It is a time of year when the Nature Center does not look it's best. Unlike our "normal" ornamental garden plants, California Native Plants are usually cut back hard in the fall to winter. They are actually generally dormant in the summer and hot months, and grow in the spring. Cut many of them at the wrong time of year and they will die. Water them too heavily at the wrong time of year and they will die. Plant them in heavy soil and they will die. Too deep? Dead. Too much sun? Dead. No wonder they have a bad reputation! If you DO plant them correctly, however, they are very low maintenance, and easy to care for.
The best way to know how to care for your California Native Plants is to find out where it grew originally - you'll need to know those pesky Latin names again. If it is found in riparian areas (near rivers and streams), you can be pretty sure it won't mind heavy soil, a little shade, and summer water - things like Heuchera 'Opal', or many of the Ribes (California Currants) fall into this category. Some of the larger shrubs just don't care - they survive fire and flood equally well - Rhus ovata - Sugarbush, or Rhus integrifolia - Lemonadeberry are like this. Things that grow on our erosive hillsides, or fast draining soil? Those are the persnickety ones - Manzanita, many Ceanothus, and Flannelbush (Fremontedendron) come to mind.
Keep in mind also that many of these plants are not considered long lived - even the California Sycamore is not considered a long lived tree - about 75 to 100 years - compared to an oak. Some will reseed if you are lucky, or root along branches to propogate themselves. The Southern California ones are really meant to burn up every few years - which means they can be cut back hard during fire season to control size and rejuvenate.
We'll be cutting many things back over October and November, sending our garden to sleep while the rains come - then looking forward to the wildflowers and new, fresh growth in spring!
The best way to know how to care for your California Native Plants is to find out where it grew originally - you'll need to know those pesky Latin names again. If it is found in riparian areas (near rivers and streams), you can be pretty sure it won't mind heavy soil, a little shade, and summer water - things like Heuchera 'Opal', or many of the Ribes (California Currants) fall into this category. Some of the larger shrubs just don't care - they survive fire and flood equally well - Rhus ovata - Sugarbush, or Rhus integrifolia - Lemonadeberry are like this. Things that grow on our erosive hillsides, or fast draining soil? Those are the persnickety ones - Manzanita, many Ceanothus, and Flannelbush (Fremontedendron) come to mind.
Keep in mind also that many of these plants are not considered long lived - even the California Sycamore is not considered a long lived tree - about 75 to 100 years - compared to an oak. Some will reseed if you are lucky, or root along branches to propogate themselves. The Southern California ones are really meant to burn up every few years - which means they can be cut back hard during fire season to control size and rejuvenate.
We'll be cutting many things back over October and November, sending our garden to sleep while the rains come - then looking forward to the wildflowers and new, fresh growth in spring!