Index to Articles
When approached by the Adobe Press to do a monthly series on landscaping and gardening with California natives, I launched into what became a two plus years series of articles. My goal was to share the information I had learned regarding native plants in the home landscape. In this way, I felt that the average gardener would be much less intimidated by native plants and more likely to use them for landscaping.
Most of the articles I wrote are listed below. They have also been reprinted in the newsletters of the SLO Chapter of the California Native Plant Society.
- The Right Plant for the Right Spot
- Planting and Soil Preparation
- Compost, Mulch, and Native Plants: To Use or Not to Use
- California Natives Propagation Using Seeds
- California Natives Propagation Using Layerings
- California Natives Propagation Using Cuttings
- Autumn and Winter in the Native Garden
- Wildflowers for Year-round Color
- Native Grasses for Home Landscaping
- Container Gardening with Natives
- Native Plants for Wildlife
- Native Trees for Landscaping and Wildlife
- Books versus Experimentation
- Rescuing Natives: A Hands-On Learning Experience
Plants, gardening, and landscaping have always been a hobby for me and a form of relaxation. After joining the California Native Plant Society and becoming active in the Orange County Chapter, I became very interested in California native plants and their possibilities for use in home landscaping. After researching the available literature, it was very apparent that comprehensive information was lacking. This led to my participation at the U. C. Irvine Arboretum which has an area devoted to native plants and the native plant garden at Golden West College. Hands on experience coupled with academic literature are two excellent teachers. One gives you a wealth of information to work with while the other allows you to experiment and find out what really works.
After moving to Nipomo in 1996 and trying to garden in the “sand dunes,” with varying degrees of success, I resorted to the experimentation method for growing natives. After several years and sending many natives to “plant heaven” (the compost pile), I developed some tried and true methods for growing them successfully. Given the almost sterile nature of the sand on the mesa, I felt that utilizing natives for home landscaping would benefit the homeowner from both a maintenance and monetary standpoint.
I remember the times when I bought some of my first native plants. The question that always ran through my mind was “now that I have you, what do I do with you?” These articles are offered with the hope that you will be able to benefit from my experiments.
