1) To show people that native plants are beautiful, excellent choices for landscaping, to help stop foreign invasive plants from being used. True, but often natives just do not respond the same way to cultivation as they tend to be soil specific, requiring more aeration of the general clayey type soils that constitute the fill that is used in lots homes are built upon. And as people tend to have lawns the way the lawn is handled is generally how the rest of the yard is handled, and that is as easily as possible. 2) To support native plants and animals. These plants were selected because a number of native California butterflies, birds, moths, etc. feed on them. We are also trying to expand the territory of the lonely little grey fox that lives near the conservancy. While many of the plants you list may be attracted to butterflies and moths as well as hummingbirds, you need plants that produce seeds that birds will eat and in your list only the Ribes appears to be so. Plants that are annuals or biennials that produce small seeds for finches or larger seeds for the larger birds of your area, which you need to research. Also butterflies need plants such as milkweed for their caterpillars to feed on. "Lonely little gray fox"??? Grey foxes are solitary hunters! And they can climb trees which is one of their escape routes from dogs. You need large trees with cavities in them for the fox to hide in. Also you will need debris piles, such as piled up branches etc for rodents to live in that the fox can feed on. 3) the bushier plants are meant to discourage trespassing. There is a real issue of homeless people basically invading sections of the river and destroying it. We want to use these plants as a barrier to save the last pristine section of land, which is only maybe a fourth of a mile long, less wide. None of the plants you list can create a suitable barrier apart from the Cornus and even it is not enough to dispell intruders. You need plants like THISTLES fronted by NETTLES to form a wall at least 5 feet deep to discourage intruders but once these idiots learn you are growing Datura then forget it as they will simply find a way to destroy your barriers to get to this plant that is used as a drug. I could not believe that you would list such a dangerous plant like this. It should not be encouraged to be grown. 4) open the door for more native planting projects. If this one is successful, we would do greater habitat restoration projects, where we would actually plant more things that would naturally occur in the area. I really think you people should contact the California Native Plant Society in your area and really talk this over with them. They have the knowledge and resources that can assist you. Check the link. Here is a link that might be useful: CNPS Santa Clara Valley

I've collected seed from sagebrush and germinated some. They germinate easily when collected in December but the percentage of seed to germinate is very low. I have never tried to grow sagebrush. The seed from Oenothera deltoides, desert primrose are easy to germinate an grow. One of the finest plants East of Reno, in my opinion is a grass called Oryzopsis hymenoides, Indian rice grass. I can get the seed to germinate but it takes years to produce an attractive plant.

Could it be sun scald? Maybe the tender new growth is just reacting to being in full-on sun....it had been shaded by the older winter-killed growth you cut back. Renee

I have to agree that H. annuus is the likely ID. I've been poking around this post for a few days, and find nothing else that is a decent candidate. The H. annuus plants found in gardens always have those very large heads, large leaves, and are relatively compact in form. But wild plants are often leggy, have smaller flowers (especially in dryer climates), and have fewer & smaller leaves in the inflorescence. Check online photos, and you'll see several examples that look much like the two photos above.