An evergreen native groundcover that the county calls the most dependable in the High Desert.
Get a Free Planting PlanYes. San Bernardino County’s Guide to High Desert Landscaping calls dwarf coyote brush the most dependable groundcover for the High Desert: evergreen, full sun, little water, and a dense green mat 8 to 24 inches high that spreads 6 feet or more. It is a California native, handles sand, clay and alkaline soil, and is on the county’s fire-retardant plant list.
Top photo: Photo: James Steakley, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Groundcover · Baccharis pilularis (prostrate forms) · Also called Coyote Brush, Coyote Bush, Dwarf Coyote Bush, Prostrate Coyote Brush, Dwarf Chaparral Broom, Pigeon Point Coyote Brush · California native; wild plants grow on coastal bluffs, hills and foothills in chaparral and coastal sage scrub
| Dwarf Coyote Brush at a glance in the High Desert | |
|---|---|
| Type and size at maturity | Evergreen groundcover shrub, 8 to 24 in high, spreading 6 ft or more (SBG p.28). ‘Pigeon Point’ grows 1 to 2 ft tall and 8 to 10 ft wide (Missouri Botanical Garden) [1] |
| Growth rate | Fast. ‘Pigeon Point’ reportedly reaches 9 ft wide in 4 years (Missouri Botanical Garden) [3] |
| Water once established | Moderate for dwarf coyote brush cultivars (WUCOLS IV, Region 5, High and Intermediate Desert). The SB County guide lists it as little water (SBG p.28) [6] |
| Sun | Full sun (SBG p.28); tolerates light shade [1] |
| Cold hardiness | USDA zones 7 to 10 (Missouri Botanical Garden). ‘Pigeon Point’ cold hardy to about 10F (San Marcos Growers) [4] |
| Heat | Good tolerance for heat and drought once established [4] |
| Wind | Good tolerance for wind and poor soils [4] |
| Soil | Tolerates sand, clay and alkaline soil [2] |
| Bloom | Late summer to early fall; small and not showy. Male plants are sold so there are no cottony seed heads [4] |
| Evergreen or deciduous | Evergreen [1] |
| Pets | Not listed by the ASPCA; check with your vet [7] |
| Wildlife | Visited by 57 native bee species and 44 butterfly species; host plant for 39 caterpillar species [2] |
| Rabbits and deer | Tolerates deer. No rabbit rating found [4] |
| Where it fits | Groundcover for level ground and slopes; on the county’s fire-retardant plant list (SBG p.14) and plants-for-slopes list (p.15) [1] |
The Guide to High Desert Landscaping, published for San Bernardino County Special Districts and Victor Valley water agencies with UC Cooperative Extension, lists dwarf coyote bush on page 28 with a short verdict: most dependable groundcover. The same guide puts coyote bush on its fire-retardant plant list (p.14) and its plants for slopes list (p.15).
What you get is a dense, billowy, bright green mat of small leaves. It stays green all year, which is rare for a High Desert groundcover.
The prostrate forms are the ones to buy. Wild coyote brush can grow as an upright shrub 4 to 8 feet tall. Named groundcover cultivars like ‘Pigeon Point’ and ‘Twin Peaks’ stay low and spread wide. Missouri Botanical Garden notes that ‘Pigeon Point’ is a male selection, so it does not make the cottony seed heads that female plants drop.
The county guide also lists Baccharis ‘Centennial’ (p.22), a coyote brush hybrid that grows about 3 feet high and 5 feet wide. WUCOLS IV rates ‘Centennial’ low water in Region 5, compared with moderate for dwarf coyote brush cultivars, so it is worth a look for the driest spots.
Missouri Botanical Garden rates coyote brush hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10, and San Marcos Growers puts ‘Pigeon Point’ at about 10F. The Victor Valley is zone 8b. The average coldest night falls between 15F and 20F, so a typical winter is well inside its range. A record cold night near 0F is below its rated range, so an extreme winter could damage it. See our frost dates and growing zones guide.
Missouri Botanical Garden also notes good tolerance for heat, drought, wind and poor soils. That matches what the High Desert throws at a groundcover: 97F July afternoons, spring wind from March through June, and thin sandy soil.
Be fair about its origin, though. Wild coyote brush grows on coastal bluffs, hills and foothills in chaparral and coastal sage scrub (Calscape). It is a California native, not a Mojave Desert native, and that is why it needs more summer water here than creosote or saltbush.
Soil is rarely the problem. Calscape lists coyote brush as tolerant of sand, clay and alkaline soil, and it takes fast or slow drainage. That covers almost every lot in Hesperia, Victorville, Apple Valley and Phelan.
Plant in fall or early spring. Fall planting lets roots grow through the cool months. In spring, plant after the median last freeze around March 18 in Victorville.
WUCOLS IV rates dwarf coyote brush cultivars as moderate water in Region 5, the High and Intermediate Desert. The SB County guide lists it as little water. Calscape rates the species very low to low water, with water once a week until established. Those numbers fit together once you account for our climate: Victorville gets just 5.57 inches of rain a year, so a coastal plant needs some summer help here even when it is tough.
Use drip. Our High Desert irrigation guide covers emitters and run times.
It covers ground that you do not want to mow, rake or look at bare.
Calscape lists 57 native bee species and 44 butterfly species that visit coyote brush, plus 39 caterpillar species that use it as a host plant. For more groundcover ideas, see our xeriscaping guide.
Prune once a year for a neat look (SB County guide and Calscape). Older plantings can be cut back hard in late winter or early spring to renew them (San Marcos Growers).
Deep soak every one to three weeks once established. Pull weeds until the mat closes.
Good time to plant. Small, not showy flowers appear in late summer and early fall.
Little or no water. Clear out dead wood if a hard freeze burns the tips, following the county’s fire checklist.
It is tough, but WUCOLS IV rates dwarf coyote brush cultivars moderate water in the High Desert. Plan on a deep soak every one to three weeks in summer once it is established.
Missouri Botanical Garden rates coyote brush hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10, and San Marcos Growers rates ‘Pigeon Point’ to about 10F. The Victor Valley is zone 8b, so a normal winter is fine.
Coyote brush is not listed by the ASPCA as toxic or non-toxic. Check with your vet if your dog chews on plants.
Fast. Calscape rates ‘Pigeon Point’ as fast growing, and Missouri Botanical Garden reports it reaching 9 feet wide in 4 years.
Fall is best, so roots grow through the cool months. Spring planting works after the median last freeze around March 18 in Victorville.
We checked every number on this page against the public sources below. If a rule or date changes, the agency page is the final word.
Monarch designs and installs rockscape, drip irrigation and drought-tolerant plantings across the High Desert. We will check sun, wind and soil on your lot and tell you where a plant will do well and where it will struggle.
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