiacus).

Toyon berries in winter, add color to the garden and attract birds

Using these plants together—with their similar watering, drainage, and soil needs—can help ensure a successful native oak woodland garden that attracts pollinators and wildlife.

For photos of Northern oak woodland plants: http://www.laspilitas.com/nature-of-california/communities/northern-oak-woodland/plants. For information about oak woodland plant communities: Plant Life in the World’s Mediterranean Climates (Peter Dallman), and Designing California Native Gardens (Glenn Keator and Alrie Middlebrook).