The Right Plant for the Right Spot
The focus of this article will be on selecting the appropriate plants for the landscape/garden effect desired and placing them in the right location. I know from personal experience that a particularly desirable plant just may not fit into your overall landscape theme, or for other reasons, not be suitable. Worse yet is when it’s a perfect fit for your theme but does not survive at all in your location. Survivability depends on many factors. They range from the obvious such as improper soil, too much or not enough sun or shade, too little or too much water, etc. Some are more subtle such as wind exposure, morning or afternoon sun, elevation of site to surrounding area, types and proximity of neighboring plants, near-by structures, etc. It’s the subtle ones that are the hardest to identify.
Creating a landscape/garden theme with native plants can range from a small area to your entire yard. It can take the appearance of a manicured botanical garden, be natural, or a combination of both. It can also include a lawn and other non-native plants interspersed with native plants. The gardener is not bound by any constraints, just imagination. There are many plant communities that will fit into a landscape theme. The definition of a plant community is a collection of plants in which one or more species is dominant with other plants in association. Dominance is determined by size or coverage/density. A size example would be an open-oak woodland assuming the oaks are not too widely or closely spaced. In this community, the Oaks are the dominant species while the associated plants may include manzanita, ceanothus, Black sage, Mock heather, monkeyflower, Wooly blue stars, Coyote bush, etc. A coverage/density example would be Central Maritime Chaparral. The dominant species here are Chamise and Black sage. Associated plants may also include California rush rose, Dune almond, etc. Using native plants will allow you to select appropriate plants from a variety of plant communities to develop your theme and, if desired, have a landscape that is in bloom all year while being low maintenance. Look at the possibilities as a mix and match using the best from many plant communities.
Local Plant Communities and Plants That are Landscape Friendly
First of the specific plant communities that I want to briefly discuss is the Central Maritime Chaparral found locally. There are many different species in this community; but not all are suitable for landscaping purposes. These include the Coast live oak, Coyote brush, Chamise, Black sage, Mock heather, California sagebush, California coffeeberry, Sand mesa manzanita, Nipomo Mesa ceanothus, Toyon, Buckwheat, Poison oak, California rush rose, Purple nightshade and others. This plant community has several characteristics; it occupies a lot of space, some of the plants are very large, flowers mainly in the spring and summer, fire volatility for most of these is very high, extremely drought tolerant, many of the plants are not very pleasing to the eye especially toward the end of the dry season, and the community will become very dense if not maintained. If you are contemplating something for the back 40 with a plant-and-forget situation, this may fit the bill.
There are plants within this community that are of horticultural significance and can be used for home landscaping. These are Coast live oak, Coyote bush, Black sage, California coffeeberry, Sand Mesa manzanita, Nipomo Mesa ceanothus, Purple nightshade, Toyon, and Buckwheat. The most important factor to remember when considering these plants is size. Next is their water requirements; for the first three to five years they will require deep, monthly watering throughout the dry season. After that, watering can be discontinued.
The next plant community that I want to discuss is Coastal Sage Scrub. This is also found locally and tends to occupy a slightly warmer climatic habitat than the Maritime Chaparral. This plant community is usually composed of California sagebrush, Black sage, Monkeyflower, Penstemon, Buckwheat, California encelia, Coast goldenbush, Coyote brush, Deer weed, Lemonade berry, Mexican elderberry, Poison oak, White sage, Indian paintbrush and others. The plants in this community share many of the same characteristics as the Maritime Chaparral plants with one exception, size. Most of these are no more than five feet in height with the exception of Lemonade berry and Mexican elderberry.
Not counting Poison oak, all of these plants are ideal for the home landscape. But, as with Maritime Chaparral, don’t use these close to the home or other combustible structures. The flowering season for this plant community extends from spring through fall.
The last plant community that I want to discuss in this article is Dune Scrub; not a very inspiring name but containing many beautiful plants. Among these are California sagebrush, Coast goldenbush, Dune lupine, Dune sagebrush, Heather goldenbush, Lemonade berry, Hooker’s evening primrose, Indian paintbrush, Prickly phlox, California wax myrtle, Giant coreopsis, Woolly blue star, Lance leaf dudleya, Dune larkspur, Dune buckwheat, Mock heather, Dune wallflower, Deer weed, Dune almond, California coffeeberry, Purple nightshade, and the list goes on. This is a plant community that is ideal for most home landscaping situations. It is also a very diverse community with regards to water, exposure (sun/shade), and soil requirements.
Selecting Plants to Fit the Site
The last section contained a brief description of three local plant communities; central maritime chaparral, coastal sage scrub, and dune scrub. There are plants (species, horticultural varieties, and hybrids) from these communities that are very adaptable for use in the home landscape.
When selecting plants for the location and overall effect, factors such as ultimate size (height and width), summer water requirements, sun/shade, soil preference, flowering season(s), hardiness, and fire resistance are necessary for deciding which plants to use and where they should be placed in the landscape. For most of us, we assume that tall plants should be used for background or accent effect. They can also be used to form an entrance to an area that consists of low-growing perennials such as buckwheat, California rush rose, monkeyflower, penstemon, deer weed, Indian paintbrush, prickly phlox and others interspersed with annual wildflowers. Sort of like walking into a secret garden.
Let’s look at a specific plant and some of its’ characteristics: the Sand Mesa manzanita (Arctostaphylos rudis), is an ideal background, accent, or screening plant. Ultimate height is 6' to 8' and width of 8' to 10'. Certainly not a small plant or one that should be planted close together. Summer watering requirements are 1 to 2 times per month (deep watering) for at least the first four years after planting. After that, discontinue summer watering; the plant is on its’ own. This manzanita will tolerate full sun to part shade. Best growth and foliage condition is obtained in full sun. In part shade, the foliage at the bottom third of the plant is sparse to non-existent resulting in a somewhat bare appearance. This manzanita is hardy to 15 degrees Fahrenheit. Soil preference is sandy, well-drained soil. Heavy soil such as clay can be modified by adding gravel or sand to the planting hole and back-fill material. With regards to fire resistance, this manzanita is not and should never be planted next to a home or other combustible structure. The flowering season is in the winter with hanging clusters of pinkish/white bells. They serve as food for hummingbirds at this time of the year. In the fall, pea-sized brick-red berries are present. These are another important fall/winter food source for wildlife.
