Sonoma County nurseries offer smart choices for fall planting

What should you plant for fall?

Whether you’re losing your lawn, re-imagining your garden, looking for drought-resistant plants and natives or just want to add a few choice things to your landscape, a number of great local nurseries present many ideas for wonderful and locally appropriate plants to add to your garden.

Here are three Sonoma County nurseries to visit as you plan for fall.

Cottage Gardens, 3995 Emerald Drive, Petaluma, 707-778-8025. Cottage Garden’s plants are as perfectly presented as an impeccably tailored suit. The nursery always has an array of artfully arranged plants to chose from.

If you are looking for ideas on how to combine plants in your garden, the nursery is set up so that plants complementary in needs, form and foliage color are positioned right next to one another, generating many ideas for plant combinations. Most are drought resistant.

The nursery has a lovely array of sliver-foliaged plants, from lavenders to sages.

Among the other highlight are the clematis vines. Signs illustrate flower color, form, height and pruning methods.

There are also great abutilons, hellebores, Lavatera, Leonotus, kangaroo paw and pittosporums. Hummingbird-attracting plants are noted.

Of particular interest are the succulents, not just a collection of cactus plants. They are beautifully planted around the nursery so that they can be easily emulated at home. For sale are a fascinating array of plants with personality, positioned next to one another in easily copied combinations.

Vegetables starts are another highlight. The best and most delicious varieties have been selected. Try the violet, green or orange cauliflowers this year.

Cloverdale Nursery, 216 S. Cloverdale Blvd, Cloverdale, 707-894-6655.

In November, this nursery will be a year old. It is one of the new, engaging businesses that have made this comfortable town worth an exploratory visit.

Three partners with many years of experience in horticulture opened this nursery together on the town’s main street.

It contains much of interest for the local area, but also for plant aficionados looking for something special. Separate tables host an engaging array of Australian plants, California natives, hardy perennials, Mediterranean plants and ornamental grasses.

Additionally, they have herbs, vegetables and fruit trees. Butterflies, hummingbirds and bees frequent the site. Jewel-like glazed pots are staged with color-coordinated plants that would make perfect companions.

A common theme of plants in the nursery is drought resistant and locally adapted. But for the plant connoisseur, there are unusual items to covet, such as graceful and gorgeous conifers, and camellias difficult to find anywhere.

The inside area has a great selection of seeds and many intriguing seasonal gift items for home and garden.

There are plans to expand the indoor and outdoor offerings in the near future.

California Flora Nursery: 2990 Somers St., Fulton, 707-528-8813.

A business 35 years young, this nursery always has a revolving array of interesting native and non-native plants.

All have information signs indicating cultural needs and wildlife appeal. For those who live on the coast or in inland areas, there are many choices.

A special focus is the selection of native plants, many of them locally collected and propagated by the owners and manager from seeds and cuttings. (None are dug up.) If you are converting your lawn or garden to native, drought-resistant or habitat plants, a robust selection of plants are available to complete the whole job.

Right now they have a huge range of hard-to-find plants. Species penstemons are available in luscious hues. Other offerings include a vast collection of California buckwheats (Eriogonum), California lilacs (Ceanothus), native salvias, native vines, California currants (Ribes) plus great asters, salvias, perennial sunflowers and plants for shade.

Some highlights are the dogwoods ‘Hedgerow’s Gold’ and ‘Elegantissima’, the ultra-fragrant mock orange Philadelphus ‘Belle Etoile’ and ‘Ceanothus Valley Violet’. There are native oaks and cork oaks including unusual selections.

California Flora has developed an unparalleled collection of species and hybrid manzanitas (Arctostaphylos). There are ground cover types, to medium size, and tree-like specimens.

Some of the best sellers are A ‘Monica’, an upright, adaptable, fast grower to 4-5 feet with dark green leaves and white flowers.

A. ‘Sunset’ has handsome shaggy cinnamon bark and bronzy new growth. A ‘White Lanterns’ is a low grower with very dense white leaves, white flowers and gnarled branches.

A. ‘John Dorley’ is 3-4 feet tall with reddish new foliage. A. ‘Lester Rowentree’ is a tall and adaptable manzanita with coral-pink and orange-tinted flowers.

Kate Frey’s column appears every other week in Sonoma Home. Contact Kate at katebfrey@gmail.com, freygardens.com.