Evergreen Grown Plants: How San Leandro's Newest Growing Program Is Bringing More Drought-Tolerant Plants to Local Gardens

If you've shopped at Evergreen Nursery recently, you may have noticed a small "UP" on certain price tags. That tag marks a new chapter for us: Evergreen Grown, our in-house growing program, and one of the most exciting shifts in how we're stocking drought-tolerant plants and other garden favorites for East Bay yards.

What "Evergreen Grown" Actually Means

Look for "UP" on a price tag, and you've found an Evergreen Grown plant. It means the plant in your hands started as a small seedling right here at our San Leandro plant nursery, potted up and tended by our own team until it matured into a healthy, garden-ready specimen.

Like many independent garden centers, we've long relied on outside growers and suppliers for our plant selection. But with ongoing challenges in both quality and availability across the industry, we decided to start growing more of our own, where we can control every stage of care ourselves, from seedling to sale.

What Makes a Plant "Evergreen Grown"

Evergreen Grown plants begin as young seedlings or "starts" that our staff pots up in our own growing areas. From there, our team waters, feeds, and monitors each plant through every stage of maturity, the same hands-on care we'd want for our own gardens, before it ever reaches our retail benches.

The result is a healthier plant for you and more consistent availability for us, even when outside supply gets unpredictable. It's a return to something closer to how independent nurseries used to operate, growing plants with intention rather than simply reselling whatever happens to arrive on a delivery truck.

What's Growing Right Now

Pollinator-Friendly Perennials, Including Drought-Tolerant Plants

A big focus of our current Evergreen Grown lineup is plants that support backyard pollinators. On our benches and in our growing areas, you'll find Lavender, Coral Bells, Yarrow, and several popular varieties of Sage maturing alongside Lantana, all reliable choices for bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects.

Many of these are also drought-tolerant plants, well suited to East Bay yards looking to use less water without giving up color or bloom. Lavender and Sage in particular are workhorses for low-water gardens, offering fragrant foliage and long bloom windows while asking very little in return once established. Yarrow adds texture and resilience to a border, tolerating both heat and irregular watering better than many traditional ornamentals.

For gardeners rethinking their landscaping with water use in mind, pairing drought-tolerant plants like these with mulch and smart irrigation is one of the simplest ways to cut back on watering without sacrificing a lush, layered look.

Seasonal Sunflowers & Marigolds

We're also raising Sunflowers and Marigolds in-house this season. These cheerful, easy-care annuals help fill out beds and borders while feeding pollinators and birds alike, adding a burst of seasonal color alongside the more permanent structure that perennial drought-tolerant plants provide.

Find Evergreen Grown on Our Daily Special Table

Select Evergreen Grown plants rotate through our Daily Special table, located between the store and the nursery, at a budget-friendly price. A recent standout was our drought-tolerant, pollinator-friendly "New Gold" Lantana in 1-gallon size, a long-blooming, low-maintenance perennial that works well in borders, beds, and containers.

Since these offerings rotate based on whatever is ready in our growing areas, we recommend picking up what you love the day you see it. Because these plants are grown in-house rather than shipped in from an outside supplier, availability shifts with what's currently thriving on our benches, which is part of what makes the Daily Special table worth checking on every visit.

Why Drought-Tolerant Plants Matter for East Bay Gardens

Water-wise landscaping isn't just a passing trend here in the Bay Area, it's become a practical necessity for many homeowners managing rising water costs and periodic drought restrictions. Drought-tolerant plants like the Lavender, Sage, Yarrow, and Lantana we're growing in-house offer a way to keep a garden vibrant and full of life while using significantly less water than a traditional lawn or thirsty ornamental bed.

Beyond the water savings, many drought-tolerant plants also happen to be some of the best options for supporting local pollinators. Bees and butterflies are drawn to the same Mediterranean-climate plants that thrive on minimal irrigation, meaning a lower water bill and a more active, biodiverse garden often go hand in hand rather than working against each other.

If you're planning a broader water-wise renovation, our staff can help you build a full palette of drought-tolerant plants suited to your yard's specific sun exposure and soil conditions, whether that means leaning into Evergreen Grown perennials or pairing them with our wider California Natives selection for an even more resilient landscape.

Why We Started Growing Our Own Plants

After 40 years serving backyard gardeners across San Leandro, Oakland, San Lorenzo, Castro Valley, Alameda, and Hayward, we know our customers count on us for quality and selection. Growing more of our own plants lets us hold that standard steady, plant by plant, even as outside supply chains shift and quality from external growers becomes harder to predict.

This program also gives us more control over exactly which drought-tolerant plants and pollinator favorites we can offer at any given time, rather than being limited to whatever an outside grower happens to have available that season.

Visit Our Local Plant Nursery

Looking for a plant nursery near you with a hands-on approach to growing? Stop by and see what's currently on our Evergreen Grown display, then browse our full selection of drought-tolerant plants, pollinator favorites, and everything else we stock in-store.

We're open daily from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm at 350 San Leandro Blvd, San Leandro, CA 94577. Come see what's growing, and take home a plant that's been cared for from the very start right here in our own growing areas.

Read More: Evergreen Grown Plants

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does "Evergreen Grown" mean on a price tag?

It means the plant was grown in-house at our San Leandro nursery, starting as a seedling and tended by our own team through every stage of maturity, rather than being sourced from an outside supplier.

2. Are Evergreen Grown plants drought-tolerant?

Many of them are. Our current lineup includes several drought-tolerant plants such as Lavender, Sage, Yarrow, and Lantana, all well suited to low-water East Bay gardens.

3. Where can I find Evergreen Grown plants in the nursery?

Look for the "UP" symbol on price tags throughout the nursery, and check our Daily Special table located between the store and the growing area for budget-friendly rotating selections.

4. Why did Evergreen Nursery start growing its own plants?

Ongoing quality and availability challenges across the plant supply industry led us to grow more of our own stock, giving us greater control over plant health and consistency for our customers.

5. What are the best drought-tolerant plants for East Bay gardens?

Lavender, Sage, Yarrow, and Lantana are all excellent choices, offering long bloom times, pollinator appeal, and minimal water needs once established. Our staff can help you select varieties suited to your yard's specific conditions.

6. Do drought-tolerant plants still attract pollinators?

Yes, many of the best pollinator plants are also drought-tolerant, since Mediterranean-climate species like Lavender and Sage naturally thrive on minimal water while producing abundant nectar for bees and butterflies.

7. How often does the Daily Special table change?

It rotates based on what's currently ready in our growing areas, so availability shifts regularly. We recommend picking up what you love the day you see it, since inventory isn't guaranteed to return.