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Friday, May 27, 2011

5 Fantastic California Natives for San Diego

These California natives are all tough, drought tolerant plants that are great for our Southern California environment.  Another excellent resource for California natives plants is the web page of Las Pilitas Nursery, located just north of Escondido.

http://www.laspilitas.com/

Cercis occidentalis
Western Redbud
A deciduous small tree with pink flowers in the spring.  Redbuds are sometimes grown as large shrubs and can reach 12’ tall by 8’ wide.

Cotoneaster dammeri
Cotoneaster
A good groundcover for slopes, this plant has white flowers in the spring that turn into red berries by winter.  One plant will cover a 6’ diameter area. 

Epilobium canum      also labeled Zauchneria californica
California Fuschia
A terrific perennial that blooms in the fall.  Bright orange flowers are a real hummingbird magnet.  This native will spread slowly via underground runners to fill in any space.  Nice gray foliage is attractive in the spring and summer.

Romneya coulteri
Matilija Poppy
This perennial grows wild throughout San Diego.  Once established this beauty is tough to remove.  Matijila Poppies are dormant in the summer & fall, waiting for the winter rains.  Once the warmth of spring comes, these beauties explode from the ground with 6’ tall stunning white flowers.  An excellent cut flower that is fragrant as well.

Salvia clevelandii
Cleveland Sage
This San Diego native is great for both slopes and flat areas.  Fragrant foliage combines with lavender blue flowers.  This perennial can reach 7’ wide by 3’ tall.  ‘Winifred Gilman’ is a nice dwarf Cleveland Sage that reaches 3’ wide & 2’ tall.

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1 comment:

  1. AnonymousMay 28, 2011 at 12:38 PM

    Indeed, important points about the Calif. Fuschia and the Matilija Poppies -- they will take over your garden with their underground runners. I've had success planting them in tough, plastic pots, then planting the pots in the garden. The plants are constrained, and so are their runners. Still beautiful. My Matilijas have grown from the size of a bowling ball (winter) to 6' in diameter this spring. The flowers are outstanding and plentiful. When planting, be sure to leave room for their eventual (huge) growth. It will amaze you.

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