- Author: Jeannette Warnert
When perusing online seed shops this winter for plants to add to the garden, consider buying some aromatic native specimens to boost the restorative capacity of nature in your own backyard.
Studies have shown that spending time in nature is an antidote for stress: It can lower blood pressure, reduce anxiety and improve mood. Carefully chosen native California plants add an earthy, herby aroma to their visual beauty, enhancing the positive impact of the outdoors.
In addition, native plants help save water, reduce maintenance and pesticide use, and invite beneficial pollinators. Whether your garden is in containers or a yard, native plants will deliver the healing power of nature and help protect the state's biodiversity.
The California Native Plant Society offered a presentation on aromatic native plants that is now available on YouTube. In it, Santa Clara County native plant enthusiast Arvind Kumar suggested a selection flowers and shrubs that can add lovely fragrances to outdoor spaces. Kumar named:
These suggestions are just a sampling of California native plants that can be added to gardens or grown in patio or balcony pots to offer soothing scents and appeal to local pollinators and birds. The Sequoia Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, which serves Fresno, Kings and Madera counties, has a list of native plants that do well in the Central Valley with helpful information about their size, water needs, deer resistance and blossoms. However, this list does not include whether the plants are aromatic, so selecting from the list will require some trial and error.
Resources:
California Native Plant Society, Sequoia Chapter
Sequoia Chapter Native Plant List (pdf)
Ecopsychology: How Immersion in Nature Benefits Your Health, Yale Environment 360
/table>- Author: Elinor Teague
I had never noticed that those three trees were loaded with berries and full of small birds in fall. Maybe that's because almost all the trees in my neighborhood are male varieties; it's rare to see female or flower and fruit-bearing landscape trees in any neighborhood.
The rationale for planting only male trees has been that female fruit, nut and seed-bearing trees trees create litter that can make a mess on sidewalks, patios and cars. They can also attract rats, squirrels and other vermin. Male trees aren't as messy, but they do produce pollen – one of the main reasons allergy problems have increased in recent years. Nurseries often stock only male trees.
According to a report on the Audubon website, the population of birds in North America is nearly three billion fewer than in 1970. Other sources state that 90% of the decline in the U.S. bird population is in just 12 bird families, including small warblers, sparrows and finches, seed and berry-eating birds that are very common in our urban neighborhoods. The decline is driven by climate change, heat stress, urbanization and the loss of agricultural land. Some birds – including crows, riparian black Phoebes and Anna's hummingbirds – have been better able to adapt to changing conditions, unlike desert birds whose populations have plummeted.
We try to encourage home gardeners to plant bee- and pollinator-friendly gardens that include a variety of flowering plants that bloom at differing times in order to provide a constant source of pollen and nectar for beneficial insects (and hummingbirds). We might also stress the need to plant a variety of flowering trees and bushes in home gardens, which will provide shelter, nest-building materials, habitat, seeds, fruit, sap and insects for birds throughout the seasons.
Native trees, which will attract and feed native birds, are the obvious first choice, but finding them can be difficult. Many new housing developments have very limited yards or green space and lack parking strips where trees can be planted, so size at maturity is another factor. Nursery labels often don't indicate whether trees and bushes are native, whether they produce seed that is edible for birds, or when fruit and seed production will take place. However, more local nurseries and garden centers are setting aside space for and emphasizing native plants, and their staff is becoming more knowledgeable.
The most bird-friendly Central Valley gardens would include a few smaller evergreen conifers, one deciduous fruit or flowering tree, two or three groupings of perennial seed and berry bushes as well as flowering annuals and perennials that bloom over the length of the growing season and hold seed through the winter.
Sources:
Plant Native Trees That Attract Birds, Birdsandblooms.com, Jan. 21, 2022
Climate change, urbanization drive major declines in birds, UC Berkeley News, Feb.22, 2023
North America has lost more than 1 in 4 birds in the last 50 years, new study says, Audubon, Sept. 19, 2009
"The Allergy-Fighting Garden," Thomas Leo Ogren, 2015, Ten Speed Press, ISBN: 978-1-60774-491-7
- Prepared by: Terry Lewis
Tasks
- Use Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) to control petunia bud worms and tomato horn worms.
- Watch for pests and treat if necessary.
- Be sure lawns are getting enough water.
- Consider moving a plant if it does not thrive where it is planted.
Pruning
- Prune apricot, oleander and olive trees at least six weeks before the onset of fall rains to minimize fungus infection of pruning wounds.
Fertilizing
- Fertilize almond, apple, peach and nectarine trees.
Planting
- Resist the temptation to plant more plants in the garden, as they are not likely to survive the summer heat.
- A few winter vegetables may be planted from seed this month. Consult the California Garden Web for more information.
Enjoy now
- Annuals and perennials: sunflower (Helianthus), strawflower (Helichrysum), impatiens, annual mallow (Lavatera).
- Bulbs, corms, tubers: gayfeather (Liatris), lily (Lilium asiatic hybrid).
- Trees, shrubs, vines: California wild lilac (Ceanothus), crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia).
- Fruits and vegetables: nectarine, okra, peach, pepper.
Things to ponder
- Check irrigation timers for compliance with the current watering schedule. Replace broken, leaking or misaligned sprinklers to eliminate overspray onto sidewalks and driveways.
- Mulch will help protect plants from harsh sun and drying winds.