Hardy Natives That Do Well in Watered Areas
Last week I suggested that now is not too late to plant California’s native flora, even though autumn, the traditional time to plant, is long gone. January and February may actually be the better time, especially during a year when little rain fell in the fall.
I also mentioned that there are natives that are not as finicky about garden watering (many die at the mere sight of it) and this week I’ll suggest a few.
These natives for ordinary garden conditions were recommended by Mike Evans of the Tree of Life Nursery and Melanie Baer Keeley of the Theodore Payne Foundation. They are grouped more or less by use.
For mass planting or ground covering:
Most manzanitas. Any of the low-growing Arctostaphylos will stand garden watering, and some of the bushier kinds (‘Howard McMinn’ is one of the toughest small shrubby kind, growing to about four feet or more). Be aware that the low kinds spread a lot wider than they grow tall, to about six feet. White flowers in spring are very pretty, red stems and oval leaves, striking. Grow in sun or part shade.
Few of the beautiful California lilacs will tolerate garden water in summer (I’ve killed at least six in my own garden), but Mike Evans swears two that will are Ceanothus griseus ‘Louis Edmunds’ (six feet tall by 10 feet across, sea blue flowers) and C. ‘Mount Vision’ (dense mat about four feet across, light blue flowers). Melanie Baer Keeley at the Payne Foundation suggests “Yankee Point.” Sun.
Catalina perfume Ribes viburnifolium starts off slow but makes a dense ground cover about three feet tall by six feet across. Handsome fragrant foliage. Shade or part shade.
Perennials for the flower border or for mixing with low shrubs:
Aquilegia formosa is our native red columbine. Very pretty in the shade. About two feet tall.
The native coral bell Heuchera maxima and the several hybrids springing from this parent are excellent garden plants. They are generally bigger and more robust than the common coral bells, with clumps of foliage a foot or more tall and flower spikes to three feet. Part shade or shade.
Bush monkey flowers called Mimulus or Diplacus now come in many colors, from yellow through purple and red. They get about two feet tall and flower for months. Sun.
The California fuchsia Zauschneria is fuchsia like only in flower form--the flowers are bright orange-red and dangle like a fuchsia’s. Otherwise this is a plant that likes heat and sun, with grayish leaves. It slowly spreads to form clumps about 18 inches tall and flowers in the fall, a most valuable time.
Shrubs and screens:
Coffeeberry Rhamnus californica is a very handsome shrub, 5-10 feet tall and 10 feet across. “Eve Case” is a compact form (about half as big) and “Little Sur” is even smaller (a three-foot ball). Sun or part shade.
The bush snapdragons Galvezia make three-foot or larger shrubs with plenty of red flowers. Favored by hummingbirds. Sun or part shade.
Mahonias in general like garden water because they naturally grow in canyon bottoms or moist parts of the state. Two are exceptional garden plants. Mahonia ‘Golden Abundance’ grows to six or eight feet tall and makes a nearly vertical screen or background in the garden. It has glossy, holly-like leaves and an abundance of golden flowers in spring. Sun or part shade.
Mahonia repens makes a two-foot-tall ground cover of similar appearance, though without the profusion of flowers. It spreads very slowly and stands considerable shade, or part shade. I’ve managed to grow this one under greedy melalucas.
Lemonade berry Rhus integrifolia is a common dark green shrub in the chaparral and it makes a good tight hedge in the garden with trimming. Also valued on slopes for erosion control. Best near the coast, grows three to 12 feet tall. Sun.
Sugar bush Rhus ovata is a close relative of the lemonade berry and similar in appearance, but better suited to hot, inland gardens. Also slightly smaller in size. Sun.
Trees:
Did you know we have a native birch? I didn’t. The red birch or river birch Betula fontinalis or B. occidentalis is a small birch native to the eastern Sierra, growing about 10 to 20 feet tall. It is deciduous but has unusually pretty bark, reddish in color. Those who have grown it say it gets less salt burn on the leaf tips than the common European white birch. It even grows in one San Clemente garden, quite near the coast. Sun or shade.
The Western redbud Cercis occidentalis is a small deciduous tree with pretty pink flowers and a delicate form. It grows to about 10 or 12 feet. Best inland in sun or part shade.
Pacific wax myrtle Myrica californica is a handsome big bush or small tree growing easily to 10 or more feet around. Sun or part shade.
Coast live oaks Quercus agrifolia may seem like an unlikely candidate for this list because wild ones must be kept quite dry in summer. But if they grow up being watered, water will not faze garden oaks a bit. Few trees make such a statement and they are home for hundreds of creatures. Forty feet and up, full sun.
Where to Look for Native Plants
Here are sources for the sometimes hard-to-find native plants.
* San Simeon Nursery, Villa Creek Road, Cayucos, (805) 995-2466.
* Theodore Payne Foundation, 10459 Tuxford St., Sun Valley, (818) 768-1802. Open Tuesday-Saturday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
* Wildwood Nursery, 3975 Emerald Ave., La Verne, (714) 593-4093. Open Monday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
* Mockingbird Nursery, 1670 Jackson St., Riverside, (714) 780-3571. Open by appointment Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.
* Tree of Life Nursery, 33201 Ortega Highway, San Juan Capistrano, (714) 728-0685. A wholesale nursery open to the public on Fridays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
* Weber Nursery, 237 Seeman Drive, Encinitas, (619) 753-1661. Open Tuesday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday by appointment.
