Garden tip: Marin’s beautiful wildflowers

The beauty of wildflowers brings joy to gardeners, botanists, artists and many others. In Marin, our wildflowers bloom in April and May.

I’ve recorded 44 species of wildflowers at Point Reyes National Seashore’s Chimney Rock in April. In the Sierra Nevada, near Truckee, I made a list of 36 species in July. Why do we have such great diversity throughout California?

The obvious reasons are the temperature and precipitation. The timing and amount of precipitation (whether snow, rain or fog drip) are important. The soil (texture, depth and nutrients) affects which plants grow where. California has low basins and high mountain peaks, ranging from 282 feet below sea level in Death Valley to 14,491 feet at Mount Whitney. Only certain plants are adapted to grow at each elevation.

— Katie Martin, UC Marin master gardener