Native Plants for Valley Center

This week, the Dos Valles Garden Club’s resident EXPERT on natives has graciously provided us with some information on choices that are available for our landscaping. Dana Behymer is not only an expert on natives, she pretty much has been running the Garden Club’s propagation greenhouse for quite a long time. I go to her constantly for advice – and you can also. Dana will be on hand for our plant sale on Saturday, November 15^th, as will 2 (count ‘em, TWO) Certified Master Gardeners to answer any questions you might have about natives, landscaping, Valley Center’s unique soil and climate issues and how they effect your landscaping. 

 

 

Here in Valley Center we are surrounded by Chapparal, our natives.  Chapparal is several native species that are indigenous to our region. Many types of these plants make beautiful home garden plants and are VERY drought tolerant.   A few are Ceanothus, the lavender blue California Lilac we see coloring our hillsides in the early spring.  Mimula, the yellow to orange to red Monkey Bush the natives used to cure the itch and rash associated with poison oak.  Penstemon spectablis one of the many native penstemons. The Romneya coulteri, common name Matilija Poppy, nick named ‘fried egg plant’, beautiful when planted among our rocky indigenous hills in between large boulders. The Oak family, Quercus, englemannii, rare and endangered, though we are seeing some crosses, Quercus Coast Live Oak and Quercus scrub oak.  Our beautiful manzanitas, Arctostaphylos glauca, red bark and grey/green leaves pale pink flowers is the most common to our chaparral, also Arctostaphylos mission and rainbow are deeper green and smaller leaves and much rarer.  Achillea millefolium the common Yarrow, a wonderful ground cover! I use a weedwacker to keep it short. 

 

Great large evergreen shrubs, the Heteromeles abrutifolia, Toyon our Christmas berry.  The chaparral honeysuckle, climbs into the trees with pretty spring blooms, Ribes malvaceum - Chaparral currant, beautiful clusters of pink flowers. Sambucus mexicana - Elderberry,  Prunus ilicifolia - Holly-leaved cherry.  Lonicera subspicata the chaparral honeysuckle, a vine that will climb into the shrubs and trees and bloom spring and summer. The Dudleya pulverulenta - chalk dudlea, a beautiful grey/green succulent that will grow along the rocks banks of our streams. 

November is the perfect time to start your native garden.  To plant, dig a hole, just the size of the container, fill the hole with water, let drain, do this three times, then plant your native and use only your native soil (NO fertilizer, NO amendments) form a small basin about your plant then water well.  You will need to water on a regular basis until plant is established, then back off watering.  I water my native garden about once a month during the hottest part of summer and that is all.  Never use a drip system on natives.  They like to think it is raining, so water from above.

 

For more information, call: 760.751.7028