Display Gardens for Mediterranean Plants

USING CALIFORNIA NATIVES

Our dry summers, moderate rainfall amounts, and periodic droughts along with increased water demands and costs make a native landscape appealing. Native plants are drought tolerant, are less susceptible to diseases and pests, and usually require low or moderate maintenance.

In 1951 a southern California botanical garden was abandoned, and then surveyed 26 years later. Most of the native plants were found to be alive and thriving despite two and a half decades of no care and no supplemental water.

Fall is the best time to plant natives. Winter rains will help establish an extensive root system to allow the plant to tolerate our dry summers. For ideas, take a hike through a local chaparral community or walk through one of the native gardens at the Cal Poly Arboretum or the Native Plant Society's garden at El Chorro Regional Park near San Luis Obispo. Check your local nursery or visit the Native Plant Society's plant sale on the first weekend of November.

Many native plants can be propagated by either seeds or by cuttings taken from the plant. Please don't take your pruners into the hills, though, and decimate the native plants. Late summer and fall are the times to look for seeds. Many native seeds need to be treated by either cold, mild acid washes or even fire before they germinate.

Some California natives include Sage (salvia), Coffeeberry, Sunrose, Toyon, Flannel bush, California poppy, yarrows, Smoke tree, Bush poppy, Western Redbud, Ceonothus, Manzanita, Madrone, California Buckeye, California Fuchsia, Fuchsia-flowered Gooseberry, as well as Lemonade berry, Laurel sumac and Sugar bush.

California native plants mix well with other drought tolerant plants from similar climate regions such as Australia, South America, South Africa, and countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Depending on personal preference, you can select native plants in their natural form, or choose a horticultural variety (hybrid). Be sure to choose plants that will thrive in your region and in your soil type.

University of California Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Volunteers can provide additional gardening information upon request .Call the San Luis Obispo office at 781-5939 on Mondays and Thursdays from 1 to 5 PM. You may also call the Paso Robles office at 237-3100 on Wednesdays from 9 AM to 12 PM. The San Luis Obispo Master Gardeners website is at http://groups.ucanr.org/slomg/. Questions can be e-mailed to: mgsanluisobispo@ucdavis.edu.