Going Native : Winter, Spring Good Times to Plant Drought-Tolerant Shrubs
Fall--defined by gardeners as October, November and most of December--is the traditional time to plant California natives. Plant them now and they have several months of cool weather ahead, time enough to become established, before the heat of summer arrives. And whatever winter rain we get helps out with the watering. That’s the theory.
Fall used to be considered the only time to plant, but amateur gardeners--including myself--and professional landscape contractors alike have discovered that winter and early spring are also fine times, and this probably holds true for all drought-resistant plants.
Mike Evans, at Tree of Life Nursery, a large wholesale grower in San Juan Capistrano, suggests that people who live far inland or in the mountains, where gardens are “hotter, dryer and colder,” might actually wait until mid-February so they can avoid hard freezes such as we had last year. While the mature native plant will have little trouble with frost, a young nursery plant might suffer.
Even in the milder areas, many gardeners waited until January or February to plant last year because there was no fall rain. They gambled that it would eventually rain and fortunately it finally did in March.
“Those who are unfamiliar with natives might wait even longer, just to see what the flowers look like, so they know what they are planting,” Evans added. Most natives bloom in early spring.
Fall is still the best time to plant in most areas during normal, non-drought years, but you can safely extend the planting season into mid-April if you make sure there is some way to water the plants their first summer.
Evans and others now suggest planting native plants in native soil, without amendments, if the soil is genuine topsoil. However, where building pads have been carved from a hillside, there probably is no proper topsoil, just “subsoils” (what Evans calls “the bowels of the hill”). In these soils, plants have never grown and they need some help.
In these cases, Evans suggests adding organic amendments such as composted forest products (the kind sold by the bag). Dig the hole only as deep as the root ball of the plant, set the plant in the hole, and then put a mix of one-third amendment and two-thirds soil back into the hole. Be sure to thoroughly mix the two and pulverize the soil. Any extra can be used to make a watering basin.
In established gardens, or on flat land, you can amend the entire bed to be planted. Till or spade in amendments so the end result is also one-third amendment, two-thirds soil.
Plant so the top inch of the root ball is above the soil. This guarantees that it will not settle, or become covered. Either event could kill the plant because the crown is a very sensitive area.
Or do what you usually do when planting. “Whatever has worked in your garden with ordinary garden plants will work with natives,” Evans said, “just use less of everything.”
Except mulch. He recommends a two- to three-inch thick mulch around plants. The same amendment used in the planting hole works fine as a mulch. Don’t let it mound up against the very base of the plant. That might encourage crown diseases.
Homemade compost is also an excellent mulch and one way of keeping garden debris out of landfills.
Native plants, once they are established (which takes at least a year), do not like much summer water. They won’t complain if they get a thorough soaking once or twice during the warm summer months, but any more than that and they are liable to die from root rots.
The killing root rots thrive in a warm, moist soil, particularly one that does not dry out quickly, a “heavy soil.”
Most natives prefer hillsides or gently sloping ground or soils with exceptionally good drainage, but there are also those that can stand garden watering, if they get it, or drought, when water is scarce.
These are not as finicky as others. They are versatile and tough--”best bets” for average gardens where they may get watered along with other permanent plants. They will tolerate level lots, or heavier soils that do not drain quickly (in heavy soils be sure to amend the soil).
You don’t want to water more often than once a week in summer (even less near the cool coast), which means you shouldn’t plant natives near annual flowers, roses, delphiniums, fuchsias or other plants that like more water than that. You definitely do not want to water them along with the lawn. They are not that tolerant.
So, if they are so fussy about water and soil, why plant them at all?
Well, because if this drought continues, or another comes along, they will help you save water. Also, they are very handsome plants, some with exceptionally pretty flowers. And because they belong here, they bring to the garden the color, smell and even the butterflies and birds of our wilder places.
Next week: Some exceptional natives for ordinary gardens.
