Clinopodium (Satureja) douglasii, Yerba Buena

Scientific name: Clinopodium (Satureja) douglasii

Common name: Yerba Buena

An evergreen California native herb that grows up to seven inches tall and three feet wide.  Tiny white flowers bloom in the spring and summer.  It can be used as a ground cover, trailing shrub, or hung in a basket.  It has a minty fragrance and can be used to make tea.  This herb does well in containers. 

Plant with: Trees - Madrone (Arbutus menziesii), Tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus), Monterey Pine (Pinus radiata), Oak (Quercus species), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Bay Laurel (Umbellularia californica) Shrubs and herbs - Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca), Monkeyflower (Mimulus cardinalis or guttatus), Duglas Iris (Iris douglasiana), Bluff Lettuce (Dudleya farinosa) and Pacific Stonecrop (Sedum spathulifolium).

Caer:

- Shade to partial shade

- Best in well drained clay soil

- Water twice a month after the first year

- Great companion plant under evergreen oaks

- Attracts butterflies and birds

- Deer resistant

- Fire resistant

- Great for erosion control and bank stabilization

- Hardy up to 5 degrees

- Native to California