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California and Western Native Plants
In Southern
California the summers are hot and
long. The rainy season is from November-ish to March but rainfall
only averages
about 7
inches a year.
This is Sunset zone 18, or USDA zone 10.
In drought years we've
had water rationing and prices keep going up. But the flowers in
the canyons just keep blooming.
Drought tolerant does not mean you can only landscape with cactus and
succulent plants (although visit my succulent page if
you're interested).
The other option is to go native. Or,
at least mainly native. My garden has a few visitors from Australia and
South
Africa who also like my climate. Here are a few plants that have
done well in my dry, heavy clay, alkaline soil.
Ceanothus
(Ceanothus spp.)
This perennial has the most beautiful deep blue blooms!
Colors range from white/light blue to deep mystical blue.
They are evergreen and bloom during spring. They smell like
Heaven. They reach 4 to 6 feet tall
and as wide. After they're established they can live off
rainfall. Normally we get 6-10 inches a year.
These are native to California and turn the canyons blue in the
spring. This baby loves my heavy clay, alkaline soil and grows
fast. Don't over water or
they'll die.
Desert
Willow (chilopsis
linearis)
Desert willow is a drought tolerant shrub native to the Western United
States. It can grow up to 40 feet tall. It can be left as a
shrub, or trained into a tree with several trunks.
It blooms from
spring through fall and gets long dangling seed pods that can measure
up to 8 inches long.
The fragrant flowers bloom in white to pink and purple. The
blooms are borne on long clusters with large, 2 inch flowers with
contrasting stripes.
Birds will eat the seeds and bees and
hummingbirds are attracted to the flowers. These shrubs will lose
their leafs in the winter. They make a
nice alternative to other pink flowering trees (like cherries) in dry
landscapes.
Perennial with flowers ranging from white to red. Most
common are orange. Driving through the canyons
I used to see these big, bright orange blooms hanging down the steep
canyon walls. "What the heck IS that?" They grow about 2
feet tall wide. In the
hot, interior valleys (where I am) they like to have a little bit of
shade.
I have an orange one that I planted a few
months ago --and sometimes remember to water-- it's going great.
I have a white one that probably gets over watered (because it's near
a new planting) that's not doing so well. In the Winter
(Fall for you East Coasters), they benefit from a light trimming.
Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia)
In spring this cactus variety gets stunning bright
yellow flowers which turn into red prickly pears. They are edible
- and delicious!
Cactus pears have the texture of watermelon and
a mild pear taste. They are high in fiber too. The seeds
are black and about the size of a pea. You can also eat the pads;
raw in salads or salsa or cooked. Prickly pears grow up to 12 feet tall
and as wide.
The pads do not have prominent thorns. The thorns are small, hair like
and not something you want in
your skin. I recommend using tongs to
handle them, or leather gloves. I've also seen cardboard
recommended.
My cactus came from a cutting my neighbor threw over
the fence for me. I let it root
where it fell on the ground - without planting. This cactus photo
is in year five
for the rooted plant and I need to cut it back before it takes over the
yard.
To remove thorns on the cactus pears I've had success washing them
under running water for a few minutes. Use tongs to handle them
and inspect them carefully for thorns!
This is culinary sage, but all types do well here. They
are fairly drought resistant and don't mind the heat.
Sage likes full sun to part shade and grows up to 2 feet tall and wide
here,
with beautiful blue blooms in the
Spring.
Fresh sage is great for stuffing into chicken or turkey roasts.
Just break off a small branch and put it in before the stuffing.
Add an
orange for a great flavor combo.
This beautiful shrub is native to Southern California and Baja.
It is
usually found growing wild in the coastal sage scrub habitat on the
western edges of the Mojave and Sonoran deserts. It grows five
feet
tall (at least) and 5 feet across.
White Sage is also called Bee Sage; my
camera was lucky enough to catch one on a flower. The leaves are
up to
4 inches long, thick and velvety and are slightly sticky. The
whole
plant is very aromatic so you should find a spot in your garden where
you can enjoy its fragrance.
White sage is considered sacred by Native Americans, like the Chumash,
in the southwestern United States. The Peterson Field Guide
To
Western
Medicinal Plants And Herbs describes it thus: "Considered an
expectorant; used for colds, coughs, sore throats and systemic poison
oak rashes. An important ceremonial plant among
southwestern Indian
groups. The herb was burned as a fumigant after an illness in the
dwelling".
The silvery plant seems to glow in the moonlight. The flowers are
white, sometimes tinted purple and are produced in whorls on long
branches up to three feet long.
Mysterious Caballero Canyon in Southern
California The tiny white dots on the hillsides are blooming
Yucca
Wildflower
and Native Plant Inspiration
The best places for garden inspiration is outdoors. Take a drive
through the canyons to see what's blooming. Go hiking, go
to a nature center or try a local gardening club. Find out if
your state has a native plant society and look to them for ideas and
suggestions.
Develop a relationship with your local nursery and ask them to stock
more native plants. They may also be more knowledgeable about
your local climate and should be able to suggest native plants that
will grow well in your garden.
My favorite Southern California Nursery is called
West
Valley Nursery in Tarzana. They
have a great selection of natives and drought tolerant flowers and
shrubs. They're also happy to order odd plants for me. Try
getting help like that at the Super Depot!
Ceanothus
(Ceanothus spp.)
Monkey
Flower
(Mimulus spp.)
Prickly Pear Cactus (Opuntia)
your skin. I recommend using tongs to
handle them, or leather gloves. I've also seen cardboard
recommended. 
Garden Herb Sage
(Salvia Officinalis)
California White Sage (Salvia apiana)